“You don't understand.”
“Then explain it.”
Elaine swallowed.
“I received the key.”
“From whom?”
“I don't know.”
“You don't know?”
“Someone gave it to me.”
“Who?”
“I don't remember.”
“You don't remember who gave you a key from a police evidence room?”
Elaine's breathing became shallow.
“I didn't know it came from there.”
“That may be true.”
The lieutenant pointed toward the pool.
“But you still entered private property and dumped waste into a swimming pool.”
Elaine looked at Daniel.
“He was violating HOA rules.”
Daniel said nothing.
The lieutenant looked at him.
“Sir, did you authorize her entry?”
“No.”
“Did you authorize the dumping?”
“No.”
“Did you touch her?”
“No.”
“Did you threaten her?”
“No.”
Daniel held up his phone.
“I recorded everything.”
The lieutenant nodded.
“Keep the recording.”
Daniel nodded.
Elaine looked increasingly frightened.
Then she said something that changed the entire conversation.
“I was told this property was supposed to be inspected.”
“By whom?”
“I don't know.”
“Who told you?”
Elaine looked toward the street.
Nobody spoke.
The lieutenant stepped closer.
“Who?”
Elaine closed her eyes.
“I was contacted by a man named Victor.”
“Last name?”
“I don't know.”
“What did Victor tell you?”
“He said there was a problem with this house.”
“What kind of problem?”
“Something about illegal activity.”
Daniel's face hardened.
“Illegal activity?”
Elaine looked at him.
“I didn't know if it was true.”
“But you believed it enough to break into my property?”
“I was acting for the neighborhood.”
“No,” Daniel said quietly.
“You were acting for someone.”
Elaine didn't answer.
The lieutenant looked at Daniel.
“Do you know a Victor?”
“No.”
“Have you had disputes with the HOA?”
“Yes.”
“How long?”
“About a year.”
The lieutenant nodded.
That was useful.
“Why?”
Daniel looked at Elaine.
“She has been trying to force changes to my property since I moved here.”
Elaine interrupted.
“That's not true.”
Daniel ignored her.
“She objected to my security cameras.”
“Because they pointed toward the neighborhood.”
“They pointed toward my driveway.”
“She claimed my landscaping violated community standards.”
“You did.”
“My landscaping was approved.”
Elaine's face tightened.
The lieutenant listened.
Daniel continued.
“She filed complaints about my pool.”
Elaine crossed her arms.
“Because it created a nuisance.”
“And now you dumped rotten food into it.”
“I was trying to prove the smell.”
Daniel looked at her.
“You created the smell.”
The lieutenant wrote something down.
Then she looked at the key again.
“Where is Victor now?”
Elaine shook her head.