Angels & Imperfection

by Dan Arnold

  “Oh. Did you agree to keep the investigation a secret from the sister?”

  “Uh, look, this is all new to me, John. Did I make a mistake? Mr. Montgomery added that last part, when he brought me the check for the retainer.”

  Since my name had been all over the news, we had been swamped with calls. Christine had handled it all with her usual grace and style. The guidelines I had given her about what kind of case we would or would not take, or what considerations were important, hadn’t covered anything like this.

  “No, Christine, you didn’t make a mistake. I just needed to know I shouldn’t talk openly to Diane Montgomery about the investigation. I didn’t understand that, when you first told me the story. Is there anything else I should know?"

  “Diane Montgomery is pregnant,” she said.

  Since I had decided to re-connect cameras to the brackets in the hallways, it made sense to call an electrician. It was a simple, four camera CCTV system that would be easy for me to install all by myself, but I would arrange to have Tim Shaw be the electrician sent to us to do the job. It would be more convenient for us to observe him up close in the workplace.

  “... Yes sir, I’m ready to install the three dome cameras in the hallway. One camera will be directly above the office entrance, facing down the hall toward the elevators and the stairwell, the other two at each end of the short hallway, facing toward the one above the door. You’ll be able to see anyone or anything approaching this office from any direction. Where do you want the fourth camera?” Tim Shaw asked.

  “I want it directly behind and above Christine’s desk in the reception area. I want to be able to see anyone who comes in the front door,” I replied.

  “John! That’s creepy. I’ll feel like you are constantly looking over my shoulder,” Christine said.

  “It might be annoying at first, but once you get used to it, you won’t even think about it. With the system set up this way, we can monitor the pictures from our computers or our smart phones, and we’ll have a digital record of everything.”

  “Mr. Tucker, do you want separate monitors so you can have a constant picture of the hallways?”

  “No, Tim, we don’t need to constantly watch the hallways. The cameras are mostly to record the traffic in and out of the office, and keep the honest people honest. No one will be able to break into the office without being recorded. They can’t steal the recordings, because they are being digitally recorded directly to a separate data processor they won’t be able to find.”

  “OK, I’ll get started. I’ll need to get up into the ceiling behind your desk Ms. Valakova. I’d like to start there and get that camera set up, so I’m out of your way as quickly as possible.”

  “OK, how much time do you need? And please call me Christine.”

  “Yes, ma’am, I mean Christine. I’ll need at least thirty minutes, to mount the camera and run the cables.”

  “Wow, you’re fast. You must really know what you’re doing.”

  Christine was playing her part well.

  “It’s really pretty simple to do, ma’am. The most time-consuming part will be mounting the camera,” Tim said.

  “Will I be in your way if I hang out in here with you? I’ll use my laptop, so I don’t really need to be at my desk,” she asked, demurely.

  I was impressed and surprised. For a woman who didn’t like to be touched or flirted with, she was pretty good at turning on the charm.

  “No ma’am. I’ll try not to get a lot of dust and debris on your desk top.”

  I caught Christine’s eye. She nodded.

  “I’ve got to go out for a little while, I’ll be back in about an hour,” I said.

  “OK, see you later,” Christine said, smiling a big, million candle watt smile.

  I was on my way to interview Tim Shaw’s landlady. I had only driven a few blocks, when I got that old familiar feeling. Something was wrong.

  Christine answered her cell phone on the second ring. She was fine, no problems there. What I had seen or heard, now alerting me to danger?

  It was my rear-view mirror.

  Behind me, was a big black SUV which had followed me out of the parking lot from my office building. There was nothing odd about that. My office was in one of a pair of high rise buildings. The parking lot was a busy place, with lots of traffic coming and going. In Texas, big SUVs are as ubiquitous as ball caps or cowboy boots. The SUV could have been going in the same direction as I was. I had only made one turn.

  It was time for another turn.

  Without signaling, I took the next available right turn. I immediately found myself in a residential neighborhood. Watching my mirror, I saw the black SUV come around the corner behind me. Now it was getting more interesting. I decided to play follow the leader for a while.

  Eighteen

  Big, black SUVs are pretty much the first choice of government agencies. I was the new tenant in a space previously occupied by a government agency. Maybe that was the connection to the vehicle following me. Then again, anybody could buy a black SUV.

  Who were these guys?

  After a half mile or so, I made another right turn. The SUV didn’t follow me.

  Was I just paranoid? Sometimes I wondered.

  Then again, “just because you’re paranoid, it doesn’t mean people aren’t out to get you”.

  I drove on to the apartments where Tim Shaw lived. The SUV didn’t follow me.

  His landlady was a wealth of information. She clearly had her nose in everybody’s business. She told me his habits, complained about the way he bagged his trash, even suggested Mr. Shaw needed a new set of tires on his car. She talked about his girlfriend Diane Montgomery. In all of my lengthy listening, she never indicated there was anything remotely sinister about Tim Shaw, or his friends.

  As I was leaving her apartment, I spotted another big black SUV, parked up the street. It could be just another example of my paranoid leanings, because as I say, SUVs of every kind are as common as birds, in this town. Still, I decided to drive by it.

