He called his attorney, Gregory Hamilton, on his drive home. Hamilton had handled lease disputes for Richard before and liked him less than he liked the fees. He warned that removing long-term tenants without lawful cause could produce serious liability. Richard told him he had recorded violations and neighbors prepared to complain. When Hamilton asked to review the files, Richard said his office would send them soon.
"Richard," Hamilton said, "do not try to make people leave through harassment. I mean that literally. No utilities, no locks, no manufactured complaints."
"You're paid to get results, Greg."
"I'm paid to advise you on the law."
"Then advise me on how to win."
Hamilton heard the call end and stared at his phone. He wrote a short note recording the advice, then returned to another client's paperwork. He would later wish he had done more than protect his own record.
The Washingtons made a grocery list on Friday afternoon. Milk, eggs, vegetables, bread, and a chicken Eleanor wanted to roast for Sunday dinner. She added apples for the church bake sale and a small bag of peppermint sweets for Mr. Patterson. James offered to carry everything, but she insisted on dividing the bags. They left home in a good mood, believing they could still salvage an ordinary evening.
They were wrong. As they turned onto Riverside Avenue, Richard's Mercedes stood across the building entrance, and the two developers waited beside him in expensive dark coats. The men looked toward Eleanor and James before Richard said a word. Eleanor saw the folded papers in his hand and instinctively slowed her steps.
James noticed. "Whatever he's planning, we don't have to answer him out here."
"We're coming home," Eleanor said. "We should be able to walk through the door."
Richard stepped down to block the entrance. "We need to talk. Now."
The street was filling with the first scattered drops of rain. People hurried toward awnings and bus shelters, protecting grocery bags and open phones. Across the road, Mrs. Carter lifted her curtains when she heard Richard's raised voice. Inside Eleanor's bag, a carton of eggs pressed against a heavy bottle of olive oil.
She shifted its weight and faced the landlord who was about to make his most costly mistake.
"Mr. Caldwell," Eleanor began, "we have groceries. If there is a problem, perhaps you could send us a letter and we can discuss it tomorrow."
"I've sent letters," Richard replied. "You ignore them. So we're doing this here."
He offered James an envelope bearing Caldwell Properties' logo. Inside was a thirty-day eviction notice accusing the couple of disturbing other tenants, failing to maintain acceptable living conditions, and allowing unauthorized occupancy. The language was alarming, but James noticed the document did not include a court order or even the specific dates of the alleged violations. He read the first page twice before speaking.
"These aren't grounds you can invent by putting them on letterhead," he said. "We can produce witnesses to contradict every allegation."