One dropped out almost immediately.
By noon, I owned all three parcels.
Paid.
Recorded.
Legal.
The county clerk stamped each deed.
She looked at me.
"You know what these parcels connect to, right?"
"Yes."
"They control access to quite a bit of the community infrastructure."
"I know."
She smiled.
"Then I suppose you have an interesting weekend ahead."
I folded the deeds.
For the first time, I realized something.
Mara had spent years telling people that property rights mattered.
She simply never expected those rights to belong to someone else.
The Second Meeting
The next HOA board meeting was scheduled for Saturday.
I arrived carrying three folders.
I wasn't alone.
With me came Mr. Klein, a property attorney who had reviewed the filings.
A sheriff's deputy also attended with a verification packet.
The room was full.
Mara stood behind the same podium.
She saw me.
Her face hardened.
"Mr. Carter. Attendance is restricted to HOA members."
"I'm not here as a member."
I placed three folders on the table.
"I'm here as a property owner."
Doug frowned.
"What are those?"
"Deeds."
Mara stared at me.
"Deeds to what?"
"Parcels 11B, 11C, and 11D."
Silence.
I opened the first folder.
"The retention lot."
The second.
"The pedestrian path."
The third.
"The utility buffer."
Mr. Klein stepped forward.
"All three transfers have been legally recorded."
Mara's face drained of color.
"Those are community properties."
"No," Klein said calmly.