She dialed immediately and turned her back to me while talking loudly. "Yes, officer, I need someone here. A homeowner is interfering with HOA enforcement and threatening workers."
I looked at the tow truck driver. "See?" I said quietly. "That's twist number two."
He frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Karen thinks the police are about to help her."
The driver glanced at my phone again. "You already reported them?"
I nodded. "10 minutes before you showed up."
He whistled softly.
Karen hung up and turned back around with a confident smile. "They're on their way," she announced proudly.
I nodded again. "Perfect."
That answer clearly confused her. "You're happy about that?"
"Very."
The driver leaned toward me slightly. "Why?"
I looked toward the street where a vehicle had just turned the corner. "Because," I said calmly, "the state investigator I called earlier said he was already in the area."
Karen followed my gaze. Two cars were now pulling up. One had police lights. The other had a small government seal on the door.
"And he told me he'd arrive before the police did."
Karen's face slowly drained of color, because the man stepping out of that second car wasn't just any official. He was holding a clipboard. And the first words out of his mouth were loud enough for everyone to hear: "Who here represents Summit Ridge Property Management?"
Karen didn't move. The tow truck driver quietly stepped three feet away from her. And I just pointed right at Karen.
Karen's mouth opened, but nothing came out.
The man with the clipboard walked slowly up the driveway, looking at the yellow boot on my truck, then at the tow truck, then at Karen. "I'll ask again," he said calmly. "Who represents Summit Ridge Property Management here?"
Karen forced a smile and stepped forward. "That would be me," she said, suddenly sounding much more polite than before. "I'm the HOA compliance officer."
The investigator raised one eyebrow. "Compliance officer?" he repeated.
"Yes," she said quickly. "I handle enforcement for the community."
He wrote something down on his clipboard. "That's interesting."