The next problem came from the petition. When the verification company returned its preliminary results, more than a quarter of the signatures could not be matched to current homeowners. Some names belonged to residents who had moved away. Three people said they had never signed. One signature belonged to a woman who had been in the hospital on the date listed beside it. Several signatures had been copied from an old pool-access form.
The petition organizer, who had been identified as the Magnolia Ridge Standards Committee, had included an address that belonged to Diane's late husband's family trust. Miriam said the board could not conclude who had forged anything without more evidence. The association could, however, reject the petition as insufficient under the governing documents and explain the reasons to the membership.
Hoa asked that the verification report be distributed without speculation. It included the number of signatures checked, the number that matched, and the categories of irregularities. Names were withheld unless a homeowner had given permission. The board then voted to notify the petition organizer that the required threshold had not been met.
The social media reaction was immediate. One post said Hoa had rigged the review. Another said the board was hiding the names of people who supported the recall. A third claimed that the verification company had been chosen by Hoa personally. Priya posted the board minutes showing the vote and the process for selecting the company. The dispute did not disappear, but the record was available.
That evening, Hoa found a note under her windshield wiper. “You will not be president much longer.” The paper was folded into a small square. She placed it in a plastic sleeve and called the non-emergency police number to ask how to document an unwanted threat. The dispatcher told her an officer could take an informational report. Hoa accepted the offer. She did not identify a suspect.
When Aaron heard, he called her. “Do you want someone from my department to take a look?”
“No. I have already reported it through the ordinary channel. Your department should not be involved.”
“That's reasonable.”
“I don't want anyone thinking the chief is protecting the HOA president.”
“I understand.”
He paused. “But don't let your concern about appearances stop you from taking care of yourself.”
Hoa promised she would not. She drove home with the note locked in her glove compartment and the radio turned low. She noticed that she had started checking the rearview mirror more often. It annoyed her that a piece of paper could make the familiar street feel different.
The audit moved from accounting irregularities to document integrity. Sofia Patel had asked Crestline for the original version history of the board minutes. Nolan Price sent a PDF of the final minutes but said the software did not retain drafts. Sofia asked whether the management company had a backup system. Nolan said it did but claimed the archive was not part of the association's data package.
Miriam wrote a formal demand citing the management agreement and the board's duty to inspect association records. Crestline's attorney responded that the request was overbroad. The board narrowed it to the minutes and vendor approvals connected with Northstar. Crestline still resisted.
At the same time, Priya found a receipt for a document-scanning service paid from the association's operating account. The service had been ordered by Gerald after his resignation. The invoice described “historical board record cleanup.” When Priya asked Gerald about it, he said he had been helping organize old files for the incoming board. But the service date was six months after he had left office, and there was no board authorization.
Hoa asked Gerald to attend a meeting with Miriam present. He came with a folder of his own. He said the association's records had been chaotic and he had paid for scanning because he wanted to help. Priya asked why the expense appeared on the association ledger rather than his personal account. Gerald said he had been reimbursed after submitting a receipt.
“Who approved the reimbursement?” Hoa asked.
Gerald looked at her. “I don't remember.”
“Do you have the approval?”
“Probably.”
“Can you provide it?”
“I'll look.”
He had not provided it by the next meeting.
Sofia discovered that the scanning company had delivered two versions of the minutes archive. The first contained a draft noting that the Northstar arrangement had been discussed as a possible service but had not been approved. The second contained a revised entry stating that the board had authorized the project. The revision metadata showed that the change was made from a Crestline office computer using a management administrator account.