Linda pointed at him.

“Your attitude is exactly the problem.”

“My attitude?”

“You moved into this neighborhood acting as though the rules don't apply to you.”

Jamal stared at her.

There it was.

Not the cable.

Not the landscaping.

Not the utility box.

The real problem.

Fourteen months of complaints suddenly made sense.

He had never been the problem.

He had been the homeowner who refused to bow.

Jamal took one step forward.

“Put the cutters down.”

Linda tightened her grip.

“No.”

“Then I'm calling the police.”

“Call them.”

“I already did.”

For the first time, Linda looked nervous.

And six minutes later, a patrol SUV turned onto Willow Crest Drive.

The Police Arrive

Officer David Mills stepped from the driver's side.

Officer Tasha Green followed.

Both immediately saw Linda.

Then the bolt cutters.

Then the open utility box.

Mills approached.

“Who owns those?”

Linda raised them slightly.

“I do.”

“And the cable?”

Linda hesitated.

Jamal answered.

“My internet provider.”

Linda interrupted.

“The HOA has jurisdiction over visible exterior modifications.”

Officer Green looked at Jamal.

“Did she cut anything?”

“My connection dropped while she was standing here.”

“Coincidence,” Linda said.

Jamal held up his phone.

“My cameras caught everything.”

Mills looked at Linda.

“You opened the utility box?”

“I inspected a violation.”

“That wasn't my question.”

Linda's mouth tightened.

Officer Green crouched beside the box.

She examined the cable.

The outer protective coating had a fresh indentation.

The cutters had already damaged it.

Green looked up.

“This looks fresh.”

Linda crossed her arms.

“I was preventing continued noncompliance.”

Mills stared at her.

“You damaged the cable?”

“I was enforcing HOA standards.”