Patricia whispered:
"I don't know."
Marcus looked at her.
"You signed the invoices."
Patricia turned.
"How do you know that?"
"Because I read."
Mercer looked up.
"Ma'am, we need to speak with you."
Patricia stepped back.
"About what?"
"The records."
"I don't know anything about those records."
Mercer held up the binder.
"Your signature appears on multiple authorization forms."
Patricia looked sick.
"I was told they were security documents."
"By whom?"
She didn't answer.
"By whom?"
Patricia looked toward the garage.
"Daniel."
"Daniel who?"
She whispered:
"Voss."
Marcus watched her face.
For the first time, she looked frightened.
Not angry.
Not powerful.
Frightened.
The FBI agents continued searching.
They found encrypted drives.
Contract files.
Payment records.
Copies of resident identification documents.
Photographs.
Access logs.
And a second binder.
This one was labeled:
SPECIAL CLIENTS.
Marcus felt his stomach turn.
Mercer opened it.
Then closed it.
He looked at Marcus.
"You don't want to see this."
Marcus nodded.
"Okay."
The search lasted almost four hours.
Residents began gathering outside.
News traveled quickly.
People watched from sidewalks.
Some stood behind their gates.
Others came directly to Marcus's driveway.
The HOA board members arrived.
Daniel Harper.
Susan Bell.
Raymond Ortiz.
They looked confused.
Then horrified.
Patricia was sitting in the passenger seat of an FBI vehicle.
She wasn't under arrest.
Not yet.
But she was no longer giving orders.
Daniel approached Marcus.
"What happened?"
Marcus looked at him.
"Your president called the FBI."
Daniel stared.
"And?"
Marcus pointed toward the garage.
"They found the answer."
Daniel swallowed.
"What answer?"
Marcus looked at him.
"Ask her."
Daniel looked toward Patricia.
She looked away.
By late afternoon, the neighborhood had become the center of a federal investigation.
News vans appeared at the main entrance.
The HOA board canceled all meetings.
The clubhouse was closed.
The security program was suspended.
Three trucks were seized.
The contractor's office was searched.
Daniel Voss disappeared from his home before agents arrived.
That evening, residents received an email.
It was short.
The association is cooperating with federal authorities.
All security operations are suspended pending further investigation.