Karen tried to keep her confidence. "Why is that?"
"Because according to the state license records," he said while flipping a page, "Summit Ridge Property Management only has three registered agents." He looked up at her. "Your name isn't one of them."
Karen froze. "Well, I work under them," she said quickly.
The investigator nodded slowly. "All right." Then he pointed toward my garage. "Did you authorize a wheel immobilization device on that vehicle?"
Karen straightened up again like she had found her confidence. "Yes, it violates HOA parking rules."
The investigator looked at the truck. "It's inside a private garage."
Karen crossed her arms. "The door was open."
The tow truck driver actually let out a small laugh before quickly covering his mouth.
The investigator turned back to Karen. "So, your defense is the homeowner accidentally left his garage open?"
Karen's voice got louder again. "This community has standards."
That line again?
The investigator wrote something else down. "Did the HOA board vote on entering private structures for enforcement?" he asked.
"Yes," Karen said immediately.
"Do you have documentation?"
She paused. "Not with me."
"Do you have documentation that allows immobilization of vehicles on private property?"
Karen hesitated again. "The management company approved it."
The investigator finally closed his clipboard and looked straight at her. "Ma'am, I spoke with Summit Ridge's main office 20 minutes ago."
Karen blinked.
"They told me something very interesting."
Her confidence was completely gone now. "What?"
"They told me they never authorized boots, towing, or garage entry for this property."
Silence hit the driveway. The tow truck driver slowly took two more steps away from Karen.