by Don Bruns
The movement caught my eye. Three doors down. Subtle motion, something close to the ground. A cat. Dog. Maybe a snake, or possibly a rat. I stared and didn’t see any motion this time. Snakes and rats lived in palm trees and orange trees, and there were five scraggly palms planted around the perimeter of the parking lot. I was scared to death of snakes and rats.
A cloud drifted over the moon and the lights from the parking lot barely cut through the nighttime gloom. I slowly walked toward my car, hoping there was no broken glass in the lot to cut my bare feet. No glass, and God, please don’t let there be a snake. Or a rat.
Soft steps. I should have worn shoes.
Something had moved. Now everything was quiet. The hot, muggy, Carol City night was oppressive. Our small room air conditioner in the apartment didn’t do much except make a lot of noise, but it cut a little of the humidity. Outside, the moisture clung to me like a net.
I stared at the spot where I’d seen the rapid movement. Probably a neighbor’s cat. There were a lot of them in the complex.
As I got close to my car I said it under my breath. “Anybody there?”
Silence.
I was a little louder next time. “Anybody there?”
I stepped up onto the sidewalk and walked down toward James’s vehicle. Jesus. Now there was a flash of movement under the bed of his run-down truck. I believed it might be my imagination. A movement under my car? A movement under James’s truck? I stopped still, waiting for something else to happen.
There it was again. Bigger than a rat, bigger than a cat. I could feel the humidity and the perspiration on my face and arms. Now I wished I’d stayed inside and just tried to go back to sleep. Something was between me and the door to my apartment. Something, or somebody. It had to be just an animal or a figment of my imagination. If I yelled and it was just a large dog, I’d wake people up and be embarrassed. If I—it moved again and I could hear some scurrying.
“Who’s there? Come out where I can see you.” I was surprised at the volume of my voice. “Move. Now.”
The cloud moved off the moon’s smiling face and the parking lot was brighter. Cracks and holes. Large pieces of asphalt were missing like a jigsaw puzzle and the holes were large enough to swallow a car. Well, maybe a small motor scooter.
“Who’s out there?”
What could they do to me?
I stepped closer, my eyes aching from staring. Nothing. Now I was about ten feet from the truck, and I thought about waking James. Open the door and ask him to get his lazy ass off the couch, wake up from his deep sleep, and help me out. And then I thought about how pitiful that might be.
I knelt down on the blacktop and peered under the truck. Now I couldn’t make out anything. I stood up and backed my way up the small stoop in front of our door. I froze right there, trying to blend in with the cheap stucco wall.
A night bird called with a mournful howl. Maybe a loon. No motion. I waited about two minutes, the sweat beading on my face and running down my bare chest. When the bird was quiet, there was a deathly stillness in the early morning air. Finally, I turned and went back into our apartment.
“Amigo, where were you?” James was sitting up, watching some car commercial where girls in bikinis were dancing around the dealership. Now he wakes up.
“I took a walk. Thought I saw something in the parking lot.”
“There is something out there.” His voice was low and sinister.
“You saw it, too?”
“Yeah. Cars. Trucks. Vans. That’s what parking lots are for.”
“Funny.”
An engine started nearby, kicking over on the first turn of the key. I hesitated, then stepped back outside. The car parked next to James’s truck, the one in my spot, was gone.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“It’s a GPS.” The gray block was a little bigger than a brick. “You put a plastic binder on it, like this, with the magnets attached.” Jody was wrapping the plastic binder around the gray contraption lying on his countertop.
“One on each end, right?” James was so excited I expected to see drool run down his chin.
“Right, James. These magnets are really strong.”
“And to install it?” Em was skeptical. We stood in a tight group as Jody put on his show.
He smiled at her. Maybe a little flirting. Em is a good-looking girl, and Jody is a good-looking guy. “You reach under the car, set it on top of the gas tank, and you’re good to go.”
“It’s that simple?” James had a glassy-eyed look, with a big smile on his face.
“You still have to load the software onto your computer. Desktop, like this, or a laptop. You can be portable if need be. Once that’s done, you can check the location of that vehicle twenty-four-seven.”
“Anywhere, right?” James had told me we could use a laptop in the almighty truck.
“Anywhere.” Jody walked behind the counter and flipped on a countertop monitor. “Here. Emily, why don’t you come over here where you can see—”
I wondered what about James and me? Since we were setting this all up, it would be nice if we could see too.
“Now, here’s a map of South Florida, and here are the seven cars I’m tracking today.” He pointed to the screen, and we all crowded in.
Seven dots appeared on the roads, four apparently moving on highways and byways. Three were stationary.
“This one,” he pointed to the third car up on the map, “she’s supposed to be at the mall.”
Em nodded. “That’s not a mall?”
“Most definitely not.”
James chimed in. “Maybe a drugstore? Laundromat?”
Jody laughed out loud. “This isn’t guesswork, my friend.”
“No?”
