"You can have the box," Daniel said loudly.
Patricia's smirk widened.
"On one condition," Daniel continued, raising his voice so the gathering crowd of nosy neighbors on the sidewalk could hear. "You open it in front of the entire neighborhood. Tomorrow night. At the annual HOA town hall meeting."
Patricia's face turned ash white. "Absolutely not. This is a private legal matter."
"If you don't," Daniel bluffed, pulling a USB drive out of his pocket and holding it up, "I will send the digital copies of Arthur Henderson's ledgers to the IRS, the FBI, and every local news station in this state."
The silence on the porch was deafening. The lawyer looked at Patricia, his confidence shattering.
Patricia glared at Daniel with pure, unadulterated hatred. "You have no idea who you are messing with."
"See you tomorrow at eight, Patty," Daniel said, and slammed the door.
The Cedar Grove community center was packed to the fire code limit. Word had spread like wildfire. Neighbors who hadn't spoken in years were packed shoulder-to-shoulder in the folding chairs, whispering aggressively.