"You're standing in my backyard."
"That doesn't eliminate privacy laws."
"You entered my fenced property without permission."
She crossed her arms.
"You're becoming hostile."
Marcus stopped.
There it was.
The word Brenda always used when someone questioned her.
Hostile.
He had heard her use it during board meetings.
A retired teacher asked why her fine had doubled.
Hostile.
A young couple disputed a landscaping violation.
Hostile.
A widower asked to see the rule that prohibited his porch chair.
Hostile.
Marcus had learned something important about Brenda.
She did not mind disagreement as long as it came quietly.
The moment someone asked for proof, she treated the question as disrespect.
Marcus raised his phone.
"How did you unlock my gate?"
Brenda looked at the camera.
"I already answered you."
"No."
"You heard me."
"You said HOA access."
"Correct."
"Who gave you a key?"
She smiled.
"Marcus, you bought into a managed community."
"Who gave you a key?"
"The association retains certain rights."
"Who gave you a key?"
Brenda's smile disappeared.
"I am not participating in one of your interrogation games."
Marcus looked toward the gate.
Then back at her.
"Leave."
Her eyebrows lifted.
"Excuse me?"
"Leave my property."
"I'm conducting an inspection."
"The inspection is over."
"You do not get to terminate official association business."
"I own this house."
"You are subject to the covenants."
"The covenants don't transfer ownership."
"You are being difficult."
"You are trespassing."
Her face hardened.
Marcus continued.
"Leave now."
For several seconds, Brenda did not move.
Then she looked toward the pool.
She removed her sunglasses completely.
"I'm already here."
Marcus stared at her.
"What does that mean?"
"It means I'm going to finish what I came to do."
She walked toward the pool.
Marcus followed at a distance.
"Do not touch anything."
Brenda stopped near the edge.
She looked down at the water.
Then at the skimmer basket.
Then at the pump equipment.
She pulled a small notebook from her bag.
Marcus watched.
"You scheduled no inspection."
Brenda ignored him.
"You sent no notice."
She wrote something.
"No contractor is here."
Another note.
"No board member is here."
She looked toward him.
"Do you always talk this much in the morning?"
Marcus stared at her.
"Do you always break into people's yards before breakfast?"
Her jaw tightened.
She walked toward the far side of the pool.
Marcus noticed something.
She knew where she was going.
Not generally.
Specifically.
She went directly to the equipment panel.
She did not search.
Did not hesitate.
She stopped beside the pump housing and lifted the plastic cover.
Marcus's expression changed.
"How do you know that's there?"
Brenda froze for half a second.
Then she continued.
"The pool equipment is standard."
"No."
Marcus stepped closer.
"The equipment pad is hidden behind landscaping."
She looked over her shoulder.
"So?"
"So from the gate, you can't see it."
Brenda shut the cover.
"You submitted plans to the association."
"Three years ago."
"Exactly."
Marcus stared at her.
"Do you carry every homeowner's pool plan around in your head?"
She said nothing.
Marcus looked toward the house.
Then he remembered something.