Karen shook her head. "That's not possible."
The investigator pointed at the boot. "Who installed it?"
Karen didn't answer.
He looked toward the tow truck driver. "You?"
The driver raised both hands immediately. "No, sir, I just got here."
The investigator nodded. Then he looked back at Karen. "So, that leaves you."
Karen tried to recover. "I was just enforcing the rules."
He sighed slightly. "You entered private property, immobilized a vehicle, and attempted to tow it without legal authority."
Karen's voice started rising again. "This man refuses to follow community standards."
I finally spoke. "Actually," I said calmly, "I follow them better than most people here."
The investigator looked at me.
"Oh," I nodded toward the street, "you should probably ask the neighbors who cleared during the blizzard last year."
The investigator seemed curious.
Karen interrupted quickly. "That's irrelevant."
But just then, something else happened. Two police officers walked up the driveway. One of them looked at the boot, then at Karen. "Is this the complaint about trespassing?" he asked.
The investigator answered before anyone else could. "Yes."
Karen pointed straight at me. "He's the one interfering."
The officer looked at the investigator. "Sir?"
The investigator flipped his clipboard back open. "Actually, officer, the complaint is about unauthorized enforcement activity by a property management representative."
Karen's face went pale again.
The officer turned to her. "Ma'am, did you enter this garage and install that device?"
Karen stuttered. "I—I was enforcing HOA rules."
The officer looked unimpressed. "Inside someone's garage?"