“No law against that.” Mike chuckled, but his laughter faded when he saw the distress in her eyes. “Zoey, relax. I’ll do some digging, but honestly—I think you’re fine.” He paused. “You said you know she thinks this place is an eyesore. How do you know that? Has she hassled you before this?” His protective temper started to rise when Zoey nodded.

“She gave Dad some grief about cleaning up and referred to his sculptures as junk.” The corner of her mouth lifted. “Let’s face it—our front yard is...unique. I was planning on moving most of them, if only to make mowing easier. But I was going to leave the wizard, the dragon and the maiden. They’re Hazel’s favorites.”

He knew which figures she meant. They were his favorites, too. Made of a combination of tin and copper and gears and random parts, they were the closest to the house. Most of the other sculptures were more...modern art...than identifiable figures. The final few, closest to the road, looked like Rob had just welded together whatever pieces of metal he’d found lying around. It did make for an interesting sight. Drivers sometimes pulled over and got out to take selfies with the whimsical artwork.

Zoey wrinkled her nose. “I don’t think Karen Schiff has any appreciation for the artwork. In fact, she hates it. She told Dad as much, and he got a few anonymous notes suggesting the piles of junk were embarrassing to his neighbors. We always assumed they’d come from her. The very first thing she said to me after Dad died was that she hoped I was going to remove those monstrosities from the property. The first thing, Mike. Like...at the funeral. Shook my hand, gave me a sad smile for show, then whispered her little threat.” Zoey refilled her glass. Good thing she wasn’t driving anywhere.

“Why didn’t I know any of this?” Mike asked. “Do you still have any of those notes?”

Zoey had finally taken a seat. She swirled her glass in circles, staring at the white wine inside. “I think I do. Dad never threw anything away.” She met his gaze. “You didn’t know about it because I thought it was a nonissue. Having a busybody neighbor is hardly news. And I do plan on cleaning up the front and getting the house painted. But now she’s threatening the business, and that’s a whole other story. I guess I could rent a storefront somewhere, but that’s a big expense. And a big hassle. I like being able to just walk out here for parts or to work on projects.” She scowled again. “All because someone doesn’t like driving past my family home to get to her ugly cinder block on the hill.”

Mike walked around the worktable and put his hands on her shoulders, staring right into her wide eyes.