Chapter 19

I thought about Harold and his attempt to force me to prostitute myself and decided that there were things I could do to fight back. It would not be like me at all to just lay down and spread my legs. Then he had to know that and be expecting something more from me. More not in a good way.

It was so simple to record an intimate encounter, even if only with a cell phone, I expected Harold to take precautions. In his circle screwing your son's ex-wife was probably considered a coup, but it wouldn't be with all his clients. Me accusing him was one thing, me producing a sex tape, was something different all together.

Simple normal precautions would suggest he not plan to do it at my place. There were way too many things that could happen totally randomly. Everything from Jeff dropping off the kids, to me recording the encounter in living color and HD. I had to laugh at the HD recording idea. It was by far my preference. and also the hardest to arrange.

With that in mind, I rode my trike to the local hometown radio shack type store. I figured I would need one eventually for the business, so I bought the small audio/video recording studio, in a shoe box. Literally, it was housed in a shoe box disguised package.

It was a modular unit. Home base was the recording unit itself. It either ran on the car's battery system, an ac adapter, or a self contained battery for short term use. The recording unit could pick up the signal from the wireless camera or microphone about a city block, the salesman informed me. To prove the point he set it up with me watching, then handed me the camera to walk to the corner. The wireless camera was disguised as a cell phone. It had a much better lens and microphone, I had been told, and it was not tied to any wireless system except the one from the base unit.

While on my walk about I taped the traffic mostly, but also some of the other pedestrians. I shot a couple of license plates just to test the camera's detail.

When I got back to the store we reviewed the digital file. To save recording space on the disk the camera shot in a series of still frame with a tenth of a second between them. That seemed satisfactory. It was also my first choice, because in that mode I could operate the base unit from the built in lithium battery option. In that mode I just left the base unit somewhere turned an and it would operate on its own internal power for a couple of hours. That seemed like enough time. The base unit was no larger than a Kleenex box. That seemed like a good disguise for it, if I needed to take it along in an over sized handbag. I bought the whole outfit and a couple of spare shells for the wireless camera. I had one that looked like a belt buckle. That one had all kinds of possibilities. More likely things for Royce than me, but one never knows.

I played with it all a full day before I heard from Harold. "I have decided to have our little date on the pontoon boot. You know where I keep it, so you can just meet me there.

"Since I don't want to ride the trike after dark, I think I'll rent a car. So don't be surprised to see me pull up in a strange car." I said.

"Do you want me to pick you up somewhere?" he asked.

"No as soon as you feel you got your bribe, I want to leave. Harold this is not love, it's a business transaction." I said.

"Don't be so clinical it might blossom," he suggested.

"God I hope you believe that," I said laughing at him not so kindly.

"Well there was hope till you laughed," he said with a laugh of his own. "Not much, even then, I admit."

As soon as we got off the phone, I called Sam. "Sam it's me Lucy. I have a huge favor to ask of you. I mean it is huge."

"With this build up it better come with a raise," he said laughing.

"No raise just fun, I hope. Remember me telling you I had an investigator/gopher on the way to join us. He was supposed to start a week from Monday, just like you. Well he is on time but Jane our ward is a week early. I have to take possession of her this Monday not the next one.

So I got Harold and Jeff to let me have you a week early, if you are willing. You will have her in the office all day, and I will have her at my house after work. At least until she testifies. Do you think, you could do that for me?"

"Do I get a gun and all that?" he asked.

Sam, I'll get you a grenade launcher, if you want," I said.

"Lucy you got a deal honey. I am so pissed at these guys, I might just leave now." he said.

"That's up to you guys. It sure as hell would be okay with me," I admitted.

After I broke the connection with Sam, I called the local hometown car rental agency and largest used car dealer. "Hey is the boss there," I asked the receptionist.

"One moment please," she said putting me on hold. For a couple of minutes I listened to music that was before my time even.

"This is Danny can I help you?" he asked.

"Danny it's Lucy Avery. You and I have a deal for me to rent cars from you. I need one tomorrow." I said it curious to see how it was really going to work, since it had all been theoretical up to that point.

"Sure Lucy it's our standard contract business rental. The rental is in your company name for both our accountant's convenience Just come down and pick out anything you take a fancy to, with the exception of a super cars. We have never had one used on the lot anyway, so that shouldn't be an issue. We can have it serviced and ready for pick up first thing in the morning."