The exchange might have ended there had she not turned to the access lane. Whitfield's only regular vehicle entrance connected with County Road 9 by a gravel lane whose recorded access rights had existed for generations. A portion of the route ran near Palmetto Crest's entrance boulevard, and the distinction between fee ownership and access easements required consulting the actual documents. Martha's survey and the recorded instruments confirmed James's continued right to pass without obstruction, including with equipment and trailers used for the estate's ordinary purposes.
While James was in Charleston for a routine medical appointment, a landscaping contractor working for Palmetto Crest placed three heavy concrete planters along the narrowest part of the lane. Ornamental grasses spilled over their edges. A small car might have navigated through the gaps with care, but James's truck and horse trailer could not pass safely. The arrangement was presented as an aesthetic enhancement to a shared entrance corridor, although no board record showed that the association had secured permission to restrict the easement.
James returned late that afternoon. He stopped before the first planter, shut off the truck, and examined the route on foot. He could have tried to squeeze between the obstacles and risked scraping his truck or overturning a planter. He could have called Buddy and asked him to move them with a forklift. Instead, he took photographs, checked the location against the easement, and telephoned the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office for assistance with a non-emergency access dispute.
Deputy Cole Mitchell arrived just before sunset. He recognized the property and parked beside James's truck. After greeting his former supervisor, he inspected the planters, took photographs, and reviewed the recorded easement James had ready. Cole also spoke to the property manager associated with the HOA, who confirmed that the items had been installed at Patricia's direction. Because the civil status of an easement could present questions beyond a deputy's authority, Cole did not pretend he could resolve every legal issue at the roadside. He documented the obstruction, notified the responsible parties, and advised that the recorded access needed to remain usable while counsel addressed the dispute.
"I can file a report on what I found," he told James. "If they leave these here, your attorney can use it to seek relief. I'm going to make sure the supervisor knows they're blocking a recorded route."
"That's all I'm asking," James said. "I don't need you to take sides. I need what you see written down accurately."
Cole grinned briefly. "I seem to remember somebody telling me that's ninety percent of the job."
The planters disappeared before dawn. A landscaping invoice later described their removal as a design adjustment, but a photograph of the blocked lane remained in Cole's incident file and in James's archive. The obstruction had lasted less than a day. It nevertheless told James that Patricia no longer confined her campaign to letters, meetings, and accusations. She was willing to interfere physically with his access to home.