The Knock at My Gate
The first time Karen tried to take my pool keys, she didn't come herself.
She sent her husband.
That should have been my first warning.
It was a warm Saturday morning, the kind of morning when the neighborhood was unusually quiet. The sprinklers were running, birds were singing from the trees, and the sunlight reflected off the blue water of my backyard pool.
I was standing near the kitchen window with a cup of coffee when I saw the police cruiser stop outside my house.
I frowned.
A uniformed officer stepped out.
He wasn't alone.
Karen was standing beside him.
Even from a distance, I could recognize her perfectly.
Perfect blonde hair.
Designer sunglasses.
Clipboard tucked under one arm.
And that expression she always wore whenever she believed she was about to get her way.
Karen had been the president of our homeowners' association for almost three years.
She believed the neighborhood belonged to her.
Apparently, she now believed my swimming pool did too.
I walked outside.
The officer waited at my front gate while Karen stepped forward.
"Good morning," she said.
I looked at the police officer.
Then at Karen.
"Can I help you?"
Karen smiled.
"We're here about your pool."
"My pool?"
"Yes."
She opened her clipboard.
"You've been notified several times that your pool access privileges have been suspended."
I almost laughed.
"By whom?"
"The HOA."
"And why?"
Karen looked at the officer.
Then back at me.
"Because you violated community regulations."
I took a sip of coffee.
"Which regulation?"
Karen's smile disappeared.
"The pool key."
"The pool key?"
"You are no longer authorized to possess it."
I stared at her.
Then I looked at the officer.
"Officer, are you here to enforce an HOA rule?"
He shifted uncomfortably.
"I'm here because Mrs. Mercer requested assistance in retrieving property belonging to the association."
I slowly lowered my coffee.
"Interesting."
Karen stepped forward.
"Just hand over the keys, and this will be over."
I smiled.
"No."
Her face hardened.
"You don't have a choice."
That was the moment Karen made her biggest mistake.
She assumed I was just another homeowner.
She had no idea who she was standing in front of.
And she certainly had no idea what was hidden inside my house.
The Woman Who Owned the Rules
Karen had always loved rules.
But what she loved even more was making rules.
Three years earlier, she had moved into our neighborhood with her husband, Daniel.
Daniel was a police officer.
Karen quickly volunteered for the HOA.