  It was the same one. I recognized the license number.

  Now, what are the odds…?

  When I got back to the office, Tim Shaw was out in the hall, up on a ladder, installing the second camera.

  “Hey Tim, how’s it coming along?”

  “No problems, Mr. Tucker. This is really pretty much routine. We should be able to test the system in another hour or so.”

  I nodded and went inside.

  “Well, did you learn anything? I’ve got nothing. He seems like a pretty decent guy,” I said.

  “… Same here. When he finally became aware I was flirting with him, he started talking about his girlfriend. He was always polite, never forward or sexually aggressive. I think he really is in love with his girlfriend. He enjoyed talking about her. He doesn’t seem like the same guy Tom Montgomery told me about. I didn’t see anything that would cause me any concern whatsoever.”

  I thought about what this might mean.

  I also thought about the SUV.

  I borrowed Christine’s car and went for a spin. No one followed me. After explaining the situation, I sent Christine out in my truck to go to Starbuck’s and bring back some coffee for the three of us.

  When she got back, she was pale. After Tim took his coffee back out into the hallway, Christine told me the story.

  “It was just like you described it. I didn’t see them follow me from here, but when I came out of the Starbuck’s, they were parked a couple of rows away. They followed me back here.”

  “Did you get a good look at the driver?”

  “No, there were always a couple of cars between us.”

  “Did they get a good look at you?”

  She nodded.

  I could see she was concerned.

  “This isn’t about you. They were following my truck. They either have a tracking device on it, or they’re accessing the GPS system in the truck. That way they don’t need to sit here and watch for me. If the truc
k starts moving, they can go right to wherever it is, or drive along on another road running parallel to it, and follow without being seen at all.”

  “These days, everything from our cell phones to our cars is connected to GPS and emergency services, which can be used as locaters, who would bother to install a transponder on your truck? Do you think it could be the police or FBI? I know the NSA and FBI do that to persons of interest. I saw on TV, where some Muslim guy was trying to sue the Feds for breach of privacy, after they put a tracking device on his car.”

  “No, I don’t think it’s the Feds or the police, they could legally use the GPS in my truck. Private persons wouldn’t be able to access it, so they would have to install their own.”

  “Who are they, and why are they following you?” she asked.

  Good question.

  “I don’t know, but I intend to find out.”

  Later, as I was sitting at my desk, I tried to puzzle it out. I was pretty sure they weren’t Feds. There was no reason for Feds to be following me. Actually, there was no reason for anyone to be following me. If they weren’t Feds, then who were they?

  Christine buzzed me in my office. The security cameras were all hooked up, and ready for testing.

  Tim showed us how, using our computers, we could see the pictures from all four cameras on one screen, or we could select which camera angle we preferred. We could even zoom in on an image, without much distortion.

  “Y’all can access the feed on your smartphones or your home computer. So, if you want to watch absolutely nothing happening at three in the morning, you can.” He chuckled.

  When he was gone, Christine and I agreed there was something strange about this case.

  There are a number of ways to deal with having a tracking device on your vehicle. You have to determine your goals. Do you want to avoid being tracked? You could abandon the car with the tracking device in favor of another. That will work well for brief outings. Eventually they’ll track the new vehicle. You could remove the device and either destroy it or throw it into a dumpster. I like the latter for setting them up to track the trash truck.

  If your goal is to find out who is tracking you, you can lead them into a trap and confront them head on.

  I like to track the trackers. They seldom consider that while they are following someone, someone may be following them.

  The quickest and easiest way is to follow them as they follow your vehicle, with someone else driving it. Or, you remove the device and put it on a different vehicle and follow them as they follow the decoy. Pizza delivery vehicles, taxi cabs, and rental vehicles are good for that. I might even go with a parcel delivery truck.

  I got a call from Tom Montgomery, asking if I had found any leads yet, into the nefarious character of Timothy Leroy Shaw.

  “No Mr. Montgomery. I’ve run a background check on him, and I’ve interviewed people who know him. I’m arranging to have surveillance put on him, but we have nothing at this time. I would have to say the investigation is ‘ongoing.’ I should remind you our fee is $500.00 per day. You have paid us a retainer of one thousand dollars. We’ve pretty much used that up, and we have nothing, so far. I can’t guarantee we will find anything suspect on the subject. I will be happy to submit a written report on the findings of our investigation to this point. I’ll understand if you don’t want to commit to additional expense. Full time surveillance is one of the most time consuming and therefor expensive services we offer.”

  He was thinking about what I’d said. I could tell he hadn’t expected my answer.

  “No, no, the expense is not a problem. I need you to find anything, anything at all, that will show my sister how nasty he really is. You said you were going to follow him around, right?”

  “Sometimes, surveillance will lead to interesting contacts and activities.”

  “Yeah, yeah, do it, and send me a bill! Thanks.”

  He hung up.

  Now I had some answers.

  Nineteen

  Tony and I were too busy to practice our shooting for more than a month. We’d both been swamped with work in the aftermath of the Winslow/Whitaker case. Tony also needed time to heal. We figured out a good time for both of us and met at the indoor range on the SW Loop, where we were both members.

