"Agent Carter, we have everything."
Ethan glanced at Victoria.
"Everything?"
"Everything."
"How much?"
"Three hundred thousand in transfers."
Victoria's expression changed.
Ethan's eyes remained on her.
"From whom?"
"Three contractors. Two property management companies. One shell corporation."
Victoria whispered:
"No."
Ethan ended the call.
"What did you say?"
"I said no."
"You should probably tell your son not to destroy evidence."
Victoria took a step backward.
"You've been investigating us."
"For six months."
"Why didn't you tell anyone?"
"Because I wanted to see what you would do."
Victoria looked around.
Neighbors were watching.
Phones were out.
Cameras were recording.
Ethan picked up the bat.
He held it by the handle.
"Here's what I know."
He placed it gently on a patio table.
"You've been targeting homeowners."
"Charging illegal fines."
"Using those fines to force people into settlements."
"Then sending preferred contractors to properties you pressured into foreclosure."
Victoria's face hardened.
"You can't prove that."
Ethan smiled.
"That's the interesting part."
He reached into his jacket.
He removed a small flash drive.
"I don't need to prove it to you."
Victoria stared at it.
"Who else knows?"
Ethan put the drive back into his pocket.
"Everyone who needs to."
Then sirens appeared beyond the gate.
Victoria turned.
Two police vehicles entered the street.
But Ethan didn't look relieved.
He looked worried.
Because this was the moment he had been waiting for.
And the people arriving weren't ordinary patrol officers.
They were members of the federal task force.
The investigation had just become an arrest operation.
Within fifteen minutes, Willow Creek had become a completely different neighborhood.
Police vehicles blocked the entrance.
Federal agents moved quietly between houses.
Residents stood behind windows.
Some were frightened.
Others were confused.
One elderly man walked onto his porch and asked:
"What's happening?"
An agent answered:
"Please remain inside."
Victoria stood beside her SUV.
She looked smaller now.
Much smaller.
Ethan approached her.
"You should call an attorney."
She laughed nervously.
"You planned this."
"I documented it."
"You moved here intentionally."
"Yes."
"You wanted us to target you."
"No."
Ethan paused.
"I wanted to know if you would."
Victoria stared at him.
"You people think you're so clever."
Ethan said nothing.
She stepped closer.
"You don't know what you're dealing with."
Ethan's expression changed.
"Actually, I think I do."
Victoria lowered her voice.
"You think this ends with me?"
Ethan looked at her.
"No."
That answer frightened her.
"Who else?"
Ethan didn't answer.
She looked toward the agents.
Then toward the clubhouse.
Then toward the HOA office.
Suddenly, everything made sense.
The unusual audits.
The missing documents.
The contractor who had stopped returning calls.
The board member who resigned unexpectedly.
Ethan hadn't been investigating a woman.
He had been investigating an organization.
A network.
For years, Willow Creek had operated under the appearance of legitimacy.
But behind the gates was another system.
Homeowners who complained were fined.
Homeowners who challenged the fines were buried in legal expenses.
Properties that couldn't keep up were forced into foreclosure.
Then certain contractors purchased them cheaply.
Those contractors were connected to HOA board members.
It was an elegant system.
Until Ethan arrived.
A federal agent living inside the neighborhood was the one variable they hadn't planned for.
A young woman approached Ethan.
She was one of the residents.
Her name was Naomi Reed.
She owned the house next door.
"I have something."
Ethan looked at her.
"What?"
She handed him a folder.
"I've been keeping copies."
He opened it.
Invoices.
Letters.
Inspection reports.
Bank records.
Naomi's hands trembled.