Chapter Three
Jill and I were ready to investigate John McKinley. I was having trouble concentrating since old thoughts of Charles had been conjured up by seeing his tool belt around Jill. I pushed hard to clear my mind of those thoughts so I could do what I set out to do. I would have plenty of time to cry later by myself.
I didn’t know what Jill had planned to say but she said she had it handled so I left it in her hands. We did a sound check before I let her out and I parked close enough to receive a signal but still be hidden. The only thing we were lacking was a city work van but Jill said she would handle that if necessary. I couldn’t imagine where she would get one but I certainly didn’t want to underestimate her.
Jill walked up the sidewalk and I could hear each step come through the microphones. She rang the doorbell and John McKinley opened the door and waited for her to speak.
Jill said, “Hello, my name is Joyce from the city water department and we have some water issues in the area.”
John asked, “What kind of water issues?”
Jill replied, “It’s a quality issue, we have had some leaks at our treatment plant that may have entered the main water supply and I need to do some testing to make sure your water is safe.”
Jill told him she was adding a chemical that detects bacteria, but it was actually just a drink mix that changed to green from the white powder when added to water.
Jill said, “This test indicates a presence of bacteria in your water. The city will put in a water filter at city expense. The alternative is we will have to shut your water off until the water can be proven safe.”
John said, “Okay let’s do the filter, when can we get that done?”
Jill replied, “I will set it up to install the filter tomorrow, for the rest of the day do not drink any water from the tap without boiling it first.”
Jill left the house and headed back to the car where I was parked and waiting for her.
I asked, “What possessed you to tell him he needed a water filter?”
Jill responded, “I noticed the cabinet has a clear shot to the living room where the room is that he keeps locked. That would give a complete view of the door he keeps locking. My step dad sells water filters and I can get one. They have display models that don’t work and I can install small video cameras that we can watch from our computer or phone, when I go in to install the filter.”
I responded, “Okay, I guess we have some work to do.”
The idea was brilliant and I couldn’t figure out how Jill had thought of such a thing but she did. I had to start giving her more credit. I made a mental note to not underestimate her again.
I drove Jill to her step dad’s house and he gave us a repossessed unit that he took the guts out of. We attached a flexible water line that we can clip to the line under the sink to “look” like it is actually installed. Since they don’t really need a water filter it just has to look legit.
We went back to the electronics store to acquire the smallest cameras they had. We bought three different cameras that we could spread out to get different angles in the room. The cameras came with a choice of clips or magnets to attach to different surfaces. They were small and would fit inside phony water lines. The guy at the electronics store told us the battery life of the cameras was about two weeks. The cameras transmitted over a regular cell phone line so I called and added them to my phone service. They were considered data lines only so I got a special deal.
My mom called to say Lincoln was asking to spend the night. She said she had some clothes still around he could wear and she would wash what he was wearing when he went to bed. I was glad they were getting along so I agreed for him to stay. That would work well for us to return to John McKinley’s home tomorrow.
We had the plan in place and all that was left was execution. Jill and I decided to eat out since we were child free for the evening and I was off work. We picked our favorite neighborhood spot, a mom and pop Italian restaurant. We were seated in the back and ordered a bottle of wine. While looking over the menu I notice a new customer entering the restaurant and waiting to be seated. I was shocked to see it was our suspect John McKinley.
I said, “Jill, quickly look at the front entrance.”
Jill looked ahead and almost choked on the sip of wine she had just taken. We used our menus to hide our faces and were somewhat relieved when they seated John in another area of the restaurant. We wanted to not be seen together at all cost because that could be the end of our plan completely.
When the waiter returned I said, “I received an emergency phone call and we need to leave, can you get our bill ready. The waiter quickly left and returned with a bill for the wine. I left enough cash to cover the bill and a tip and Jill and I quickly left before we could be spotted by John.
After getting into the car I said, “I guess we need to find another place to eat, I am just glad we saw him before he saw us.”
There was a seafood place a few blocks away and we made our way there. We were seated quickly and had our order taken within fifteen minutes which was good because we were both hungry. The wine from our first restaurant only served to enhance our appetite and put us in a bigger rush to get some food.
We finished eating dinner and left to return to our apartment. I thought we might need to plan our attack for tomorrow and we could go over our plan when we got back to the apartment.
I left Jill at the front entrance to our apartment and drove to find a parking spot since we didn’t have assigned parking. I had to park a little ways from the apartment but figured Jill would have a chance to work on her plan while she waited for me to walk up to the entrance and make it to our unit.
Jill had been practicing on what areas the magnetic cameras could be connected to. She had a flex line from the filter with a fake T connector that would connect to a water line under the sink and appear to be connected. All she needed now was to regain entry into John’s house.
When I made it back into our apartment Jill was still up practicing attaching the water filter and cameras. I watched her work the cameras with the software and all seemed to be working fine. Once they are in place we can work each camera independently from each other. We had no way to see what was behind the door of the room John kept locked but maybe we would be able to hear something.
All of the tech was exciting but I clearly needed some sleep. My vision was getting blurry and my eyes were burning red. I told Jill goodnight and went to see the sandman. I went to my room and left Jill playing with the cameras.
When I got up the next morning Jill was still asleep. I don’t know what time she gave up playing with her toys and went to bed but it was after I was already asleep. It would be a big day in the world of investigation. I doubt any of the things we discovered would be admissible in court since no warrant was issued for the placement of the devices but we could give the cops reason to get a warrant.
We have to be careful and not tip our hand and force the suspect into running. If Jill could pull it off, we would have eyes and ears in the apartment. I could hear movement in Jill’s room and knew she was beginning to wake. I knew to stay clear of the bathroom until Jill had a chance to make her first morning visit.
Jill finally stumbled into the kitchen mumbling something about coffee. Her eyes were red, most likely from staying up late operating the cameras. We had the ability to also record the video and play it back, zoom it in or whatever we needed to do with them.
Jill took a chair at our bar with coffee in hand. I made us a quick breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast and we ate breakfast and started planning for our day.
I asked, “What time did you finally go to bed?”
Jill replied, “About two this morning but I can set the cameras up blindfolded.”
I said, “I guess if he decides to blindfold you that will come in handy.”
Jill just smiled and I knew what she meant. It was just her way of saying she was ready to proceed. We were ready and I had borrowed a white panel van from my brother who took my car during the duration of our execution phase of the project. I had to prove to Jill that I was capable of getting things too.
My brother worked for a construction company and even loaned us some tools to look more convincing. He had a couple of orange cones we set out after we parked the van. We went to a copy and print place and had the city logo enlarged and printed on magnetic signs. The van looked official, especially with the cones set out.
The cameras were already operational and I could watch Jill as she walked the long sidewalk up to the house. She looked perfect with the city jacket, bright safety vest and a hard hat on. We found a box to put the filter unit in. We glued the panels of the box down so it would look like it was the first time it was opened.
The cameras were hidden inside the filter unit and could be easily deployed when our suspect wasn’t looking. Our whole plan was dependent on how successful Jill was and I was grateful that she took an interest in it from the start. Jill had to be on her game and she appeared to be ready for what she was about to do.
I stayed hidden in the back of the van while Jill made her way down the sidewalk from where we parked. She held the filters in her hands, inside the filter box they had originally been in. John McKinley could easily see the contents were filters and the brand name was on the outside of the box.