Then the odor appeared.
I cleaned the filter, adjusted the chemicals and treated the water. For a day, everything seemed normal.
Two days later, the sharp smell returned.
I stood beside the cloudy water holding a test strip.
“What am I missing, Leo?” I whispered.
“Michelle?”
Denise was leaning over the fence.
She had lived next door for years with her three sons. Leo had always believed good neighbors should support one another, and I had tried to continue living by that principle.
“Did my mail arrive?” she asked.
“It’s on your porch.”
“Great. Can you watch the boys for a couple of hours?”
“I just finished work, Denise. I need some time to myself.”
“I know, but something came up.”
“I can’t today. I’m trying to figure out what’s wrong with the pool.”
Her eyes immediately shifted toward the water.
“What happened?”
“It smells terrible, even though I’ve already treated it twice.”
“Oh.”
The word came too quickly.
A nervous smile appeared on her face.
“It’s probably just the heat.”
“The filter is working.”
“You worry too much, Mich. I’m sure it’s nothing.”
“I’m calling a technician.”
Her smile tightened.
“Let me know when it’s clean.”
She disappeared before I could respond.
The technician arrived later that afternoon. He inspected the pump, filter and chemical levels.
“Everything is operating normally,” he said.
“Then why does the smell keep returning?”
He glanced toward the side gate.
“Has anyone been swimming here while you’re away?”
“No. At least, I don’t think so.”
His eyes moved to the security camera.
“Check your recordings. Something is getting into that water. Until you know what it is, keep the pool closed.”
The moment he left, I opened the security application on my phone.
At 1:17 the previous afternoon, the side gate opened.
Denise entered my yard carrying towels, drinks and snacks. Liam, Josh and Noah followed her wearing swimming clothes.
“Mom, shouldn’t we ask Michelle?” Liam said.
“She’s at work.”
“She might want to know we’re here.”
“She leaves the gate unlocked,” Denise replied. “She won’t care.”
I paused the recording.
The gate had never been left open accidentally. Its stiff latch required a deliberate pull, and Denise knew exactly how it worked.
I pressed play again.
The boys jumped into the pool while Denise settled into Leo’s chair and began scrolling through her phone.
A few minutes later, Noah climbed onto the shallow step.
“Mom, I need to use the bathroom.”
Denise barely looked up.
“Just do it in the pool.”
Noah hesitated.
“In the water?”
“Like you always do.”
I stopped the recording.
Like he always did.
