Derek claimed the business had become a victim of harassment.
The forensic accountant told a less flattering story.
ClearCurrent had relied heavily on HOA-generated referrals.
Far more heavily than anyone realized.
Several years of easy emergency work had allowed Derek to expand rapidly without building much independent business outside the neighborhood and a handful of nearby communities where Marissa had personal contacts.
When the referrals stopped, the company’s cash flow collapsed.
That alone was not illegal.
The referral agreements were another matter.
Investigators found emails between Derek and Marissa discussing which homeowner incidents were likely to generate additional remediation work.
One message concerned Jonah’s property.
Derek had written:
If the temporary drain fails in this weather, the sunroom probably takes water. I can stage a crew nearby.
Marissa responded:
Do it. He fights every violation. Maybe a real problem will change his attitude.
That email changed the investigation.
Another message was even worse.
Three days before the contamination of Evan’s pool, Derek wrote:
What are you trying to accomplish with Brooks?
Marissa replied:
He wants paperwork. I’m giving him a condition nobody can argue with.
Derek answered:
Don’t make it obvious.
Evan read the messages in Sarah Kim’s office.
Sarah was the attorney his homeowner’s insurer had recommended after the incident expanded beyond ordinary property damage.
She looked at him.
“You understand what this does?”
“Yes.”
“It establishes planning.”
“Yes.”
“And Derek knew something was being created rather than corrected.”
Evan stared at the printed email.
“Yes.”
His anger surprised him.
Not because Derek had participated.
Evan already knew that.
What angered him was how casual the conversation sounded.
His pool.
His home.
His money.
His reputation.
To them, it had been a strategy discussion.
“What happens now?”
Sarah folded the pages.
“The county attorney already has copies.”
Criminal investigators had been reviewing whether the scheme involved fraud, trespass, criminal damage, falsification of association records, or other offenses.
Sarah warned him against expecting a dramatic arrest.
“Cases like this are documents.”
“They are emails.”
“Bank records.”
“Authorizations.”
“Who signed what and why.”
Evan nodded.
“So we wait.”
“We wait.”
He hated waiting.
But he had also learned that impatient people often created the evidence patient people eventually used.
Marissa had spent years doing exactly that.
Chapter: The Settlement Fund
The independent review eventually identified fourteen homeowner matters requiring deeper examination.
Eleven involved work connected to Vale Civic Services or ClearCurrent.
Eight showed enough irregularity for the HOA’s new counsel to recommend reimbursement or settlement.
Not every homeowner received everything they had paid.
Evidence was incomplete in older cases.
Some repairs had been genuinely necessary even if the referral process had been improper.
But a compensation fund was created using insurance proceeds, recovered vendor payments, and settlement money.
Robert received most of his $4,300 back.
Gloria received reimbursement for the portion of her flood damage that investigators concluded had resulted from the contractor’s excavation.
Jonah received money too.
Priya’s case was settled after testing records showed the supposed fertilizer contamination had never been documented before ClearCurrent treated her pool.
When Robert received his check, he walked to Evan’s house.
The pool was still under repair.
Workers had finished sanitizing the shell and were replacing part of the filtration system.
Robert stood near the patio.
“I got it.”
Evan smiled.
“All of it?”
“Most.”
Robert handed him an envelope.
“What’s this?”