Richard Harlan moved toward them before they had even closed their car doors.
"Officers, thank goodness you're here," he announced. "I've been trying to manage an increasingly hostile homeowner, and now he's making false accusations against me."
Officer Harris raised one hand.
"Sir, please wait. We'll speak with everyone separately."
Richard stopped, although his expression suggested that being asked to wait was an unfamiliar and deeply offensive experience.
Daniel came out through the front door.
He had changed his shirt because the collar of his previous one had been stretched during the confrontation. He carried a folder containing the association's approval letter, the recent notices, and the printed email from Westbridge Development Group.
"Officer," he said, "I'm the homeowner who called."
Harris glanced at the window.
"Can you tell me what happened?"
Daniel explained everything from the moment he had discovered Richard standing beside the broken glass. He described the argument over the wooden shelter, Richard's refusal to provide documentation, the physical contact, and the shove that had forced him backward.
He spoke slowly, without exaggeration.
When he finished, Officer Patel asked whether he had any witnesses.
"Several neighbors saw what happened. The two men beside Richard's truck were also present."
"Do you have video?"
Daniel held up his phone.
"I started recording after he grabbed my shirt. I also have security cameras covering the driveway and front entrance."
Richard's head snapped around.
"You recorded me?"
Daniel looked at him.
"You were standing on my property."
"That doesn't give you the right to record people!"
Officer Harris turned toward Richard.
"Sir, I asked you to wait."
Richard pressed his lips together.
Daniel led the officers inside and showed them the security system. The cameras had captured the driveway, the front walkway, and most of the area around the broken window.
The footage was clear.
It showed Richard entering the property without permission, pointing toward the shelter, arguing with Daniel, grabbing his shirt, and shoving him backward.
It also showed something Daniel had not noticed during the confrontation.
Before Daniel came outside, Richard had walked directly toward the wooden shelter and examined one of its support beams. He then removed a small object from his pocket, crouched near the base, and appeared to take several photographs.
Officer Patel leaned closer to the screen.
"Can you enlarge that section?"
Daniel adjusted the playback.
The image became grainy, but the movement was unmistakable.
Richard had been doing something near the shelter before the argument began.
"What was he holding?" Harris asked.
"I don't know," Daniel replied. "I didn't see him carrying anything when I came outside."
The officer watched the footage again.
"Make sure you preserve the original recording. Don't edit it or delete anything."
"I've already backed it up."
"Good."
Outside, Richard was pacing beside his truck.
His two companions had separated from him. One was speaking into a phone, while the other stared toward Daniel's house with an expression that suggested he was beginning to regret becoming involved.
Officer Harris returned to the driveway and asked Richard for his account.
Richard immediately launched into a lengthy explanation about community standards, architectural violations, property values, and the responsibilities of association representatives.
Harris listened for a minute before interrupting.
"Did you enter Mr. Mercer's property without his permission?"
"I was conducting an official inspection."
"That wasn't my question."
Richard's jaw tightened.
"I had authorization from the association."
"Do you have a document granting you permission to enter this property?"
Richard hesitated.
"We have bylaws."
"Do those bylaws authorize you to enter a private residence or damage a window?"
"I didn't damage anything deliberately."
Harris looked toward the broken glass.
"Was the window intact when you arrived?"
Richard said nothing.
"Mr. Harlan, I'm asking you a direct question."
"It was already under pressure from an existing structural issue."
Daniel, standing near the front steps, almost laughed.
The window had been installed less than a year earlier. He had personally inspected the frame after a storm, and there had never been a structural issue.
Officer Patel wrote something in her notebook.
"Do you have photographs documenting that condition before today's incident?"
"No."
"An inspection report?"
"No."
"Any written authorization to remove the window?"
Richard's expression grew increasingly defensive.
"I don't have to explain every administrative decision to you."
Harris closed his notebook.
"Actually, when we're investigating a reported property-damage incident, you do need to answer reasonable questions. If you refuse, we'll document that refusal and proceed based on the available evidence."
Richard looked toward Daniel.
For the first time, there was genuine hostility in his eyes.