by Cat Mann
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“All done...” A tall, thin man from the new security company stood outside the doorway of my home office. “When you're ready, I can show you how to access the system.”
“I’m ready now.” I stood and followed him to the new access panel; a high-tech touch- screen device that had been mounted to my wall and showed surveillance of the outside and inside of our home.
“You will have 24-hour video surveillance of every room in the home including the garage and the pool house as well as of the entire perimeter of your yard. The video is high-definition and in color so you should have a clear image of anyone who tries to gain access to your property. You can view your home live through any computer via our website – we'll give you access to the codes and links. No one else can penetrate the system. You can also view everything through an application on your phone and any tablet and also on your televisions here at home. Video surveillance can be disabled in any room at any time for discretion and privacy by using your access code.”
A map of our house was glowing on the wall mount and he selected room number 5, the baby’s room. “Here is an example of the technology we have.” The baby’s room came into full view and he zoomed in on every corner, the closet and the crib. “We have left no corner untouched. This is very high-tech gear, the best available today. We use voice recognition to disarm the alarm. All you have to do is say your code clearly into the system and the code will disengage. If someone else attempts to disarm the alarm code and the system does not recognize the voice, the alarm will sound here at your home, but also on your cell phones and computers where the application is downloaded and then at our headquarters and police will be notified. If they don’t have your voice, then they can’t have access – it’s that simple. Securacare is really the best choice, Mr. Alexander. Your family is safe with us.”
“Thank you.”
“I disabled your existing cameras – they were out of date anyway and you won’t be needing them with our system. I hope that was okay.”
My whole body lurched forward with a sickening, head-spinning confusion and fear. “I beg your pardon. Existing cameras?”
“Yeah, one in each room. But like I said, the quality was poor, ours are much better.”
“We didn’t have cameras.”
“You did,” he nodded “and some kind of sound device – microphones were running through your speaker system. I disabled that too. I am surprised that you kept it running for so long, I am sure you'll find that with it gone, your sound quality will improve.”
“We didn’t have that installed.”
“Perhaps it was a previous owner then. How long have you owned the home?”
“No, they didn’t have a security system. I checked when I bought the house – over a year ago.”
“I’m sorry, Sir, but yes, you did.” He handed me the bill. “If you have questions, here is my card with my direct line and also our eight hundred number. I left a brochure on the counter with our frequently asked questions. You and your wife should record your voices today. You cannot access the system without your voice. The sooner you are up and going, the safer you will be.”
We were bugged. They had been watching us in the most private rooms of our home. We weren’t safe.
