When I explained why I was there, his expression changed.
“Come inside.”
We sat near the kitchen.
His older son was playing with toy cars on the floor.
Luis told me his irrigation problems began after he questioned an HOA assessment.
Patricia had demanded that his family replace the existing controller with a system approved through CanyonMark.
He contacted an independent contractor.
The contractor told him the system was functioning properly.
Luis declined the expensive upgrade.
Then two weeks later, somebody cut the irrigation line near his side fence.
Water ran beneath the gravel for several hours before the monitoring system identified the leak.
Luis discovered the damage when he received an unusually high water-use alert.
He repaired it.
Then another line was damaged.
A CanyonMark representative appeared at his house the following day, offering emergency service.
Luis found the timing suspicious.
But he couldn't prove anything.
He filed an HOA complaint.
Patricia responded that the damage demonstrated why homeowners needed to participate in the conservation program.
I stared toward the floor.
“Did you report it to police?”
He shook his head.
“I thought they'd tell me it was a broken sprinkler.”
I nodded.
He looked toward his toddler.
Then back at me.
“Daniel, I work in construction. I know pipes break. I know equipment fails.”
His jaw tightened.
“But both incidents happened after I refused that contractor.”
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then he whispered, “It feels like somebody's trying to scare people into paying.”
I looked toward the windows.
Then answered carefully.
“That's what the evidence needs to establish.”
Luis nodded.
He looked toward the folder in my hands.
Then said, “I'll talk to the detective.”
I thanked him.
Before leaving, I asked whether he had copies of the repair bills and HOA correspondence.
He nodded.
“Every page.”
I smiled.
“Good.”
That evening, I contacted Detective Ortega and provided the neighbors' names and the relevant information they'd agreed I could share.
She thanked me.