Exactly fifty-three minutes.
The homeowner stood beside the pool and looked toward the neighboring houses.
Then he called the non-emergency police number.
A patrol officer arrived forty minutes later.
White man.
Late thirties.
Broad shoulders.
Neutral expression.
The homeowner walked him through the backyard.
The Officer stared at the wet garbage.
"Somebody threw this over the fence?"
"Looks that way."
"Any witnesses?"
"No."
"Video?"
"Cameras went offline."
The Officer looked toward the camera beneath the patio roof.
"Convenient."
The homeowner looked at him.
"What does that mean?"
The Officer shrugged.
"Nothing."
He wrote a few notes.
"Could be kids."
"Kids carrying household garbage?"
"Could be."
"Over a six-foot fence?"
The Officer looked toward the rear property line.
"Teenagers climb."
The homeowner nodded.
"Okay."
The Officer closed his notebook.
"I'll log it."
"That's it?"
"For now."
"What happens if it happens again?"
"Call again."
The homeowner did.
The second bag appeared two days later.
This one contained fast-food containers, wet cardboard, two broken plastic hangers, and a handful of dead flowers.
The camera failed again.
1:48 a.m. to 2:36 a.m.
He called.
Same Officer.
The homeowner noticed that immediately.
"You're back."
The Officer gave a faint smile.
"Looks like somebody likes your pool."
The homeowner did not smile.
"That's not funny."
The Officer's expression hardened slightly.
"I didn't mean anything by it."
The homeowner pointed toward the floating trash.
"Twice in three days."
"I see it."
"Cameras went down again."
"Maybe your system has an issue."
"Only during the exact window somebody enters my backyard?"
The Officer looked toward the house.
"Could be coincidence."
The homeowner stared at him.
The Officer continued taking notes.
"Any disputes with neighbors?"
The homeowner laughed softly.
"How much time do you have?"
"Serious disputes."
"The HOA President hates half the things I do."
"That doesn't mean she's dumping garbage into your pool."
"I didn't say she was."
The Officer looked up.
"No."
He closed his notebook.
"But be careful about making accusations without evidence."
The homeowner's face changed.
"I didn't accuse anyone."
The Officer shrugged.
"Good."
Then he left.
The third incident happened Friday.
This time the garbage was loose.
A torn black bag floated near the steps, surrounded by cups, wrappers, spoiled fruit, and several envelopes with the names removed.
The homeowner spent nearly two hours cleaning.
Then another hour shocking the pool.
He missed his morning swim.
Saturday stayed quiet.