It had been singled out.
And Eleanor had been the intended guest.
The motive became clearer when investigators examined Stonebridge's finances.
The company had received substantial payments from Cedar Grove's stormwater reserve over a period of several years.
Some invoices corresponded to legitimate services.
Others lacked adequate support.
Certain payments had been approved through processes that failed to disclose relevant conflicts of interest.
And a portion of the money moved into accounts and expenses that weren't consistent with the contracted drainage work.
The independent accounting review identified a significant amount requiring further investigation, including payments associated with projects that appeared incomplete or improperly documented.
The final amount of wrongful expenditure would need to be established through formal proceedings.
But the overall problem was no longer a matter of confusing descriptions on a financial report.
Cedar Grove had spent reserve funds intended for infrastructure work without receiving all the services those payments supposedly purchased.
Meanwhile, the drainage system continued deteriorating.
Several homeowners had already suffered avoidable financial harm associated with maintenance deficiencies and poor oversight.
And the association faced the possibility of a costly funding shortfall to complete work that should have been properly planned years earlier.
Eleanor had recognized the discrepancies.
She had requested documentation.
And she had organized homeowners to demand an independent audit.
The special meeting represented a serious threat to the people who benefited from keeping the records unexamined.
That didn't automatically mean every disputed payment was criminal.
But it explained why the former treasurer's questions had become dangerous to Vivian and Gavin.
The investigation eventually recovered communications discussing Eleanor's expected appearance at our cookout.
One message indicated that if she became ill over the weekend, she would likely miss the special meeting scheduled for Monday.
Another referred to needing additional time to correct financial records before the association voted on the independent review.
The messages were not casual remarks made long before the incident.
They were sent close to the cookout.
They referred to the timing of Eleanor's planned attendance.
And they were examined alongside the actions shown in my recording.
Vivian's defense would later argue that she'd believed the powder was a harmless substance intended only to upset Eleanor's stomach temporarily.
Gavin's representatives disputed several conclusions about his involvement.
The investigators didn't treat either person's explanations as automatically true or false.
They tested the claims against the documents, recordings, physical evidence, and witness accounts.
But even the explanation Vivian offered revealed a willingness to interfere with another person's health to obstruct a lawful homeowners' meeting.