I nodded.
Adrian hesitated.
“Daniel, did you photograph the garden before repairing anything?”
“Yes. Police documented it, and I have the camera footage.”
“Excellent.”
For a moment, he was silent.
Then he asked, “How's Lena?”
I looked toward the hallway.
“Upset.”
“I'm sorry.”
I swallowed.
“She asked whether someone could hurt a memory.”
Adrian didn't answer immediately.
Then he said softly, “That's a difficult question for a child.”
I nodded.
“She decided we'd plant more purple flowers.”
For a moment, he chuckled.
“Sounds like she has a plan.”
I smiled.
“She usually does.”
After we ended the call, I continued examining the records.
At eleven-thirty, I found the first invoice that genuinely unsettled me.
It was part of the association's annual financial report.
A line item described emergency irrigation remediation services provided by CanyonMark.
The payment was substantial.
Much larger than an ordinary inspection fee.
I searched the meeting minutes for an explanation.
There was a reference to recurring failures affecting multiple properties.
Another note mentioned the need for rapid corrective action.
Then Patricia's name appeared beside a recommendation to expand the contractor's authority.
I leaned back.
For months, she'd been insisting that homeowners' irrigation systems were failing.
Yet several of those failures appeared to occur shortly after residents disputed her demands.
The possibility was disturbing.
But I needed more than a pattern.
I needed people who could explain what happened.
The following morning, I walked across the street to speak with Evelyn Parker.
Evelyn was seventy-three, a retired elementary-school teacher who had lived in Mesa Verde Estates for almost fifteen years.
She had short silver hair, bright eyes, and an enormous collection of ceramic birds arranged along her front porch.
Whenever Lena visited, Evelyn gave her lemonade and insisted that she take home a cookie.
Evelyn answered the door wearing a pale-blue cardigan.
“Daniel!”
I smiled.
“Morning, Mrs. Parker.”
She looked toward the street.
“Everything all right?”
I hesitated.