Nancy sighed, the fight draining slightly from her shoulders. "Yes, it belongs to them."
"Did Elena invite you onto the deck?"
"No, but she knew I wanted to speak to her."
"Did she tell you to leave?"
"Eventually."
Reyes tapped his pen against the paper. "Did you grab the leaf blower?"
"I tried to stop the noise."
"Did you grab Elena?"
"I may have touched her arm."
Officer Reyes looked across the lawn toward Unit 58. Officer Foster was taking photos of the red welts on Elena's wrist. "She has visible injuries, ma'am."
"Injuries?" Nancy scoffed, though a seed of panic was beginning to take root in her chest. "Those are not injuries."
"Did you put your hand on her arm forcefully?"
"I was trying to prevent her from pointing the machine at me."
Reyes closed his notepad with a soft snap. He looked at the older woman, seeing the exhaustion beneath her rigid posture, but the law was clear.
"Mrs. Rosenberg," Reyes said quietly, stripping away the neighborhood drama to state the stark reality. "You left your property, entered a fenced patio uninvited, grabbed another person's equipment, physically grabbed their arm leaving marks, and then opened their door and stepped into their home after being told to leave."
Nancy stared at him, the wind tugging at her silver hair. "But the rules..." she whispered, the words sounding incredibly hollow, even to her.
"The rules of the HOA don't supersede the law," Reyes replied. "Right now, I have to go speak with my partner. I need you to wait right here."
As Reyes walked away, Nancy stood alone by the mailbox. She looked back at her own unit, thinking of Harold sleeping in his chair, unaware of the storm she had just pulled down upon them. For the first time since moving to Hawthorne Ridge, the neighborhood was completely, terrifyingly quiet.