She reviewed the complaint.
Then she watched my security footage.
The footage showed Brenda entering my property repeatedly.
I never went near hers.
Maria stared at the screen.
"This might be the most thoroughly documented false complaint I've ever seen."
I nodded.
"Put everything in the file."
Maria closed her notebook.
"I intend to."
That night, I stopped defending myself.
I started investigating the one place Brenda never expected me to look.
The HOA's finances.
Follow the Money
Most homeowners never read HOA financial reports.
I did.
I downloaded eight months of records from the period since Brenda had become president.
At first, everything looked ordinary.
Then I noticed a $15,000 payment to Ashworth and Associates Legal Services.
Brenda's maiden name was Ashworth.
The company belonged to her brother-in-law.
The next payment was $8,200 for landscaping.
The company belonged to her nephew.
Then came $6,500 for security consulting.
The owner was Brenda's cousin.
Then $12,400 for a roof repair.
Another relative.
I sat at my desk staring at the spreadsheet.
Nearly $47,000 in questionable payments.
But the money wasn't the only problem.
None of the relationships had been disclosed.
The board minutes described the vendors as independent companies selected through competitive bidding.
I knew procurement fraud.
During my military career, I'd seen officials manipulate contracts by steering work toward relatives and hiding conflicts.
I printed everything.
Then I called the district attorney's office.
I made the call as a homeowner.
Not as police chief.
An independent white-collar detective named Jim Reynolds reviewed my documents.
He had a background in accounting.
He understood the numbers immediately.
"This is interesting."
I handed him copies of local bids.
"The landscaping contract should have cost about half this."
He studied the documents.
"How much have you identified?"
"Approximately forty-seven thousand."
He leaned back.
"Potentially more."
He explained that the investigation would need bank records, corporate ownership documents, electronic transfers, board minutes, witness testimony, and proof that Brenda knowingly concealed the relationships.
I agreed to cooperate.
That evening, I met several neighbors at Mel's Diner.
Dorothy sat across from me with a copy of the HOA bylaws.
"You're saying she used our money to pay her family?"
"The records strongly suggest it."
Bob Orion shook his head.
"How much?"
"At least forty-seven thousand."
The table erupted.
Everyone wanted to confront Brenda immediately.
I stopped them.
"No."
They looked at me.
"We're not going to become what she is."