The Internet Private Investigator

THE INTERNET PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR.

Getting on line I checked my bank account; saw the payment from my latest client's case had been deposited. I transferred money into my wife's account and to my son's account for his birthday. I checked my balance, which was much higher than it used to be 4 years ago.

I checked into my company's email, PI-in-the-Ether, resent my report to the paid client plus to my cloud account. Actually this was the second case I had worked for this client and it was the most satisfying.

In the first I was contracted by the Turner family to locate a missing daughter, Jenny. It only took about seven hours to find the daughter. She had moved from her hometown to central Iowa. Since she worked at home online, for a retail testing advocate, so it was easy for her move, but that was also how I tracked her down.

When I went to check on her I had thought that she simply moved with her boyfriend that her family didn't approve of. But the true story was very different.

During college she roomed with a girl attending college from another state, Nancy Jo Burdock of West Virginia, for four years. After college they kept in touch and Jenny had even attended both Nancy's wedding to Tim Cole and the birth of their son, Lee.

About a year after Nancy's son was born things started going downhill for Tim and then he lost his job. He was able to get a different job, but it wasn't the prestigious or high-paying job as before.

Tim's temper kept getting more out of control until he slapped Nancy a few times and then he cruelly spanked the baby twice. When Nancy called and told Jenny that was the end of their marriage. Jenny flew in, rented a SUV and moved them in with her in Georgia.

After about a month Tim located them. When he came to Jenny's apartment he threatened them and tried to drag Nancy away forcibly, so in the middle of the night they left. Leaving everything except a few baby items, their clothing in small bags, and Jenny's laptop to another state, where another collage friend lived.

When they arrived their friend found them a housesitting job, for someone vacationing in Europe for eight more months. This gave them a place to live without anyway to be traced. They settled in and were living comfortably, even when they discovered Nancy had been a month pregnant when she first ran away from Tim.

After six months they were offered another house sitting job starting after the owners of the house they were house setting returned. The agent understood why they didn't want any checks, because of Tim was still looking for them. But her secretary found paperwork, not knowing the circumstances, started a missing routine background check. This was how Jennings family discovered that she was house sitting and the city and state she was in.

That's when I was called in. I quickly found Jenny, 20-month-old Lee, and hugely pregnant Nancy living quietly as a family. Checking on them for several days I found them to be restructured loving family, with thoughts a long time life together. Jenny and Nancy were loving couple, which gave Lee two mothers to correct him, spoil him, and love him. The only discontent in their family was the fear that Tim would find them. Hearing these thoughts I checked and found that Tim was indeed in the city searching for them.

I contacted my clients and reported I had found their daughter and she was basically happy, but was concerned that someone was stalking her, so she was staying in hiding.

Her mother wrote back that if a Nancy Burdock Cole was with her it could be her husband. He had contacted them wanting to know where Jenny and Nancy had gone after stealing his son. He scared them and they felt he might hurt them if he found them.

After setting up blind e-mail accounts for both of them I sent Jenny an e-mail with subject line of: My little Monkey from Memmy. Jenny's mother said that no one else would know those names but the two of them. I sent an e-mail to her from the secure e-mail account she received jobs and updates her employer. Within minutes she answered the e-mail with her new untraceable e-mail.

I e-mailed her back that if she wanted I could provide her, Nancy, and their parents with secure untraceable satellite phones within 3 days. Almost before I hit send there was a positive reply from both of them.

I ordered 4 phones with 3 months of service and 24/7 alarm monitoring, another form of Life Alert, from a national abused women's organization. I informed all of them of their phone numbers and a bill of services so far to the Turners.

A few days later I received thank you e-mails from all 4 and payments from both families. I asked if they want a report of services and was there anything else I could do?

I received a reply from Mr. Turner stating no report was needed. Also included was a new receipt of a deposit to my PayPal account to cover an investigation of Tim Cole to see if there was any way to insure that he wouldn't bother the 2 "Girls" and 2 kids. Nancy had delivered a daughter early that morning.

I quickly accepted that job, because no one has the right to spank, swat lightly yes, a one year old child and to hit women. I had already started working before I got the job.

Between two of my helpers and I had eyes on him 24/7. He was a real piece of work that none of us liked.

He was living on the sale of the house that both of their parents had given huge down payments on as wedding presents. He had also sold Nancy's personal Items, including her car.

He was involved with a very shady group of people who spent most nights in one of our local music clubs, who were said to extract money from the elderly and uninformed.

We wanted him out of Nancy's life permanently. My helpers and I couldn't go to court to testify against him, because of our special place in society. If he was arrested it had to be with us not in the picture.

