Liam chuckled, assuming it was a bad joke. "Susan, I appreciate the introduction, but I’m not handing over the keys to my private home to a stranger. There's no emergency."
Susan’s face hardened. The polite neighbor facade dropped instantly. "It is not a request, young man. It is a mandate. Hand over the keys, or there will be severe consequences."
"Have a good day, Susan," Liam said firmly, closing the solid oak door in her face and locking the standard deadbolt.
Ten minutes later, Liam was pouring himself a cup of coffee when he heard the crunch of tires on his gravel driveway. He glanced out the kitchen window and sighed. A county sheriff’s cruiser had parked right behind his truck. Susan was standing next to the cruiser, waving her arms frantically and pointing at Liam’s cabin.
Liam stepped out onto the porch as the deputy approached.
"Morning, Officer. How can I help you?" Liam asked calmly.
The deputy looked exhausted. "Sir, this woman called 911 stating that a hostile trespasser had unlawfully changed the locks on an HOA-managed property and was refusing to allow safety personnel inside."