Page 42 of Protecting Christina

Will

I spent two days staring at maps of Simon’s neighborhood. I consulted with my brothers back at the office, especially Jager, who was our tech whiz.

We came up with a plan. I would pretend to be a city worker and plant bugs on Simon’s porch and backyard. The weather was good, and I was hoping he would converse with people outside. Anything I recorded could not be used against him, but my goal wasn’t to prosecute the man but to find out what he was up to with Christina’s sister. Were they just dating or was there something more devious happening inside that house?

I didn’t tell Christina any of this because it wasn’t exactly legal. And the less she knew, the better. Once I had the information, I could tell her what I discovered, and we’d come up with the next steps together.

That was the plan.

The next day, I drove to Simon’s neighborhood wearing the worker’s vest I’d purchased online. I parked the white van I’d rented across the street and knocked on his neighbor’s door. Should he speak to his neighbors, at least the story of a city worker coming to check the gas line would be consistent.

An older woman wearing a hairnet and rollers answered the door. “Can I help you?”

“Yes. I’m with the city. I’m here to check the gas line to ensure there aren’t any leaks.”

“Why would there be a leak?”

“Well, we’re not expecting one, but it’s part of our prevention program.”

“Seems like a darn waste of taxpayers’ money, if you ask me.”

“I’ll just be a few minutes, then I’ll be out of your hair, I mean, way.”

She narrowed her eyes at me, but I walked down her front steps and pretended to check the gas meter. She closed the door and I spent the next five minutes inspecting a perfectly good meter. I walked into her backyard, even though the meter was at the side of the house, but I had to keep it consistent with what I planned to do at Simon’s house.

A few minutes later, I jogged up the steps to Simon’s front door. I waited on the porch for a few minutes after I rang the doorbell.

I noted the security cameras just above my head and to the right.

A door slammed from the inside and then a tall, skinny man unlocked the front door. “What do you want?”

“I’m here from the city. I just need to check your gas meter.”

He crossed his arms. “You’re not coming inside my house.”

From the photos and videos I found online, this looked just like Simon Graff. I disliked him immediately. “I don’t need to come inside. I just need your permission to walk the perimeter of the property and inspect that the lines are working properly.”

“They’re fine.”

“I can appreciate you saying that, but I do need to check them myself.” I folded my arms across my chest, knowing the motion would bring attention to my arms, which were at least twice the size of his. I didn’t think for a moment that he’d believe a city worker would assault him, but I was hoping that nature would take over and he would decide to let the bigger guy have his way. Cowards like Simon usually didn’t pick fights with people who were larger than him.

“How long will it take?”

“Only a few minutes and then I’ll leave you alone.”

“Fine. But be quick about it.”

I smirked and pressed my fingers over the door frame. “Sure thing.”

He eyed me cautiously, then slammed the door in my face.

I smiled as I pushed away from the door and glanced at the first bug I planted next to the door frame.

As I rounded the corner, I carefully placed more listening devices just outside of the windows. If I was lucky, Simon or Donna would open the windows or speak close to the thin glass.

When I reached the backyard, I looked around, thinking of a way to get myself onto his porch. I pretended to nearly fall over a soccer ball that was in the yard, then kicked it away, only to have it land on the back porch. I went to retrieve the ball and stuck one device behind the frame of the back door, and another underneath a patio couch.

Circling to the other side of the house, I casually affixed two more devices next to the windows, then made my way back to the front.

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