The following morning, Martha called and told me she had obtained an emergency court order. It authorized me to remove the portion of the foundation that had encroached onto my property, with the costs charged to Priscilla. I read the order twice because I couldn’t believe how quickly the situation had escalated. Martha explained that the survey, deed, photographs, and evidence showing the missing boundary markers had created a strong case.

At seven the next morning, I arrived with a rented walk-behind concrete saw, a small excavator, two men from my fence crew, and the court order in a folder. I had replaced the missing survey flags so everyone could clearly see the legal boundary. Before we started, Priscilla rushed outside wearing a silk robe and began screaming that I was trespassing on her property. She threatened to call the sheriff.

Twenty minutes later, a deputy arrived. Priscilla immediately handed him the court order she claimed proved she was being harassed. The deputy read it carefully, then read it again. He explained that the order specifically authorized the removal of the encroaching portion. Priscilla’s face went red. She insisted that the survey must be wrong and demanded that her contractor prove the boundary was different.

Then her concrete contractor arrived. He stepped out of his truck, looked at the replacement survey flags, and immediately went pale. He walked over to the deputy and lowered his voice. “I told her the pins were in the way,” he said. “She paid my guys to pull them out.” Priscilla stopped shouting.

The deputy asked the contractor to repeat what he had said. This time, he spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear. He explained that his crew had discovered the original property pins before pouring the foundation. He had warned Priscilla that the foundation would cross the boundary if they continued. According to him, she told the workers to remove the markers because she believed the construction would be finished before anyone could stop her.