Patricia had not simply been watching him.
She had built a process around watching people she disliked.
Evelyn asked the question everyone in the room was thinking.
“Is Patricia still communicating with Sentinel?”
Daniel looked at his notes.
“There were communications after her resignation.”
“When?”
“Several weeks after.”
“About what?”
Daniel looked at Marcus.
“Property monitoring.”
Nobody spoke.
Then Linda whispered, “Whose property?”
Daniel answered.
“Seven homes.”
Marcus already knew what was coming.
“Which seven?”
Daniel read the addresses.
Marcus's was first.
Linda's was second.
The other five belonged to residents who had either challenged Patricia during meetings or filed complaints against her administration.
A man near the back stood up.
“My house is on that list.”
Daniel looked at him.
“Yes.”
The man stared at him.
“I've never received a violation.”
“That doesn't appear to have been the reason you were monitored.”
“Then why?”
Daniel closed his folder.
“Because you signed a petition requesting an independent audit of the HOA.”
The man sat down slowly.
A woman beside him began crying.
Marcus looked around the room.
For months, he had believed Patricia's obsession with him had been personal.
Now he understood something worse.
It had been institutional.
She had taken a neighborhood association and turned it into a private surveillance machine.
And the most frightening part was how ordinary the machinery looked.
Invoices.
Emails.
Contract amendments.
Security reports.
Compliance notices.
Everything had a legitimate-sounding name.
Nothing looked dangerous until you placed the pieces together.
Evelyn turned toward Marcus.
“You were right.”
Marcus shook his head.
“About what?”
“When you said the problem wasn't one person.”
Marcus looked at her.
“It was never just Patricia.”
“No,” Evelyn said quietly. “It wasn't.”
The attorney placed another document on the table.
“This is why I recommended the board vote tonight to terminate Sentinel immediately.”
Marcus read the page.
There was a termination notice.
He nodded.
“Do it.”
Evelyn looked at the board members.
“All in favor?”
Every hand rose.
The motion passed unanimously.
But Daniel didn't close his folder.
“There is one more matter.”
Marcus looked at him.
Daniel pulled out a small flash drive.
“We found archived footage.”
The room became quiet again.
“From where?” Evelyn asked.
“Sentinel's internal server.”
Daniel looked at Marcus.
“Some of it concerns you.”
Marcus's stomach tightened.
“What footage?”
Daniel didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he looked toward the residents.
“We found surveillance footage recorded outside Marcus Reed's property over a period of several months.”
Marcus stared at him.
“Months?”
“Yes.”
“How many?”
“Twenty-three separate dates.”
A murmur spread through the room.
Marcus felt his hands curl into fists beneath the table.