Cynthia's face became pale.
Then she looked toward Andre.
“You did this.”
He stared.
“What?”
She pointed at him.
“You called the city. You brought these people here!”
Andre remained still.
For a moment, the officer looked between them.
Then Mercer spoke.
“Mrs. Vale, the investigation began before today's incident.”
Cynthia stopped.
The officer continued.
“Your neighbor's earlier observations were one part of the information reviewed. They were not the only basis for the investigation.”
For several seconds, she stared.
Then she looked toward the municipal vehicle.
Another employee had arrived.
Two responders were examining the accessible drainage area from authorized locations.
Cynthia's expression changed again.
Fear.
Real fear.
Not of a neighborhood fine.
Of losing control over the explanation.
Andre watched her.
For months, she'd spoken to him as though the entire development operated under her personal authority.
Now she was standing between a police officer and a municipal inspector who weren't interested in her title.
They wanted facts.
Where the wastewater came from.
Who authorized the equipment.
Who directed the discharge.
And why a private sewer problem had been allowed to affect public drainage infrastructure.
Cynthia looked toward the gate.
Then toward her mansion.
For a moment, she seemed to calculate whether leaving would help.
But Officer Mercer was still speaking.
“Mrs. Vale, we need to document what happened here. Please remain available while we establish the circumstances.”
She looked at him.
Then whispered.
“You don't understand.”
Mercer waited.
For several seconds, Cynthia said nothing.
Finally, she looked toward Andre.
Her expression became bitter.
“He wouldn't cooperate.”
The officer glanced toward the homeowner.
Then back at her.
“Cooperate with what?”
Cynthia swallowed.
“The drainage agreement.”
Rosa slowly turned.
“What drainage agreement?”
For a moment, Andre felt his stomach tighten.
He'd saved that document.
The one Cynthia had brought to his front porch.
The one she'd demanded he sign without explaining what work it authorized.
He looked toward the inspector.
Then said quietly.
“I have a copy.”
Cynthia's face went white.
And that was the moment Andre understood that the agreement might be the missing connection between her private wastewater problem and the pressure she'd placed on his family.
Andre retrieved the agreement from his home office.
He didn't hand over his phone or begin opening random files.
He printed the document Cynthia had delivered months earlier, including the date, accompanying email, and the version he'd saved when she first requested his signature.
Then he brought it to Officer Mercer and Rosa Alvarez.
Rosa examined the pages.
Her expression became serious.
She looked toward the property diagram.
Then toward the boundary between the two houses.