Jack and I had just moved into a small rental for a short work assignment when our neighbor, Lindsey, showed up with cookies and a smile. Friendly enough—until she launched into a lecture about strict HOA rules, including a bizarre one-car-per-driveway policy.
We explained our stay was temporary, but she reported us anyway. Days later, we woke to tow trucks hauling both our cars, Lindsey grinning as if she’d won. What she didn’t know: those cars were tied to a federal operation.
We didn’t argue. We simply hinted her interference had consequences. The next morning, a black SUV pulled up. A federal agent informed her she’d disrupted an active investigation, and her face drained of color.
From then on, Lindsey kept her distance. Her cookies sat untouched on our counter—a reminder that some neighbors take rules too far, and some rules aren’t worth enforcing.
