Chapter 2: The Car in the Garage
Marilyn did not touch the garage door.
She let it continue rising on its own.
The vehicle inside belonged to her.
It was an older silver sedan that she had kept for years because it had belonged to her late husband, Robert.
She rarely drove it anymore.
But that afternoon, she had planned to take it to a mechanic.
The car had been sitting inside the garage because Marilyn was preparing to sell it. She had already removed the insurance papers and old registration from the glove compartment. The hazard lights were blinking because she had left them on earlier while checking the battery.
Nothing about the car was mysterious.
But Diane didn’t know that.
And judging by her expression, Diane had clearly expected Marilyn’s garage to remain closed.
That was what bothered Marilyn most.
Diane had known about the garage.
She had known about the driveway.
She had known Marilyn’s habits.
And she had parked there anyway.
Diane finally looked at her watch.
“I didn’t realize you were home.”
Marilyn almost laughed.
“You’ve lived next door for eighteen months.”
Diane ignored the comment.
She walked toward the SUV.
Marilyn remained where she was.
“Diane.”
The other woman stopped.
“Move it.”
There was no anger in Marilyn’s voice.
That seemed to make the request harder to dismiss.
Diane looked toward the street.
Two neighbors had begun watching from their porches.
She lowered her voice.
“This is becoming unnecessary.”
“No,” Marilyn said. “The car is unnecessary.”
Diane’s jaw tightened.
She walked to the SUV and opened the driver’s door.
Before getting inside, she turned.
“I’ll move it.”
Marilyn nodded.
But Diane didn’t start the engine.
Instead, she stood beside the open door and stared at Marilyn.
“You really don’t understand how this neighborhood works.”
Marilyn felt something cold settle in her stomach.
She had heard that sentence before.
Not from Diane.
From people who believed that rules applied differently depending on who was speaking.
“I understand perfectly,” Marilyn said. “That’s why I put up the sign.”
Diane slammed the door.
The SUV rolled backward.
Then forward.
Then finally out of the driveway.
Marilyn waited until the vehicle was parked along the curb before stepping toward her garage.
The older silver sedan sat inside.
Nothing appeared disturbed.
But on the concrete floor near the back wall, Marilyn noticed something she hadn’t seen earlier.
A small white envelope.
It was lying beneath a shelf.
She picked it up.
There was no stamp.
No address.
Only her name.
MARILYN HARPER.
Her hands suddenly felt cold.
She opened it.
Inside was a photocopy of a document.
At the top were the words:
NOTICE OF PROPERTY COMPLIANCE VIOLATION.
Marilyn read the first paragraph.
Then the second.
Her heart began beating faster.
The document claimed that her driveway sign violated HOA regulations.
It also stated that her property was subject to enforcement action.
But there was one detail that made Marilyn stop.
The document was dated three weeks earlier.
She had never received it.
And at the bottom was the name of the HOA compliance officer.
Diane Whitmore.
Marilyn looked toward the street.
Diane was already back inside her SUV.
She was watching Marilyn through the windshield.
