Her message was short.
“Dad, HOA security is here.”
I frowned.
I typed back.
“In a meeting. Everything okay?”
The response came almost immediately.
“They say I'm trespassing.”
I straightened in my chair.
Before I could answer, another notification appeared.
The security camera at the cabin had detected movement.
I opened the live feed.
Three men stood outside my front door.
All three wore tactical-style vests.
One had a pair of plastic handcuffs attached to his belt.
Another was filming.
And the third was standing beside a vehicle with a blue light bar attached to its roof.
Then Brenda stepped into view.
I turned up the volume.
Her voice came through clearly.
“Chloe, you have been instructed to leave the property. Refusal to comply with authorized security constitutes trespassing.”
My daughter's voice answered from the porch.
“This is my father's cabin!”
“That does not exempt you from community regulations.”
“I'm not doing anything!”
“You are refusing a lawful order.”
I stood up so abruptly that my chair scraped backward.
One of my deputies looked over.
“Chief?”
“Family issue,” I said. “Keep the briefing going.”
I was already moving toward the door.
In the hallway, I called operations.
The line connected on the second ring.
“Operations.”
“It's Mitchell.”
“Yes, Chief?”
“I have three individuals wearing imitation law enforcement equipment attempting to detain my minor daughter at my property in Cedar Ridge.”
There was a pause.
“Say that again.”
“Three HOA security volunteers. Fake badges. Tactical vests. Plastic handcuffs. They're threatening to arrest my daughter for trespassing at a cabin I own.”
“Are you serious?”
“I'm watching it live.”
The tone on the other end changed immediately.
“Keep the video feed active. We're coordinating with local authorities.”
“Understood.”
“Don't engage unless she's in immediate danger.”
I ended the call and headed for my vehicle.
I had dealt with dangerous criminals who understood exactly what they were doing.
But there was something uniquely disturbing about watching adults with no legitimate arrest authority threaten a teenage girl because they disliked her attitude.
Especially when that girl was my daughter.
I drove toward Cedar Ridge, keeping the camera feed visible through my phone's mounted display.
The situation was getting worse.
The man I recognized from the dock incident had moved closer to Chloe.
His name, I would later learn, was Gary Fenwick.
He held the handcuffs in one hand.
“Ma'am, this is your final warning.”
Chloe backed toward the front door.
“You can't arrest me.”
“We have new enforcement authority.”
“From who?”
“The HOA board.”
“That's not how the law works.”
Gary's expression hardened.
“Are you refusing to cooperate?”