“No. This is,” he paused scrolling down a subscreen on his monitor, “this is 2867 Briar Lane. Just north of Miami.”
“And?”
“Home to Mr. Fernando López.”
We all watched, marveling at the technology.
“Guys,” he smiled, looking into Em’s eyes, “this is nothing. I mean, this is easy stuff.”
Em watched the computer, ignoring Jody’s probing eyes.
“So this López, he’s what?”
“The guy my client’s wife is supposedly screwing around with.”
Outside the showroom people were walking down the sidewalk. The town of Delray Beach was hot, in the low nineties, and through the large windows I could see men with sleeves rolled up and ties loosened. A couple of women walked by in sundresses, but the window wasn’t low enough to see their legs.
“Wow.” James wasn’t paying any attention to the sights outside. He was staring at the stationary number three car. “You monitor this lady all the time?”
“I can. But her husband has the same software. He can watch her wherever she goes. It’s part of the package. You can join in the action.” Jody laughed, a low, throaty chuckle.
I stepped back and looked around the room. Gadgets of every kind. I’m sure Jody would have been upset to hear me refer to them as gadgets, but that’s what they appeared to be. Hidden cameras, motion detectors, secret audio devices, and an assortment of items that defied description.
“What kind of spy work are you doing?”
He looked straight at me. I couldn’t tell him. I didn’t have any right to confide in him. The job I was doing was strictly confidential. I couldn’t possibly tell him anything about the delicate position I was in. If I told him anything, I could put myself and my friends in serious jeopardy. I wasn’t about to do that.
“The daughter of the owner of the company Skip’s working for thinks she might be the target of a murderer. Skip’s installing a security system for this company called Synco Systems, and they’re designing a software program for the United States Department of Defense. There have been some strange things happening at this company.”
Of course, with a loud-mouthed roommate I didn’t have to say a word.
I saw Em shoot James a very dir
ty look, complete with frown, slanted eyebrows, and a squint. I’m sure she was thinking about her statement that James had an idiot image. I couldn’t argue with that.
“Fill me in, guys.” Jody came around from the back of the counter. “I’d be happy to take the case, but if you want to do it, I can make some serious recommendations regarding the equipment you may need. We’ve got state-of-the art equipment here. State-of-the-art.”
“Jody, despite what James may have told you, we don’t have a clue what this woman wants. She told me that she would give me instructions when the time came.”
Jody walked to the center of the showroom and pointed to the ceiling. “Those are sprinkler heads.”
They were.
“That one, that one, and not that one.” The third was the same as the other two.
“And what is that third head?” Em looked puzzled.
“A camera.”
“No.” Em was amazed.
“Come here.” He put his arm around her shoulders and walked her to a TV monitor on the wall. There were twelve different scenes represented on one plasma screen. James and I stood under the heads.
“Jody,” Em stepped to the right, removing his arm, “how does this work?”
“Right here.” He pointed to one of the scenes.
“Oh, my God.” She spun around and starred at me. “You and James are in the shot, perfectly clear.”
Good gadget.
“Skip, you should see this.”
If I walked to the monitor, I wouldn’t be in the picture.
“There are twelve cameras in this showroom.” Jody spread his arms. “You are being viewed from every angle.”
I walked to the screen. It was unbelievable. James stood in the center of the room, viewed from every camera. “Dude, I can see you from twelve different positions.”
“Doggie is my favorite, Skip.”
We all ignored his comment.
“So, Jody, what are you suggesting?”
He patted Em on the back as she took three steps from him.
“Nothing yet. You get an idea of what this lady, the owner’s daughter, needs and you call me, Skip. I mean, I could sell you a couple of portable cameras, voice recorders, and stuff like that, but until you have an idea of what this lady wants—well, you just stay in touch.”
It was a plan.
“We’re going to need some voice-detecting equipment.” James was now walking around the room, touching the different items. “Like this.” He pointed to a plastic power strip.
“Good choice, my man. You can plug in any appliance, lamp, whatever, and this baby will work just like it should. The microphone inside will pick up all the conversation in the room. Crystal clear. You can have your transmitter in the truck, at work, in your home, and attached to a recording device.”
“And, of course, you’ve got the recording device as well.” Em picked up the small power strip and shook her head in disbelief.
“And what’s this?” James was pointing to one of the motion detectors mounted in the corner.
“Tell him, Skip.”
“It’s a,” I knew I’d be wrong, “motion detector. We install them for security systems. It detects motion in the room. You can set the sensitivity level from low to high. That’s what it is, right?”
“Meant to look like a motion detector, Skip.” Jody smiled and walked to Em. “It’s a camera, folks. See scene two on the monitor?” He laid his hand on her shoulder. She removed it.
“Jody.” I should have explained the ground rules before we set foot in his store.
He spun around. “Skip.”
“Um, the GPS. It’s really that simple?”
“You’ve got to change the battery. Every couple of days, you’ve got to go to the vehicle and change the unit. Or the battery.”
“So, if you don’t change the battery—” James had wandered back to the counter.
