Chapter 2

I hadn't finished sorting through my evidence when the residents' group chat blew up.

It turned out Kevin had seen what Anita posted in the group, and he'd finally had enough.

Kevin wrote:

"Anita, that water in your store is from the charity water station, isn't it?"

"Hauling it home by the case. Isn't that going too far?"

Anita fired back at once:

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Everyone else can take it but I can't? You figure a woman with a kid is an easy target?"

"My son is little. What's the harm in him drinking a little water?"

If anything, she made it sound like she was the one being wronged.

The chat went quiet for a few seconds, then someone popped up to stir the pot:

"He just wants some water. Does he have to get his ID checked before he can take a bottle?"

"You already set up a charity water station. What's a little extra?"

"Right. The sign says free, and now that people actually take it, you've got complaints."

"If you're going to do a good deed, do it all the way. Picking and choosing who deserves it, what's that about?"

That cheered Anita right up. She dropped a few cute cat stickers:

"Thank goodness some of you stand up for what's right!"

"This neighborhood is full of good people!"

I stared at the messages and couldn't find anything to say.

The person taking advantage had backup, and the person giving to charity was being treated like a fool.

Was this how it was supposed to go?

And after all this, Anita got smarter too.

Starting the next day, she stopped showing up in person.

At dusk, her grade-school son came to the water station.

He started loading the bottles into his backpack, one after another.

"Hey, kid," I couldn't help asking. "What do you need all that water for?"

He looked up at me.

"Mom told me to come get it."

"She said the water out here was left by some fool giving it away for free. It doesn't cost anything."

"She said I can take as much as I want. The more the better."

I crouched there with something lodged in my throat.

The little boy stood up with his bulging backpack, turned, and went pattering back.

Straight to the door of Anita's store.

Anita took the backpack from him, unzipped it for a look, and patted his head, satisfied.

I stood up and took down the cardboard sign from the water station.

The sanitation crew came by that afternoon for water, saw the folding table empty, and paused.

A delivery driver passed, stared at the bare table, and left without a word.

Dustin Lawrence, the old man who came around for bottles, showed up three times. The first time he saw the table was empty, he stood there a moment, then turned and walked off.

The second time he came with an empty bottle clutched in his hand, saw it was still bare, and tucked the bottle back into his pocket.

The third time was toward evening, and he couldn't hold it in.

"Horace, that water. Are you not putting it out anymore?"

I said, "Not for now."

He nodded and shuffled off, bent over.

From behind the register I watched people come and go, pause in front of the empty table, and move on.

That night, Greg Lambert, the retired man in our complex, posted a video in the group:

"How many people did Horace's charity water station help?"

"And now a few people who just want a handout have wrecked it."

"I can't stand by and watch this."

"And I don't get it either. Why is it the good person who gets hassled, while the ones taking advantage act like they're in the right?"

That video was exactly what Greg had caught on his evening walk.

Anita had quietly carried off my water, loaded it into her car, then crouched at the door of her little store, opening the cases and stocking them in her cooler.

She'd slapped price tags on them. Two-fifty a bottle.

The group chat exploded.

"What is going on here? Hauling it home by the case?"

"Didn't she say she was just grabbing a few bottles for the kid?"

"So she got her stock for nothing, and now she's got the nerve to sell it for two-fifty herself!"

Anita jumped in right away:

"This was filmed in secret. You're breaking the law, exposing my private life!"

"This is slander!"

Her voice was shaking. "Horace Fernandez, you just wait."

Fine. I'm waiting for you too.

I saved all the evidence I'd gathered onto my laptop.

You want to talk to me about "illegal"?

Well then, let's see exactly who's the one breaking the law.