"Did you give the HOA a key?"
"No."
"Did anyone?"
Marcus thought.
"The pool contractor has one."
"Company?"
"Bluewater Pool Services."
"Anyone else?"
"My sister had a temporary key years ago, but I changed the lock after replacing the gate."
Officer Daniels looked at the lock.
"Who installed it?"
"I did."
"Who had the key before you?"
"Nobody. Bought new hardware."
Ruiz nodded.
"Let's keep checking."
Marcus opened another clip.
Then another.
The pattern grew.
Brenda had entered six times in five weeks.
Always early.
Always before Marcus was awake.
Sometimes she photographed.
Sometimes she touched equipment.
Once she moved a lounge chair close to the pool edge.
The next day Marcus received a notice about unsafe furniture placement.
Another time she left a plastic cup near the pool.
Hours later came a sanitation warning.
Marcus stared at the screen.
"This can't be real."
Officer Daniels said nothing.
Marcus opened another video.
This one was from three weeks earlier.
Brenda entered at 5:14 a.m.
She stood near the gate.
But this time she did not walk toward the pool.
She waited.
Thirty seconds later, the gate opened again.
A man entered.
He wore a dark polo and work pants.
Brenda handed him something.
Marcus zoomed in.
A key.
Officer Ruiz leaned closer.
"Pause."
Marcus did.
The man's face was partly visible.
Daniels asked.
"Recognize him?"
Marcus shook his head.
Ruiz said.
"Keep playing."
The man walked toward the equipment pad.
He opened it.
Brenda stood nearby.
The man reached inside.
Adjusted something.
Then walked toward the water.
He removed a small bottle from his pocket.
Marcus's stomach turned.
"What is that?"
The officer raised a hand.
"Don't assume."
The man bent near the water.
The camera angle did not clearly show whether he poured anything.
He stood again.
Brenda pointed toward the pool.
They spoke.
No audio.
Then they left.
Marcus looked at the officers.
"I need the water tested."
Daniels nodded.
"We'll document the scene first."
Ruiz asked.
"When did you get your next violation after this?"
Marcus checked his email.
The answer appeared quickly.
The following morning.
Improper chemical balance.
Mandatory corrective service recommended.
The notice included contact information for a company.
Premier Aquatic Compliance.
Marcus stared at the name.
"I used them."
Officer Ruiz looked at him.
"What?"
"They said my chlorine stabilizer was wrong."
"When?"
"The day after this notice."
"How much?"
"About eighteen hundred dollars."
Daniels frowned.
"For what?"
"They drained part of the pool, replaced some filter media, did a chemical reset, tested the pump."
Ruiz asked.
"Who referred them?"
Marcus looked at the notice.
"HOA."
The officers exchanged a glance.
Marcus saw it.
Something had changed.
This was no longer simple trespassing.
Ruiz took out her phone.
"Who's the HOA president?"
"Brenda Wallace."
"Anyone else on the board involved?"
"I don't know."