I stared at that photograph for a long time. The fish was rising in clear water, the morning sun catching the scar on her jaw. It was the most beautiful picture Sarah could have chosen, and I almost wished she hadn't. Seeing what the lake used to be reminded me of everything we still had to do.
But for the first time in months, the work ahead had a plan, and the people responsible for carrying it out were not just me and Sandra at our kitchen table.
The weeks after Vivian's arrest were the strangest of the entire ordeal. People expected me to be happy. Some stopped me at the hardware store to congratulate me, as though I had won a fishing tournament. Others asked whether I was going to buy a bigger house with the settlement money that they assumed would soon arrive. A few wanted me to explain the legal charges, and when I said I couldn't, they looked disappointed that the man at the center of the story wasn't willing to provide a more entertaining version.
The truth was less cinematic. Investigators continued interviewing witnesses. Environmental engineers worked through plans and contractor bids. The association argued with insurers, the water utility reviewed its obligations, and lawyers exchanged letters that were longer than most novels I'd read. Our household calendar filled with meetings, and sometimes the greatest achievement of a day was answering every necessary email without saying something I'd regret.
Vivian retained new criminal counsel. Her first attorney had withdrawn from some of the related proceedings after disputes about information and representation became impossible to manage. She contested the allegations publicly through a statement that described her decisions as an attempt to protect public health. Through counsel, she acknowledged hiring Clearwater but insisted that the company had assured her the treatment was safe and that she believed she had permission. Those claims had to be considered against the work order, the property records, and the communications investigators had obtained.
The financial case developed separately. An independent accountant working for the association documented payments made without required approvals, including the algaecide service and certain investigative expenses. Some appeared to have benefited Vivian's personal conflict with me rather than the community's authorized purposes. Prosecutors reviewed whether the evidence met the elements of misappropriation and related offenses. I had learned enough by then not to demand that every ugly decision be assigned the most frightening criminal label available.
Richard Blackwater's landscaping business faced its own investigation and contractual consequences. The disposal near the drainage corridor became part of a broader environmental compliance review. Several public-sector clients suspended new work while the company addressed violations and accounting questions. Richard initially described himself as a passive owner who didn't supervise the crew. That was a question for investigators and contract records, not something I could settle by disliking his wife.