In it, she complained that I was making her look foolish.
The older man asked whether the homeowner had agreed to the membership program.
She replied impatiently that everything had been handled.
Then she said something that made my attorney sit upright.
“We have thirty families expecting to swim this weekend. If I don't get that code, the whole arrangement falls apart.”
The older man asked whether she should contact me through the attorney instead.
Her response was sharp.
“No. He has had enough chances. I need the gate opened today.”
Then came the sound of her picking up the stone.
The older man could be heard saying, “Don't do that.”
She ignored him.
The glass shattered.
And immediately afterward, she said, “Now he'll have to answer for a safety violation.”
The recording ended moments before I came around the corner.
I listened to it once.
Then looked toward my attorney.
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
Finally, she said, “This is important evidence.”
I nodded.
The camera showed what the president did.
The older man's recording helped establish what she said immediately before doing it.
Together with the membership records, the evidence suggested her actions were connected to the access scheme.
But the older man wasn't finished.
He'd begun contacting other members listed in his pool program's private communication group.
He wasn't spreading accusations.
He was asking whether they'd received the same paperwork and whether they knew the pool was privately owned.
The responses were heartbreaking.
One family had paid for three months of access because their teenage daughter was training for a school swim competition.
Another couple wanted a place to exercise during the summer.
A grandfather had purchased passes for his grandchildren.
A mother had saved money for months because she couldn't afford a separate vacation.
Most believed the HOA had arranged the program lawfully.
Several had received photographs of my home.
A few had been told the owner was an investor who preferred not to interact with members.
One woman said she'd asked to meet the homeowner before paying.
The president told her the property was professionally managed and that personal contact wasn't permitted.
The older man gathered the contact information of residents willing to speak directly with investigators and association counsel.
He shared the records through the proper channels.
And that simple decision changed the investigation.
Because the scheme was no longer supported by one disputed document.
There were numerous contracts.
Invoices.
Payments.
Emails.
And people who could explain exactly what they'd been promised.
One customer produced an email in which the HOA president described my pool as officially approved for association use.