He paused.
"Salt?"
She nodded quickly.
"Pool salt. That's all."
I stared at her.
A moment earlier, she'd claimed the material was dangerous.
Now, with officers standing in front of her, she was insisting it was ordinary pool salt.
The female officer looked toward me.
"Sir, please don't enter the water or operate any pool equipment until the appropriate assessment is completed."
I nodded.
Then she turned back toward the president.
"Why would you tell someone you'd put a potentially deadly organism into their pool if you believed the material was harmless?"
The woman looked toward the fence.
For a moment, she seemed to search for an answer.
Then she said something that made the male officer stop writing.
"Because he needed to understand that the pool wasn't safe."
The officer looked up.
"What do you mean?"
The president swallowed.
Then shook her head.
"Nothing."
The officer remained still.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
And I realized that even if the bag contained nothing more than ordinary pool salt, the president had come here for a reason she hadn't yet explained.
The officers asked whether there were cameras covering the backyard.
I showed them the system.
The first camera recorded the side gate.
The second covered the pool.
A third captured the patio and sliding door.
The footage showed the president arriving, inspecting the gate, forcing the latch, and entering while holding the blue bag.
It also showed the moment she poured its contents into the water.
Then the conversation.
Her laughter.
Her claim about brain-eating amoebas.
And her statement that maybe now I'd understand what cooperation meant.
The female officer watched the recording carefully.
When it ended, she asked to see the original unedited footage.
I explained that the system stored recordings with timestamps and transmitted secure copies to a remote account.
I could provide the files through the department's evidence process.
She nodded.
Then asked whether the court order had been served on the president.
I showed her the service record.
The president had received notice.
Her attorney had also been informed.
The male officer reviewed the dates.
Then looked toward the woman.
"Ma'am, this order was issued before today."
She shrugged.
"I thought it only applied to harassment."
He pointed toward the relevant paragraph.
"It specifically addresses unauthorized entry."
Her face reddened.
For a moment, she seemed ready to argue.
Then she looked toward the body camera.
She stopped.
The female officer asked whether she'd like to clarify anything about her statements concerning the pool.
The president shook her head.
"No."
Then she added.
"I want my lawyer."
The officer acknowledged the request and continued the investigation through the appropriate procedures.
I watched from near the patio.