"I'm Chris Hansen, and welcome to tonight's episode of
To Catch a Predator
. Meet Grigori, an Eastern European businessman with a vague background and a penchant for having under-age teens invite them to their homes. An equal opportunity offender, Grigori doesn't discriminate based on gender. He is coming here to meet Carrie, but he's also showing interest in another sting we are running where one of our investigators is pretending to be Andy, a thirteen-year-old boy."
The cameraman got a shot of the activist we work with, and then came back to me.
"Carrie isn't her real name, and she works for us. When Grigori arrives, she will invite him in and direct him to the kitchen, telling him she has to put some clothes in the laundry. When he walks in, I'll be waiting to confront him."
I grabbed a bottled water and sat down. "We get that, Jim?"
Our producer used the mic and spoke from the room upstairs. "You're a pro, Chris. Got it in one."
"How many cops do we have outside?"
"We're good. Same as always. At least six active, eight more standing around because they are bored."
Law enforcement is great, and we couldn't do the show without them, but what the viewers never see is my personal security. If they are needed, they are seconds away.
"And no history of violence with this guy?"
"Absolutely not. We're professionals. Besides, the network isn't going to risk its star. We are all good."
"Agreed. Our crew is the best in the business. I wasn't trying to insult anyone. Just get nervous before things go down, you know that."
No matter how many times I encountered a pedophile, I still had that nerve rattling half hour before everything went down. I'd be thirsty as hell, but would only drink half a bottle of water. Any more than that and my back teeth will be floating while I'm trying to talk to the scum that comes through the door.
So, I resort to gum or mints. Both are universal for settling nerves. I've even had some of the predators ask for some. It was always fine with me. Whatever got them talking.
I killed time until his arrival by going over my notes. He was a few minutes late. When the car pulled into the driveway, everyone found their places. Carrie was in sight of the door, holding a laundry basket. There was a loud knocking. A chill ran down my spine.
