Owen's eyes went wide as he ran his finger down the columns of numbers. "Guys... Patricia hasn't just been fining people. She’s been embezzling from the HOA reserve fund to bankroll her husband's shell companies. Over two million dollars is missing. Henderson found out. He was building a case against her."
The second envelope contained something even more explosive. It was an original county surveyor's map from 1998, when the neighborhood was first built.
"Look at the red line," Javier pointed.
Daniel traced the boundary line of the Cedar Grove subdivision. The line went right behind his house, cutting perfectly straight. But when the line reached the end of the street, it shifted.
"Patricia's house," Daniel whispered.
"Her house isn't inside the boundary line," Owen gasped. "The developer built her lot five feet outside the legal zoning parameters. She's technically sitting on unincorporated county land."
The realization hit them like a freight train.
"She doesn't live in Cedar Grove," Daniel said, a slow, dangerous smile spreading across his face. "Which means she isn't legally a resident."
"And if she isn't a resident," Javier finished, "she can't legally be the HOA President. Every fine she's issued, every lien she's placed, every contract she's signed for the last ten years..."
"Is entirely illegal and void," Owen laughed.