“A list of homeowners. Some of them were apparently being evaluated as potential property acquisitions. And the document suggests that information from the HOA may have been used to identify which residents were easier to pressure.”
Robert went silent.
“Is Marcus on it?”
“Yes.”
“Who else?”
“The Harrisons. And several others.”
Robert stood up from his desk.
“I'm coming.”
Dr. Carter looked once more at the spreadsheet.
The investigation had begun with a backyard barbecue and a police call.
It was now uncovering a possible system in which neighborhood complaints, private financial relationships, and property acquisition plans had overlapped.
But one question remained.
Who had created the list, and who had authorized the use of residents' private HOA information?
The answer might finally explain why Marcus's address had been discussed before the barbecue, why Patricia had been encouraged to report unfamiliar visitors, and why certain families had been made to feel that they no longer belonged.
And the person who had written the notes beside the homeowners' names had not yet been identified.
Robert arrived at Dr. Evelyn Carter’s office less than twenty minutes after her call. He had driven through Willow Creek without stopping, his mind already working through the implications of the spreadsheet.
Dr. Carter had placed the document in a clear folder on her desk. Beside it were several pages of financial records, a printed copy of the email between Harold Bennett and Patrick Doyle, and a list of questions she had written in the margin.
Robert took the spreadsheet and studied it carefully.
“Priority Acquisitions,” he read aloud. “This is not the language of an ordinary neighborhood improvement plan.”
“No,” Dr. Carter replied. “And look at the notes.”
Robert found Marcus’s address.
High visibility. Strong influence. Difficult to pressure.
He read it again.
“Someone considered him an obstacle.”
“Or someone believed his cooperation would be valuable,” Dr. Carter said. “We need to establish what the author meant.”
Robert moved down the page. The Harrisons’ former address appeared near the top. Another address belonged to an elderly couple named Frank and Margaret Lewis, who had sold their house after receiving a series of HOA notices about minor exterior maintenance issues.
“Have you contacted the Lewises?” he asked.
“Not yet. I wanted to understand the document before approaching anyone.”
Robert looked at the column beside their names. The notes were short, but disturbing.
Long-term resident. Limited family support. Likely to accept a quick offer.
Another entry read:
Repeated compliance concerns. Possible relocation opportunity.
“This needs to be preserved exactly as it was received,” Robert said. “No one should write on the original or circulate it casually. We should make a secure copy and document who has handled it.”
Dr. Carter nodded.
“I have already photographed every page and recorded the time the package arrived. The accountant is reviewing the financial records separately.”
“Do we know who created the spreadsheet?”
“Not yet. The file properties may tell us something, but I don't want to rely on those alone. A printed document can be altered, and electronic metadata can be misleading. We need the original digital file.”
Robert placed the pages on the desk.
“Then Harold needs to explain where it came from.”
Dr. Carter looked at him.
“I suspect he will say Patrick supplied it.”
“And Patrick will say it was only a business planning document.”
“Which is why we need to know who received it, who discussed it, and whether any HOA information was shared.”
Robert glanced again at Marcus’s entry.
“There's another issue. If the list was used to identify residents who might be pressured into selling, Patricia may have been given information about people who were considered difficult or undesirable.”
“That is possible,” Dr. Carter said. “But we cannot assume she knew about the acquisition plan. We have to separate what she did from what other people may have planned.”
Robert agreed.
The investigation was becoming more serious, but that made fairness even more important. If the review began treating suspicions as facts, it would lose the credibility it had worked so hard to establish.
Before Robert left, Dr. Carter asked him to help arrange a meeting with the former residents listed on the spreadsheet.
He immediately called Olivia Harrison.
Olivia listened as he explained the new discovery.
“So they had a list?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“And our family was on it?”
“Yes.”
For several seconds, she said nothing.
“My father always thought someone wanted us gone,” she finally replied. “He never said it directly, but I remember him asking why the complaints became more frequent after we refused to accept the first offer.”
“Do you remember who made that offer?”
“A representative from WCR Holdings. His name was Daniel Whitmore.”
Robert wrote it down.