The figure gasped, dropping the bolt cutters with a loud metallic clatter. The intruder threw his arms up to shield his eyes—it was a teenage boy, no older than seventeen, wearing a local high school letterman jacket.
Ethan recognized him immediately. It was Tyler Voss—Karen and Daniel’s son.
“Ethan—please! Don’t shoot!” Tyler stammered, shaking violently, his face pale under the light.
Ethan stepped closer, pointing the flashlight toward the open plastic jug. It was industrial bleach and bio-contaminant dye. If poured into the natural springhead, it would have ruined the water ecosystem, killed the surrounding vegetation, and forced the County Health Department to condemn the pool as a toxic hazard—giving the HOA immediate legal grounds to drain and seize it.
“Did your parents send you here to poison my water, Tyler?” Ethan asked, his voice deathly calm.
“No! I mean—my mom told me to drop the chemicals in!” Tyler sobbed, terrified. “She said you were stealing neighborhood water and ruining our family’s future! She said if I did this, we’d finally get the land!”
Ethan looked at the trembling teenager, feeling a mixture of deep anger and profound sadness. Karen Voss was so consumed by greed that she was willing to turn her own teenage son into a felon.
“Get out of here, Tyler,” Ethan said softly, keeping the beam focused on him. “Leave the jug and the tools right where they are.”
“Are you... are you calling the police?” Tyler whimpered.
“Your dad is the police, Tyler,” Ethan said grimly. “Go home.”