Our neighbor stuck a note on our car: “One car per house!” We ignored it. But, three days later, we woke up to our cars being towed. We ran outside—and there she was, grinning wide.

ME: “Wow! You really did it, huh?”

HER: “What’s so funny?!”

ME: “Nothing. Just the fact that YOU OWE US $25,000 NOW.”

HER: nervous gulp “What—what do you mean?”

I pointed at the car’s tag and chuckled out loud. “Bet you didn’t get what that mark means, as a certified tow-truck inspector, I’ve been logging every illegal tow in the neighborhood for months. Your little stunt? Caught on dashcam, reported to the city, and now you’re on the hook for damages, fines, and restitution.”

Her face drained of color. Turns out, the “one car” rule was never enforced—because it doesn’t exist. She’d been bullying residents for years, forging HOA letters, and pocketing kickbacks from a shady tow company. My evidence triggered an audit. Within a week, she was fined, the tow company lost its license, and every towed neighbor got reimbursed—totaling $25K from her bank account.

Moral of the story: Don’t mess with the quiet guy who keeps receipts.