Don Bruns - Stuff to spy for

“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 Lopez.”

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 Lopez, 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 dirty 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.”