“You lose the signal, James.”
“Middle of the day, night, early morning, you have to take the unit off the gas tank and replace it?”
“You’ve got it.” Jody picked up the gray box and held it in his right hand. “You just slide under the vehicle and switch it out. Shouldn’t take over thirty seconds.”
“Hey, Jody.”
“Yeah, Skip?”
“I really appreciate the fact that you’re giving us this prep course on doing some investigation.”
“Thanks, man.”
“However—”
“However what?”
“Em and I are dating. We’re a couple. I guess what I’m saying is, we have a really good relationship, and I need to tell you that.”
He raised his arm in mock defense. “Jeez, I wish you’d said something. I mean—I wasn’t coming on or anything. I’m not that kind of—well, I’m a friendly guy. What can I say?” A muscular, handsome, friendly guy who had the nickname of Macho Jody. And I needed to address that.
I’d taken a stand. Hopefully, she would realize that I loved her. Hopefully, she’d realize that the thing with Sarah was a job. A damned good-paying job, but nevertheless a job. I thought Sarah was hot, and I was intrigued with the hooker angle, but I really cared for Em. And I hoped this proved it. Maybe she’d thank me. Miracles do happen.
“Skip?
“Yeah.”
He smiled at Em as she walked over to me. “It’s just that, I don’t know, that I never would have pictured the two of you. I mean, forgive me for saying this please, but—”
“But what?”
“Well, I only knew her when we were in school,” he nodded to Em. She gave him a cold stare and nodded back. “But, man, she used to be so far out of your league.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“He’s sleazy.”
“Em, he’s a guy.” James and I stopped at the truck. Em’s brand new BMW convertible was down the street.
“He probably uses those spy cameras to film Girls Gone Wild videos.”
I’d checked Jody out on the Web. He was solid. Good reputation, fair and honest. “He didn’t know we were dating, Em. Now he does.”
Em smiled at me. “And you set him straight. My hero.”
Her tight jeans and her black designer T-shirt hugged her cute little body, and I thought about what James and Jody had both said. About my league versus hers. Her blonde hair caught a slight breeze, and I felt a shiver.
“Let me just put the magnetic straps on the box.” James climbed into the truck and pulled the GPS from the bag. “This is going to be so cool, Skip.”
He was convinced we’d need it. To check on Carol Conroy, to track whoever her potential killer was, to follow whoever we thought needed following.
“Almost five hundred dollars of cool, James.”
“Yeah, but it’s on approval. If we don’t need it, if we don’t like it, he said we could return it.” James snapped the bands together tightly around the box.
“Just don’t make it too loose. It would be our luck to have the damned thing slip off and we’d have to pay him for nothing.”
“Okay, let’s go.” We walked down to Em’s car and she gave me a questioning look. I shrugged my shoulders. As usual, it was James’s call. He tugged at the bands, seemed confident that they were tight, and he lay down on the ground, easing himself under the BMW. “Ah, this is easy.”
“Yeah, but this is Em’s car and there’s nobody around to kick your ass for messing with his vehicle. If it was someone else’s car, and you got caught—”
James pushed himself back out. “Those magnets are tight. It’s gonna stay right where I put it.”
“And you just want me to drive wherever I usually go?” Em wasn’t 100 percent on board. Hell, it was my job and I wasn’t 100 percent on board.
“Yep. We’ll install the software on our computer at home, and we should be able to track you anywhere.”
“I don’t go to too many exciting places, boys.”
James brushed himself off. “You should get out more, Em. Pretty girl like
you. Show yourself off a little more.”
“Screw you, James.” She got in the car, started it up, and pulled out onto the street.
“Can’t wait to get home and try this.”
“James, if you had your way, you’d spend the entire profit on this kind of stuff.”
“Only what we need, Skip.” We walked back to the truck.
“I keep telling you, we don’t know what we need. If anything.”
“GPS, a little portable video cam with sound, that laser beam that picks up sounds through windows, and one of those power strips to pick up conversations in offices. That would be a sweet start, you’ve got to admit.” James started the engine, and it coughed. It caught the second time.
“The problem is, you’ve got to have a receiver for the power strip, a recording device, and a laptop for the GPS, and something to capture the voice from the laser beam.”
“Now you’re getting the picture.”
“James. Those cost money, man.”
“They’re going to make us money, amigo. Lots of money.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard you say that before.”
“And chicks dig dudes with money.”
“Office Space, 1999. Actually a very funny movie.” It was about working in cubicles for some big, impersonal company. After viewing the film, and laughing our asses off, James and I had sworn to never, ever work for a company like that.
“Good guess, pard. We okay back there?”
James had never learned to drive the box truck using the big side mirrors. Every time he tried to maneuver the Chevy one-ton box truck with the mirrors, we ended up having an accident or getting stuck. I leaned out the window and looked back. Five cars back, parked by the curb was a gray Honda Accord. Could have been coincidence, but it was the third time I’d seen one in a very short period of time.