  “So, Tony, now that you’re a lieutenant, have they figured out what division to assign you to?”

  “Robbery/homicide for now, but we all float wherever we’re most needed depending on our case load, same as always.”

  I whistled.

  “I always knew you were the best detective in that division. Congratulations.”

  “Yeah well, we’ll see.”

  “What’s the problem?”

  He was silent for a moment, as he pushed .40 caliber rounds into a clip.

  “I never wanted to be a paper pusher. I don’t think I’m very good at conducting meetings. I don’t like having to try to figure out the politics of the job. I know I’m going to have to face some TV cameras again. There’s just a lot more busy-work than I’m used to, and I don’t like being ‘the Boss.”

  “Heavy is the head that wears the crown.” I suggested.

  He smiled.

  “On the other hand, I like the pay grade, and because I’m always on call, I get more flexibility with my schedule.”

  “It’s good to be the king.” I agreed.

  We both grinned

  “How do y’all like your new office?”

  “You should come by and see it. Our door is always open to those who protect and serve.”

  “… Donuts, do you have any donuts? I like donuts.” Tony said, wringing his hands.

  We both shot better than we expected to. I was concerned about the occasional ‘flyer.’ Out of fifty shots, I had six rounds hit the target outside the ten ring. They were kind of random in their placement. I couldn’t be sure if it was caused by my ammunition or my shooting.

  “It’s a poor workman who blames his tools,” Tony observed.

  When we got outside, I saw the SUV parked a few rows away from where I had parked.

  Tony and I are both in the habit of scanning everything around us, wherever we are. We’re not really looking for anything; we’re just staying aware of everything. The process is sometimes referred to as “soft or hard eyes”. “Soft” eyes look at the big picture, while “hard” eyes focus on specific subjects, movement, or details.

  Tony noticed when I focused on the SUV for a second. He saw me frown.

  “Is there a problem, J.W.?”

  “I don’t know Tony, probably not, but that SUV has been following me, for days.”

  “You want me to run the plate?”

  I looked at him, and chuckled.

  “I thought you made it pretty clear, you’re not my conduit of data from the DMV.”

  He nodded.

  “I’m sorry I snapped at you. I know you won’t abuse my trust, or my position. If I can help you, I will, J.W.”

  I thought about it for a moment.

  “I appreciate your faith in me. How’s your faith in God?”

  He grinned.

  “It’s growing. Do you want my help or not?”

  “Naw, I think I’ll get this figured out on my own. Thanks, though, Tony.”

  Tom Montgomery had asked us to do some surveillance, so we were doing as he asked. I had assigned Gary to do the surveillance. He had been watching the subject since Wednesday. Using a directional boom mike, mounted on a video camera, Gary recorded and filmed a meeting with a man in a suit and tie. I was watching the video of the two men walking down the street.

  Man in suit: “How’s it going?”

  Subject: “He’s still working it. I just got him started watching him.”

  Man in suit: “How long will that continue?”

  Subject: “I don’t know, but not long. There’s probably nothing to see.”

  Man in suit: “Can you get him to go to a particular place, at a particular time?”

  Subject: “P
robably, it might depend on where and why.”

  A car went by in front of the camera, and the microphone recorded the sound of the car.

  Man in suit: “… him that… will be…”

  Another car went by in front of the camera, and the microphone only picked up the sound of that car.

  Man in suit: “I’ll call you with the details. Just get him there.”

  They walked a few more feet to the corner, where they parted company. Gary continued to watch the subject until he returned to his parked car.

  I considered what I had just watched.

  The meeting had been strictly business. It had been held outdoors in a public setting. The two men barely looked at each other, and could have been just a couple of businessmen, casually meeting as they walked down the street. The whole segment of video lasted less than five minutes. The conversation only lasted fifty two seconds.

  It told me everything I needed to know.

  The subject was Tom Montgomery. He was working for the man in the suit.

  I knew the man in the suit.

  I would have to revisit a previous case.

  As it turned out, I had to postpone the visit because of my next appointment.

  Mr. and Mrs. Drew Murphy were good people who tried to be good parents, but their daughter was not the sharpest tool in the shed. Like many girls her age, she thought she was all grown up.

  She thought wrong.

  It can take a lifetime to grow up. Sometimes people grow old along the way. Sometimes they don’t get the chance to grow up, or grow old. Some mistakes are fatal. Lori Murphy made a mistake, she fell in love.

  Her 20 year old “boyfriend” turned out to be a loser and abuser. At sixteen years old, Lori woke up in Dallas, wondering how she had let him pimp her out. She had called home only once. She was in dire straits.

  “We just want her to come home.”

  “Yes ma’am, I understand. Does she want to come home? How do y’all imagine this will turn out?”

  Mrs. Murphy was quiet for a moment.

  It’s hard for a parent to clearly see. Parents love. Parents sacrifice. Parents provide, but it can be hard for a parent to see. A parent’s vision can be clouded by their dreams for the future and their memories of the past.