If the concrete is already poured, judges are sometimes reluctant to order a full demolition because of the economic waste.”

“So what do we do?” Emma asked, leaning forward in her chair, her hand twisting her silver ring again.

“We document everything,” Rachel said.

“Every post they sink, every bucket of dirt they move.

I want you to take photos of the backyard three times a day.

Morning, noon, and evening.”

She wrote a phone number on a small white slip of paper and pushed it across the desk toward me.

“This is the direct line for the county building inspector,” Rachel said.