Brenda stared at the screen.
"I don't know."
"You're standing next to him."
"That image is blurry."
"You hand him something."
"No."
Ruiz zoomed in.
"Looks like a key."
Brenda's mouth tightened.
"I need to speak to the association attorney."
"You're free to do that."
"Am I being detained?"
"Not at this moment."
Brenda looked toward the street.
Then back at the yard.
"Then I'm leaving."
Daniels said.
"Do not enter this property again."
She stared at him.
"I'm authorized."
"Not right now."
Her voice rose.
"You cannot revoke association authority."
Marcus finally spoke.
"He can revoke yours."
Brenda looked at him.
"What?"
Marcus pointed toward the pool.
"My cameras show you coming in here before sunrise."
She said nothing.
"Moving furniture."
Silence.
"Touching equipment."
Her jaw tightened.
"Taking pictures."
Silence.
"Then sending me violations based on what you arranged."
Brenda stepped toward him.
"That's a lie."
The officers moved between them.
Marcus did not step back.
He remained calm.
"You came into my yard and created the conditions you later fined me for."
"No."
"You left a cup."
"Ridiculous."
"You moved the chair."
"You're delusional."
"You touched the pump."
"I was inspecting it."
"You just said you weren't here."
Brenda froze.
Officer Ruiz watched her carefully.
Marcus continued.
"And you handed my gate key to another man."
Brenda's face changed.
This time there was no recovery.
"What man?"
"The one your cameras caught."
She had made the mistake again.
Marcus had said "my gate key."
Not "your cameras."
She had responded as though she already knew the footage existed.
Officer Ruiz noticed.
"Ma'am."
Brenda looked at her.
"Who was the man?"
"I told you. I don't know."
"Then why did you know what footage he was talking about?"
Brenda opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
A second patrol car arrived.
Then another.
The backyard began filling with officers.
Marcus stood near the back door.
Brenda remained by the pool.
The scene resembled something far more serious than the morning had begun.
Police near the gate.
One near the side path.
Another beside the patio.
The forensic technician by the water.
Officer Ruiz holding Marcus's phone.
Brenda standing in the middle of it all.
The pool behind her.
Blue water.
Sunlight.
A ridiculous contrast.
She looked around.
"This is insane."
Nobody answered.
Then Officer Ruiz played another clip.
Brenda at the gate.
5:14 a.m.
The unidentified man entering.
The key exchange.
Ruiz paused it.
"Ma'am, this is your last chance before we start obtaining records from the contractor companies."
Brenda looked at her.
"What contractor companies?"
Ruiz did not answer.
Brenda realized her mistake.
Again.
The officer turned toward Daniels.
"Call investigations."
Brenda took off her sunglasses.
For the first time all morning, she looked genuinely frightened.
Marcus watched from the patio.
He did not feel satisfaction.