But the message referred to two issues he'd already identified independently.
He forwarded it to Hannah.
She advised him to preserve the original email, including its available metadata, rather than responding impulsively.
Luke agreed.
Then he stood near the sliding glass doors and looked toward the backyard.
The pool reflected the house lights.
Beyond the fence, the decorative HOA fountain was running.
Its small stream of water glistened beneath the landscape lighting.
Luke noticed the faint vibration again.
He could feel it through the deck near the old auxiliary fitting.
For a moment, he pictured the pipe beneath the ground.
The disconnected water feature.
The renovation invoice.
And the unexplained increase in his water bills.
Then he remembered Samuel's words.
The neighborhood didn't own it.
Luke closed the curtains.
He decided that whatever the investigation found, he wouldn't let someone make another unapproved change before the evidence was documented.
The planned assessment was supposed to take place on Saturday morning.
But an unexpected equipment issue delayed the specialist.
Rafael contacted Luke and explained that the team would arrive later in the afternoon.
Luke agreed.
He spent the morning cleaning the patio and reviewing his maintenance records.
Then, shortly after three-thirty, he heard splashing outside.
He looked through the kitchen window.
Celeste Harrow was floating in the middle of his pool.
Her navy-blue swimsuit was decorated with white flowers.
Her blonde hair spread across the water.
And her expression was one of complete satisfaction.
Luke stood motionless.
For several seconds, he couldn't believe she was doing this again.
After the letters.
The attorney's involvement.
The dispute over the historical agreement.
And the pending inspection.
She had entered his backyard and was swimming as though nothing had happened.
Then Luke noticed something else.
The small HOA fountain beyond the fence was running.
And the vibration near the pool's eastern edge had returned.
He looked at the diagnostic materials Rafael had left for the upcoming supervised assessment.
Then at his phone.
The technician had already discussed the location and scope of a limited visual tracing check with him, but Luke didn't intend to undertake any intrusive work or operate unfamiliar equipment.
He stepped into his bright-red swimming trunks and black pool sandals.
Then walked toward the sliding doors.
For the first time, he wasn't interested in arguing about whether Celeste liked him.