The blonde woman floating in the swimming pool had no idea that the homeowner was about to expose a secret she'd spent eight months trying to protect.
At 4:17 on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, thirty-five-year-old Luke Bennett stepped through the sliding glass doors of his suburban home wearing bright-red swimming trunks and black pool sandals. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and athletic, with short light-brown hair, sharp blue eyes, and a neatly maintained beard. He'd planned to enjoy a quiet afternoon after spending six exhausting days working on a commercial building renovation.
Instead, he found the president of his homeowners association floating on her back in the middle of his private swimming pool.
Celeste Harrow was forty-eight years old, an attractive blonde woman with a slim, fit figure and shoulder-length hair styled into a fashionable bob. She wore a fitted navy-blue one-piece swimsuit decorated with white floral patterns. Her arms stretched lazily across the turquoise water as though she were enjoying an expensive resort she'd personally reserved.
When Luke approached the pool, she barely acknowledged him.
"You're home early," she said.
Luke stopped beside the concrete deck.
"Celeste. Get out of my pool."
She opened one eye.
"Don't start."
"This is private property."
Celeste gave a theatrical sigh.
"We've discussed this, Luke. The association has recreational access."
"No, it doesn't."
She laughed and floated toward the shallow end.
"You're welcome to take that up with the board."
"I already did."
"Then perhaps you should accept the board's decision."
Luke stared at her. Sunlight reflected from the water onto the decorative blue tiles surrounding the pool, and the light-gray siding of his house glowed beneath the clear afternoon sky. Three white-framed windows overlooked the deck. A large blue flowerpot filled with red flowers stood near the back steps, exactly where his mother had placed it during her last visit.
Everything was peaceful except for the woman who refused to leave.
Luke glanced toward the pool equipment enclosure.
He'd noticed something unusual the previous evening, a faint vibration that continued after the regular filtration cycle ended. It was the same sound that had troubled him for weeks, accompanying a steady increase in his water bills and a mysterious current near one corner of the pool.
He'd spent the morning reviewing the equipment with a licensed pool technician.