Grandmas Gone Wild

It's been a while since I posted. Life has its twists and turns, and we just go with them. I have taken a break from surveillance, and am doing loss prevention. Sure is a different game!

My most memorable day was in an upper-crust store where I spied a very old woman in tennis shoes, armed with her black trash bag at the cosmetic counter. I couldn't believe my eyes as she helped herself to dozens of bottles of well-known fragrance for men. Quick as lightening, she stuffed that trash bag and took a run for the front door where there was a car and driver waiting. It happened so fast our team did not catch her. This woman had to be 80 years old, and yet she ran like Bruce Jenner!

This incident provoked questions for me. What has happened to our grandmas? I cannot imagine my own Christian grandmother ever stealing a stick of gum, much less $800 worth of men's fragrances. Grandmas have gone wild! They have tossed their values out the window and taken their place with hard core criminals. And I'm quite sure that car drove to yet another store straight from where I was standing with my mouth hanging open.

This time, I spied to no avail. What a downer.

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Beginner's Buzz and the Six Hour Interview

Ever heard of 'beginner's buzz'? Someone asked me if I remembered my first 'gig' as a P.I. the other day. Boy, do I ever because I was loaded with 'beginner's buzz' to the max!

Lionel (not his real name) 'interviewed' me by having me go on a surveillance in my own car and him in his car. I was sooo nervous. What if I followed too closely, or wasn't covert enough? What if I accidentally lost the claimant? There would be no hiding from THAT!

Seems rather odd that in this field, an interview is an actual surveillance, at least it did to my mom. But Lionel wanted to see how I reacted in 'real time'. After the six-hour interview, we did end up losing the claimant due to rush hour traffic in the city. You can't do these 'interviews' without a cell phone, and you'd better have a cell plan with lots of minutes!

Once in Subway, he showed me how to fill out the report - a long and tedious part of the job. And I went home one tired puppy, but employed! Being frustrated just zaps the body of strength, you know.

I hope I never have to feel so nervous-but-jazzed again for a long time. I call it 'beginner's buzz'.

2009 Spy Sally

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Evicted From McDonalds! - Really!

His house was right across the street of the McDonalds parking lot. Good for me! People coming and going all day provided a good cover. Who would ever pick out my particular vehicle?

After several hours of surveillance, he finally left his house. Naturally, I followed him to various locations. Then he must have been hungry because he chose the very McDonald's - you remember, right across the street from his house - where I had been parked. He went through the drive-thru so I had to park in the parking area.

When he got his order, he left for home. I stayed put and began typing my report. I was in deep concentration when the bang on my window scared me half-witless. Lo and behold, it was an officer who informed me I was to leave McDonalds and never return. Evidently, McDonalds had recently been robbed so the manager, suspicious of me because I had left and then returned, called the cops.

Now if there's anywhere on earth I would have guessed would evict and ban me, it sure wouldn't be friendly old Mac's. Aren't they the ones that want my business? Don't they spend billion$ in advertising just to get my business? Hey, you have to park where you can in this business.

The claimant never suspected he was being followed. So it wasn't that hard to park on his street and resume surveillance. But to tell you the truth, my feelings were a bit damaged knowing I had been evicted from McDonalds!

2009 Spy Sally

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You Can't Scare ME, Bucko!

There I was in 'Podunk' - a name I call some of the itsy bitsy rural towns I have to go to, and the guy I was watching was drinking with some of his good-old-boy friends. He was, as we say in the PI biz, 'hinky'. That is, he had suspicions he was being watched.

After hours of taping him showing off for the camera, he took his buddies and left in his F-150. There they went, hootin' and hollerin' down the road. I stayed put.

Lo and behold, 5 minutes later, he and his buddies returned and parked 2" from my driver's door. Out his head came as he said, "Whatchya doin' Missy? Wanna see more of me? ha! ha! ha!" And of course, his inebriated buddies thought it was hilarious. I ignored him, and after a few minutes of taunting me, he backed up his truck and pealed out. Then he came back, parked and walked over.

Still, I ignored him, but got out my cell phone. I called the local police, explained my problem and then kept the phone to my ear. Knock, knock, knock on my window. Still I ignored him which angered him.

The police showed up and just before they arrived, good-old-boy pealed out in his truck and turned a fast left on the next road.

What a dope. Guess he didn't realize I was a trained professional and he didn't scare me one bit. Of course, he did agitate me, so I made sure the officer had his license plate number. Ha!

2009 Spy Sally

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