“Patience.”
I almost laughed.
“I have some.”
“Use it.”
That night, I called District Attorney Cassandra Pickering.
Cassandra had prosecuted cases I investigated during my years in Major Crimes.
She became district attorney in 2022.
She listened without interrupting.
When I finished, she said:
“I have been waiting for Briarwood Glen to give me something criminal instead of purely civil.”
“What do you have?”
“Three residents settled civil disputes last year.”
“With the HOA?”
“Yes.”
“Why no charges?”
“Because nobody wanted to continue once they got their property or money back.”
I understood.
“Now?”
“Now I have a police chief with documentation, a revoked notary connection, possible forged bar information, a shell company, and financial movement.”
She paused.
“Build it clean.”
“I’m a witness.”
“Good.”
“Bramwell has it.”
“Better.”
Then came Sheriff Buford Thrasher.
Buford and I had known each other since the 1990s.
Six foot five.
Sixty-two years old.
Drove a 1994 GMC Sierra because he believed trucks manufactured after 2005 contained too many computers and too little character.
I told him what Bramwell needed.
He grunted twice.
That was how Buford processed information.
Then he said:
“Whit’s commercial office sits outside city jurisdiction.”
“I know.”
“I’ll handle the warrant team.”
“Thank you.”
“You owe me steak.”
“I don’t.”
“You absolutely do.”
“Why?”
“Because this sounds annoying.”
“That isn’t how expenses work.”
“Texas Roadhouse. Atlanta Highway.”
Then he hung up.
By Thursday, we had the outline.
We still needed the Lockwoods to act.
So we gave them a reason.
The Cederville Police Department had already planned its second annual Forsyth County Restored Classic Showcase as part of youth outreach.
Six weeks away.
Fairgrounds.
Classic cars.
Auto-trade demonstrations.
Scholarship booths.
Normally, our public information officer would post a generic promotional image.
This time, after receiving approval from the investigators handling my case, we used a photograph that included three restored vehicles.
One of them was the Mustang.
Pearl white.
Cherry-red interior partly visible.
Briarwood Glen’s stone entrance monument blurred softly in the background.
The release contained no mention of me as owner.
Only:
1968 FORD MUSTANG FASTBACK — LOCAL RESTORATION ENTRY.
We knew Hadley followed department updates.
Most HOA board members subscribed to local alerts.
If she believed the car would soon appear publicly, she had an incentive to act before then.
The release went live Thursday morning.
By Thursday evening, Hadley had made her first new mistake.
A lien.
$12,400.
Cumulative fines.
Late fees.
Vehicle penalties.
Administrative charges.
Community remediation assessments.
Filed against my property.
Whit’s name appeared as HOA treasurer on the supporting paperwork.
The filing was defective.
Required notice procedures had not been followed.
The clerk’s office contacted the HOA after the issue was flagged through normal review.