I started to research his online presence, e-mail, twitter, internet sites, face book, and such. At the same time one of my helpers monitored his phone and texts. He was involved in a multi level type of scam where a group of investors pooled their money to buy as a Co-op needed staples in bulk. The staples were then split up and sold between the investors. Which worked very well and everyone profited, as it has for churches and other groups for hundreds of years.

After they were established they would meet with "Special" investors to add additional items to the inventory. Things that all the regular investors bought on a ongoing bases at main stream stores at inflated prices, but now they could buy them at a much lower cost from the Co-op, and if the turnover was too slow they, the special investors, could sell them to the general public at a slightly higher price. We found that they were about ready to make one big haul, dissolve, and disappear.

When I checked their data base, I had to stop and smile for a few seconds, on the list was Carrie and John Jeffers, a retired couple of long term undercover FBI agents. They had retired in place, without anyone the wiser, after their last case went to court about three years ago.

I contacted them about the scam that I felt was about to take place to them and their friends. I also included what I wanted them to do. Which was easy because they knew about me and my helpers from other work together. They responded that they had been contacted, but had told Tim that they were low on funds to put out such an outlay. But they would like to help keep their friends from being scammed. If I could work out the details and have money available to them. They would love to take them down and sending them to jail.

I quickly worked out the funding for the reverse sting operation and placed an article in the local paper about how Carrie's aunt had sold the mineral rights to her nine hundred acre farm in Carolina and sent a large checks to everyone in her family and then retired to Ajijic, Mexico.

Carrie contacted Tim that since she unexpectedly had the funds she and John wanted to help expand the Co-op. Since the Jeffers home still had the cameras and recording equipment in place from their FBI days, a meeting was setup for the next evening.

During the next day the facts of the scam became much clearer. Bank accounts were closed, trucks arrived on a day the co-op was closed and emptied the warehouse. Plane tickets for three of the scammers to fly out the following morning.

At 7:30 PM the Jeffers, Tim Cole, and his boss Peter Dunn sat down and discussed what the infusion of cash into the Co-op would buy, the profits and repayment to Carrie and John. After about an hour they gave the money to Tim and signed paperwork to cover the money.

As they got up to leave John told them to sit down. He then told them what was really going to happen. They had been recorded taking the money, the closed bank accounts, a stolen warehouse of goods, and their plane tickets.

Tim and Peter surged up to leave. Tim moved forward pushing Carrie out of his way and down to the floor. Tim started yelling at John to get out of his way. When John wouldn't move he pulled a gun and waved it at him. When John still wouldn't move Tim swung and hit him with his gun after it wouldn't fire.

The police rushed into their home at that moment. They quickly subdued and both charged for scamming, robbery, planning to flee. Tim was also charged with two counts of violence towards the elderly in their domical, which when convicted has a five year per charge punishment. With the video evidence and the other charges they were going away for a good amount of time.

The other leader was found in a bar and quietly arrested and he turned state's evidence for a lesser charges.

Within weeks they were brought to trial and they were found guilty and sentenced to various lengths of time. Tim's additional sentence on the violence charges were for the maximum limit, because of a recent rash of cases against the elderly locally. His lawyer requested and was granted a change of interment to across the country, because of e-mailed threats against him.

Three days later after Tim was transported to his new home for fourteen years with no time off for good behavior allowed. I sent my final bill to the Turners and my report to all four e-mails.

There was also an e-mail from a new client. The request was from a Mr. Vern Davidson, from Home Play Hardware Store, wanting my services. He wanted me to check on his partner, a Mr. Jerry Reid, to see what was going on behind his back. He would like to have a report with pictures, if possible, sent to him ASAP. I sent him an e-mail accepting the job and requested my retainer. I received notice of payment to my account less than 15 minutes later.

Amazing. I'm doing more business now than when I had an office, secretary, telephone lines and such. Now I just have a website and an e-mail that people contacted me for my services. Word of mouth is my best advertising. Everyone was surprised at how I was able to get into anywhere and get info for them, but walls couldn't stop me now.

With my retainer paid I got right on the job. I googled for the directions to the store. I watched both partners working in the store and by their vest's name tags I found out who were who.

I spent the next four hours to closing time watching and saw nothing in Jerry's actions to raise any flags.

When the shop closed I followed Jerry's walk to a restaurant, where he met a lady and two young children. They had dinner and acted like it a normal family out for dinner on Wednesday night. Then they all drove in one car to a family style home a few blocks away and went inside.

From outside I saw them all go to a family room and watch TV for about an hour. Then the children took baths and went to bed. The couple watched TV in their bedroom till Jay Leno went off the air. They both went directly to sleep.

After they were sleep I searched the house and the small-office off the family room for correspondence and checked Jerry's computer. Everything I found was what you'd expect to find in the home office and home computer.

