Daniel challenged each one.
The HOA's own records showed he wasn't violating the rules.
Elaine hated that.
She had told him once, privately, that some residents needed to understand that rules weren't suggestions.
Daniel had replied that rules applied to everyone.
She had never forgiven him for it.
Now she stood in his front yard destroying property.
Daniel continued recording.
Elaine reached another light.
"Last chance," Daniel said.
She didn't look at him.
"For what?"
"Leave."
She laughed.
"Or what?"
"Nothing."
He lowered the phone slightly.
"You leave, and this ends."
Elaine turned.
"You think you're in control because you're standing there with a phone?"
"No."
Daniel raised it again.
"I think you're in control of your own hands."
She stared at him.
"What does that mean?"
"It means every light you break is your decision."
She looked at the broken fixtures.
Then at him.
For a moment, she seemed to reconsider.
Then her expression hardened.
She grabbed another light.
Crack.
Daniel quietly said:
"Okay."
CHAPTER FOUR
The Neighbors
The first neighbor to notice was Mrs. Harper.
She lived directly across the street.
She had known Elaine for years.
She had also supported Elaine during almost every HOA dispute.
But when Mrs. Harper stepped outside and saw the destroyed lights, her expression changed.
She walked toward the sidewalk.
"Elaine?"
Elaine looked up.
"What?"
"What are you doing?"
"Enforcing the community rules."
Mrs. Harper looked at Daniel.
He was standing several feet away, holding his phone.
She looked back at Elaine.
"Those are his lights."
"I know."
"Why are you breaking them?"
"Because they're not approved."
Mrs. Harper looked confused.
"I thought they were."
Elaine's face tightened.
"Well, they're not."
Another neighbor came outside.
Then another.
Within minutes, people were watching from porches.
A teenager across the street started filming.
An older man stood beside his mailbox.
Someone whispered that Elaine had gone too far.
Elaine noticed the growing audience.
Instead of stopping, she became more aggressive.
She grabbed two lights at once.
Pulled one.
Then another.
She threw both toward the grass.
Daniel continued recording.
"You're making this worse," Mrs. Harper said.
Elaine snapped:
"Stay out of it."
Mrs. Harper stepped back.
Daniel looked at the camera.
"Everyone sees what's happening."
Elaine pointed at him.
"You've always wanted to embarrass me."
Daniel shook his head.
"I'm not doing anything."
"You're recording me."
"Because you're destroying my property."
"You don't understand how this works."
Daniel looked at the broken lights.
"No."
He paused.