Euphoria Lane by Tina Swayzee McCright

should keep your ears open.” She reached the pool fence and peeked through the gaps between the wooden slats.
    He leaned close to the fence, too. The fountain sprayed water over a quiet, deserted pool. Each drop hit the glassy surface and created a tiny wave that spread away from the point of impact, then quickly died away. No Valerie. “Harry’s girlfriend must have canceled her aerobics class after receiving the violation letter.”
    “I’m not surprised. She’s probably too angry to ‘right foot kick, take a sip’.”
    “Getting back to Harry,” he said, pulling back from the fence. “I don’t think he killed Bernice.”
    “I think you’re wrong.” Her deep eyes reflected both the light and her stubbornness.
    “It’s more likely an angry resident killed her. She fined almost every unit at least once.”
    “Or, Harry was embezzling money. Bernice found out, confronted him, and whack !” She pretended to hit herself on the head with an imaginary brick.
    “Highly doubtful.”
    “From your point of view.”
    Harry couldn’t embezzle money without my discovering his subterfuge, could he?
    Continuing down the path leading away from the pool, Luke followed Andi through the common area. From where they walked, he could see the back porches of over a half-dozen condos. They passed one gas grill and patio furniture set after another. Nearing the opposite end of the complex, he detected movement behind Harry’s condo and Barry Manilow music blaring through an open window.
    Meg stood next to a tree, standing clear of the scene, watching Roxie aim a cell phone camera at Harry’s bedroom window. Two new recruits to the anti-board stood next to the adjacent building, keeping their distance. One was Dinah, a middle-aged caterer who considered herself the next Martha Stewart. She wore her red “Anti-Board” T-shirt over a pink dress spotted with black polka dots. The other recruit was her friend Carla, who was clearly more down to earth. She wore jeans with her tee. When Luke and Andi approached, they waved and ambled away. The only person brave—or foolish—enough to spy into Harry’s bedroom in front of the property manager was Roxie.
    Meg waved Andi over. She pointed at Luke and then used her fingers to motion for him to walk away. He frowned, not willing to retreat and unleash mayhem on the community.
    From inside the condo a woman squealed, “Harry, you behave yourself! You know I sleep only with my husband.”
    “What’s going on?” Andi squinted to see what had captured everyone’s attention.
    Meg grabbed hold of Andi’s arm and pulled her close. “Roxie has flipped. She is so mad.”
    Luke was afraid to ask, but had to know. “What did Harry do now?”
    “He rigged the irrigation system so that water hits our bedroom windows every hour on the hour throughout the night. I didn’t get more than two hours’ sleep. I doubt Roxie slept at all. She’s furious.” Meg gestured toward the window. “She’s recording them. Either Harry backs off or she’ll send pictures of him playing kissy-face with Valerie to her husband.”
    Luke noticed the distance between Meg and Roxie. “I gather you don’t approve.”
    “Oh, I approve,” Meg snorted. “Roxie doesn’t care if Harry catches her and calls the police. If I’m arrested, though, I’ll lose my job, so I’m staying back here.”
    “Smart move,” Andi said. “I’m not going any closer either.”
    Meg sent Luke an easy smile. “Harry’s breaking the excessive noise rule. Go get ’em, Mr. Property Manager.”
    “Shh,” Roxie warned. “Don’t give us away.”
    Luke watched Roxie snap another picture. He groaned.
    Why didn’t I become a florist?
    Determined to break up the scene, he strode across the grass to Roxie’s side. He couldn’t help but glance into Harry’s condo. The blinds were tilted, but not closed. From their close proximity, they could easily see into his bedroom. Copacabana provided the background music for the