But I could see she'd made a careful note.
That difference between the notices became important later.
At the time, it was simply one more fact requiring explanation.
A uniformed patrol officer arrived a few minutes afterward.
He spoke with Camila, then approached Patricia to obtain her identification and account. The officers documented the hammer as potential evidence, preserved photographs of the damaged sprinkler, and made arrangements for the footage to be collected appropriately.
Patricia became increasingly agitated.
She insisted that calling the police over a sprinkler head was an abuse of public resources.
She complained that I was intentionally making her look unreasonable.
Then she suggested that my cameras were an invasion of her privacy.
Camila looked toward the security camera above the patio.
“Ms. Voss, you were recorded in the backyard of a private residence.”
Patricia raised her chin.
“Without my consent.”
“The recording and its legal significance will be evaluated. But your objection doesn't establish permission to enter the property or damage it.”
Patricia stared.
For a moment, she appeared genuinely confused.
She'd spent years using the language of regulations and authority as though the words themselves settled every disagreement.
Now someone was asking her to connect those words to actual rights.
And she couldn't.
When the patrol officer asked about the broken sprinkler, Patricia repeated that she'd disabled a dangerous fixture.
I felt my jaw tighten.
There had been nothing dangerous about the sprinkler.
It was a standard pop-up irrigation head, properly installed and maintained.
The dangerous condition began when she smashed it.
But I didn't interrupt.
Camila had already watched the recording, and she knew my professional background well enough to understand I could explain the system later.
Then Patricia made a mistake.
She pointed toward the flower garden.
“That entire section is going to be torn out eventually anyway.”
I turned sharply.
“What?”
She seemed to realize she'd said too much.
Camila looked up.
“Why would the garden be removed?”
Patricia folded her arms.