Our hedge.

Even part of our garage roof was visible.

I stared at the screen.

Jim hadn’t merely been using our hot tub with his family.

He had been advertising it to paying guests.

“How long has this listing been active?” I asked.

“About fourteen months.”

Almost exactly as long as Lisa said the noise had been happening.

Diane showed me reviews.

Several guests specifically praised the hot tub.

One called the backyard the highlight of their stay.

Another review had been posted eight months earlier.

“He’s been sending strangers into our yard,” I said.

“It certainly looks that way.”

Suddenly, the situation became much bigger.

Jim had been earning rental income partly by advertising an amenity he didn’t own.

We paid for the water.

The chemicals.

The electricity.

The maintenance.

The servicing.

And he had been using our property to increase the value of his own rental.

He had effectively built part of his business around our backyard.

I went home and documented everything.

Screenshots of the listing.

Guest reviews.

Dates.

Photographs.

Camera footage.

Now that I knew what I was looking for, I realized some of the people captured on camera weren’t Jim’s friends or relatives.

They were rental guests.

I called Tom.