"The pool access dispute."
Marcus's expression hardened.
"It wasn't a dispute."
"I understand."
"Someone broke my lock."
"I understand."
"And entered my property without permission."
"I understand."
Marcus waited.
Gregory sighed.
"Mr. Reed, I'm not trying to reopen anything."
"Then why are you?"
"The insurance carrier requested a compliance audit."
That changed the tone.
Marcus sat down.
"Insurance?"
"Yes."
"What does the insurance company want?"
"Documentation showing that private residential pools meet applicable safety standards."
"Fine."
"So I'll cooperate."
Gregory sounded relieved.
"Thank you."
"But the inspection has to be conducted with me present."
"Of course."
"And nobody enters my property without my permission."
"Agreed."
"And I want the inspector's license information before the inspection."
"That's reasonable."
Marcus wrote down the appointment date.
Friday.
At ten in the morning.
When he hung up, Danielle called.
"Well?"
Marcus told her.
She was quiet.
"Does it feel strange?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because Patricia used the exact same language."
"Community safety."
"Exactly."
Danielle sighed.
"Could be nothing."
"Could be."
"Then treat it like nothing."
Marcus smiled.
"That's what I'm going to do."
Friday morning arrived.
The inspector was a woman named Elena Vargas.
She arrived in a gray SUV with a county contractor badge displayed on the dashboard.
Marcus checked her credentials.
Everything was legitimate.
She smiled.
"I appreciate you verifying."
"After last year, I'm careful."
"I heard about last year."
Marcus raised an eyebrow.
"Already?"
"Small neighborhood."
He laughed.
Elena inspected the gate.
The locks.
The pool depth markings.
The drainage.
The equipment enclosure.
She took photographs.
She checked the chemical records.
Everything passed.
Then she noticed the warning tag.
She smiled.
"This is good."
Marcus looked at it.
"What?"
"The temporary closure tag."
"That's the same kind of tag from the incident."
"Yes."
Elena examined it.
"This is more than a warning."
Marcus frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"This tag has a tracking number."
He looked closer.
He had never noticed.
There was a small code in the lower corner.
Elena scanned it with her phone.
A digital record appeared.
Marcus watched her expression change.
"What?"
She looked at him.
"This treatment record is unusual."
"How?"
"The chemical adjustment was entered under an emergency service classification."
Marcus frowned.
"Is that bad?"
"No."
She hesitated.
"It's just unusual."
Marcus folded his arms.
"Why?"
"Because emergency service records require additional documentation."
"Do you have it?"
"I can access the database."
She tapped her screen.
Then she stopped.
"Interesting."
"What?"
"The service record has been viewed recently."
Marcus's stomach tightened.
"By whom?"
"I can't see the person's name."
"Can you see when?"
"Yesterday."
Marcus stared at her.
"Who would have access?"
"Pool service provider, property owner, insurance carrier, possibly the HOA if they have authorization."
Marcus looked toward the house.
"The HOA doesn't have authorization."
Elena nodded.
"Then I'd ask your management company."
Marcus didn't like the feeling in his stomach.
He called Kevin Morales, the pool technician.
Kevin answered quickly.
"Hey, Marcus."
"Did you access my treatment record yesterday?"
"No."
"Did your company?"
"I'll check."
A few seconds passed.
"No."
Kevin sounded confused.
"Nobody from our office accessed it."
Marcus looked at Elena.
She was watching him.
"Could someone else access it?"
"If they had the service number."
Marcus's eyes narrowed.
"Who has the service number?"
"Anyone who saw the notice."
Marcus looked toward the pool gate.
The warning tag was clearly visible.
Elena said quietly, "I'd preserve the access logs."
Marcus nodded.
"That's exactly what I'm going to do."
He thanked her and walked inside.
Danielle was waiting on a video call.
"What happened?"
Marcus told her.
She frowned.
"Do you think Patricia is involved?"
"I don't know."
"She resigned."
"I know."
"She's not on the board."
"I know."
"Then who?"
Marcus looked at the screen.
"I don't know."
Danielle leaned closer.
"Then find out."
Marcus opened his computer.
He requested the access logs from the pool company.
Then he contacted the HOA.
Gregory responded within an hour.
"We didn't access your record."
"Can you prove it?"
"Yes."
"Please send me the authorization logs."
Gregory hesitated.
"Marcus, what are you concerned about?"
"Someone accessed my pool treatment record."
Silence.
"That's odd."
"Yes."
"I'll investigate."
"Thank you."
Two hours later, Gregory called.
"We found something."
Marcus sat up.
"What?"
"There was an external access request."
"From whom?"
"We're not sure."
"Where did it originate?"
Gregory lowered his voice.
"A consulting company."
Marcus froze.
"What company?"
Gregory gave him the name.
Marcus recognized it.
It was one of the companies connected to the development project from the previous year.
His face went cold.
"Are you certain?"
"Yes."
"When?"
"Yesterday morning."
Marcus looked at Danielle.
She was still on the screen.
Her expression had changed.
"What did they access?" Marcus asked.
"Only the public portion of the record."
"What's public?"
"The service date."
"The treatment details?"
"No."
"Then why access it?"
Gregory sighed.
"That's what we're trying to determine."
Marcus leaned back.
The development project was supposed to be dead.
But apparently, somebody was still watching.
And now they were looking at his pool.
For the next several days, Marcus did nothing.
He didn't call the company.
He didn't confront anyone.
He simply watched.
The first sign came on Thursday.
A white sedan parked across the street.
It remained there for forty minutes.
Marcus noticed it from the kitchen window.
He took a photograph.
The car drove away.
The next morning, it returned.
This time, Marcus checked the license plate.
He sent the image to his attorney.
The attorney called fifteen minutes later.
"Do not approach the vehicle."
"I wasn't planning to."
"Good."
"Can you identify it?"
"Not yet."
Marcus watched the sedan.
The driver's face was obscured by the windshield reflection.
After thirty minutes, it left.
Marcus didn't sleep well that night.
Not because he believed someone was about to attack him.
He didn't.
He was more concerned about something else.
Someone was studying his property.
Again.
The following Monday, Gregory called.
"We need to talk."
Marcus met him at the clubhouse.
Gregory looked exhausted.
He had a folder under his arm.
"I've been reviewing the old files."
"Anything?"
Gregory opened the folder.
"There are records that shouldn't exist."
Marcus sat down.
"What kind?"
"Access requests."
"To what?"
"Property records."
Marcus's expression hardened.
"Whose?"
"Several homeowners."
"Mine?"
"Yes."
"How many?"
Gregory hesitated.
"Twenty-seven."
Marcus stared at him.
"Twenty-seven?"
"Twenty-seven separate searches."
"By Patricia?"
"Some were initiated while she was president."
"Some?"
Gregory nodded.
"Some were initiated after she resigned."
Marcus looked up.
"By whom?"
"We're still tracing that."
"Who had administrative access?"
"Three people."
"Names?"
Gregory gave them to him.
One was Gregory himself.
One was the HOA's outside management company.
The third was a former employee.
A man named Steven Cole.
Marcus recognized the name.
"Wasn't he Patricia's assistant?"
"Yes."
"When did he leave?"
"Three months after she resigned."
"Where did he go?"