That afternoon, I called my property attorney, Daniel Reed. Daniel had handled several disputes involving Silver Ridge before. He listened quietly while I explained what happened. When I finished, there was a long pause.
"You said thousands?"
"That's what it looks like."
"Did Karen tell you the species?"
"No."
"Did she provide transfer records?"
"No."
"Health certificates?"
"No."
"County authorization?"
"No."
Daniel sighed. "Robert, that's not normal."
"I figured."
"No," he said, "I mean it could be much bigger than an HOA dispute."
That got my attention. He asked me to photograph the fish. I walked down to the pond. Some were near the shoreline now. I took several pictures. Then I noticed something strange: a small metal tag was attached near the fin of one of the larger fish. I zoomed in with my phone. There was a number stamped on it.
I photographed another. Then another.
These weren't random markings; they looked like tracking tags. I sent the pictures to Daniel. He called me back less than ten minutes later.
"Robert?"
"Yeah."
"Don't let anyone remove those fish."
I looked across the pond. "Why?"
"I just searched the state wildlife database."
My stomach tightened. "What did you find?"
"The tags aren't Silver Ridge property."
"Then whose are they?"
Daniel paused. "They appear to be part of a registered fish breeding program."
I looked at the thousands of fish moving through my pond. "How much are we talking?"
"I don't know yet." Then he added something that changed the entire situation: "But if I'm reading these records correctly, some of those fish may have commercial value."