"Did you break them?"
"They were defective."
Daniel's phone was still recording.
The officer noticed.
"Sir, are you recording?"
"Yes."
"Good."
Elaine's face tightened.
The officer looked at her.
"Do you have written authorization to remove these?"
"I'm the HOA president."
"That's not what I asked."
Elaine folded her arms.
"The HOA has authority over exterior property."
"Over what, specifically?"
"The landscaping."
"Does that include destroying property?"
Elaine stared at him.
"No."
"Then why did you?"
She didn't answer.
The younger officer walked down the path.
He looked at the broken fixtures.
Then at the final light.
Then at the ground.
His eyes stopped.
He noticed something near Elaine's feet.
A key.
The key had fallen from her hand.
He bent down.
Picked it up.
Looked at it.
Then his expression changed.
"Sergeant?"
The older officer turned.
"What?"
The younger officer held up the key.
"Look at this."
The senior officer walked over.
He examined it.
His face became serious.
"Where did you get that?"
Elaine stared at him.
"What?"
"The key."
She glanced down.
"Oh."
She reached for it.
The officer pulled it away.
"Don't."
Elaine's expression changed.
"It's an HOA key."
The officer looked at the younger officer.
"No."
He turned back.
"Ma'am, where did you get this?"
Elaine swallowed.
"From the HOA."
"Who gave it to you?"
"I don't remember."
The officer's voice became colder.
"You don't remember who gave you a key?"
Elaine said nothing.
Daniel continued recording.
CHAPTER SEVEN
The Key
The officer rotated the key between his fingers.
It was long.
Darkened with age.
There was a small stamped number near the top.
Daniel zoomed his camera.
The officer looked at him.
"Keep recording."
Daniel nodded.
Elaine became visibly nervous.
"What is this about?"
The officer didn't answer.
Instead, he spoke into his radio.
"Dispatch, confirm serial number seven-four-one-two."
A pause.
The radio crackled.
The officer listened.
His face changed.
The younger officer looked at him.
"What?"
The senior officer lowered the radio.