"That's the one," Grant said. "I left it there briefly because I was talking with guests. He made a big scene over it."
"It looks like it's across the entire driveway," Price observed.
Grant gave him a narrow look. "I can move my own car when I'm ready. The issue is the man who came onto my property."
Hanley stepped into the conversation before Price could follow up. "This is Mr. Voss," he said, addressing both officers. "He called us, and he's concerned about a possible threat. We'll speak to the individual across the street."
The phrasing established a hierarchy without saying so directly. Grant was the reporting party, identified and validated; Adrian was the individual, someone whose status remained provisional. Price registered the distinction as Hanley led them across the road. Colin walked a few paces behind Grant, holding the tablet with his completed report, though he looked increasingly troubled by the presence of actual police officers.
Inside his house, Adrian heard the engines and saw the reflected lights move across his front windows. He closed his laptop, placed his phone on the kitchen counter, and went to the hallway where his jacket hung over a chair. Through the window he counted three police vehicles and saw Grant guiding a uniformed lieutenant across the street. The man was walking with the assurance of someone escorting officers to a known problem rather than asking them to investigate an unknown complaint.
Adrian made an immediate decision. He could wait behind the locked door and require the officers to identify themselves and explain their purpose, but doing so might encourage the story Grant had already begun telling. He could also meet them in full uniform or announce his title before they asked a question. He rejected that approach because it would turn a routine fact-finding exercise into an encounter shaped by rank before anybody had examined the evidence.
He opened the front door and stepped onto his porch in the same dark jacket and slacks he had worn to work. His hands were visible, resting naturally at his sides. He stood near the porch rail, not advancing toward the officers and not putting on a performance of fear. Hanley stopped a few feet below him and regarded him with a guarded expression.
"Good evening," Adrian said.
"We received a call about a disturbance at this address," Hanley replied. "An altercation involving a resident across the street and a vehicle. We need to speak with you."
"Of course," Adrian said. "The vehicle belongs to Mr. Voss. It's been blocking my driveway for some time. I went across the street to ask him to move it, and he declined. He then threatened to make a telephone call that would finish me, so I returned here and documented what happened."
Hanley glanced back toward Grant, who stood near the property line with Colin. Adrian watched the glance and understood its purpose. Hanley had just heard an account inconsistent with the one Grant had provided, and the first response was to look toward the more familiar man. That was not yet proof of misconduct, but it was an early warning about where the conversation might go.