I also checked the garage and it was again what you'd expect from someone who owned part of a hardware store: There were up-to-date tools in tool boxes and shadow boxes on the walls. The filing cabinet had manuals for all equipment I'd seen in the house and garage. There were outdated tax forms and other types of paperwork that people are required to keep.

After that I stayed outside checking the phone and internet as they entered the house, but there was no activity. They didn't have any cell phones or other devices.

The next morning was as boring as night before. Everyone had breakfast together and left the house. The children were dropped off at school, Mr. Reid at the hardware store and the woman went to an office where she worked as a secretary. I found out she was Annie Reid. She had been working there for 12 years, except for vacations and 2 maternity leaves.

I continued watching them till Tuesday afternoon, until I had a thought. Sometimes people want people spied on to see if they are doing what you're doing behind their backs. Sometimes this make them feel better and sometimes it's to hide what they're doing, or to have a hold on them in the future.

So I decided to do a little private PI work. I contacted a friend that I knew wouldn't be busy. He was waiting for his partner to leave prison. He said it sounded like a good idea and he would do it. I joked with him about needing No-Doze, because they were so boring. He said he wished he could sleep again.

Watching Davidson was another kettle of fish.

First thing he did after the store closed was drive to the bar cross across town where he met someone. Over drinks they talked about discounts for some of the stock coming in the hardware store. The rep for the vendor said, "With the economy the way it was, he couldn't keep giving him a 10% kickback on everything that they bought. That from now on we can only do 7 1/2%". After some heated discussion the representative agreed to 8%.

After leaving there Davidson drove to his home in a high rise apartment building.

His apartment was on the third floor and was very nicely appointed. He watched an Adult pay-for-view movie on a very large flat screen TV while drinking a few beers.

After he fell asleep in front of the TV I looked around his apartment and found paperwork from other vendors and his dealing with them. I checked his bank account, along with the weekly deposits from the partnership of the hardware store, were deposits from various vendors that sold in the hardware store.

His computer showed Internet sites and purchases from the gray market. For those of you who don't know, the gray market is items which carry brands the well-known products but are not made to the same specifications and are much cheaper. In other words poor quality "Name Brand" knockoff items to be sold for full price, but wouldn't be warrantable.

The following morning I followed him through a drive up for breakfast and to the store. As soon as he got there he started getting an order together for one of the contractors that they worked with all the time. I had found out earlier that Davidson mostly took care of the incoming and outgoing from the back room while Reid took care of the front desk and customers in the store.

He started filling the order, which had very specific requirements. I noticed when possible he put items of lesser quality. The order called for 2-5 lb. pound boxes of screws. He reached under the counter and removed from a locked cabinet 2 boxes of screws, when there were screws on the shelves in just behind him. When he went to get another item on the list I checked the boxes and I saw they were gray market screws. Crappy screws. Somebody's not going to be very happy building something with these lesser grade screws.

I figure on the $400 order it made himself about $12. If he was doing this all the time behind his partners back he was bringing home a lot of money every month besides the kickbacks.

To make a long story short this is the tip of the iceberg of the wrongs with this man. He was checking on his partner, so if this ever came to light he would have something on him too.

After week and a half I was convinced I had everything I needed to make the report. I sent Davidson an email with my bill and said soon as I was paid the rest of my commission I would send him a full report. Later that day the money was deposited to my PayPal account.

I wrote a full account of what I'd witnessed and had copies of paperwork covering my claims. I included 40 pictures of what I'd witnessed to go along with the report. I sent emails to Davidson, Reid, and their company's lawyer.

It wasn't but a few minutes until my inbox was full of emails from all three. One interesting email was from the lawyer requesting my PayPal account, so they could legally say they had paid for the report I had sent them. I quickly sent to them my account info and as quickly I was paid a second time for this case

In between other jobs I watched what unfolded with the hardware store.

I saw where Davidson had sold his interest in the store and had moved to Montana to take over the business for failing relative.

I, standing unnoticed, attended the meeting of all the vendors and the owner where new guidelines and lower prices without kickbacks were set in place.

The hardware store closed for three days in the middle of the week and when they reopened they had a three-day inventory clearance sale. I could tell all the gray market items were in the sale and properly priced.

From this case I received several other jobs that were more interesting and profitable.

About three days after this was all over I was able to order a very nice vintage Lennox figurine for my wife and had it delivered on her birthday with a card.

In an e-mail "she thanked me for her gift, but she wished I could have been there with her today." She said "She missed me every day, even though I had died four years ago."

I wrote her back and said "I told you I would always take care of you and show you my love to you. No matter what. And never haunt you."

The End?