"How come you didn't tell me Penelope is Robbie's mom?" I asked.
"I'm sure I did. Didn't I? I don't know. I guess it slipped my mind. I've not been thinking properly lately with everything else going on."
"It doesn't matter."
"Let's go through the security system," suggested Solomon, rising and indicating Delgado should do the same.
"Shouldn't we wait for Rob?" asked Juliet.
"I'd have liked to, but we can run through it with you now and with Rob later," said Delgado. "I can come back when you're both free if you have company later."
"No, there will be just us. We've decided that Robbie shouldn't stay over until the person who broke in is found. Besides, we haven't invited any guests." Juliet trailed off, her voice sounding utterly despondent. I wondered how it felt knowing that all your friends thought you purposely alienated them. It was something to take up later, and once again, I didn't relish piling on more agony. She seemed perplexed enough when I informed her of her former friends' comments.
"Take us through it," said Solomon, inclining his head to indicate that Delgado should lead the way.
"We've placed alarms on all of the downstairs doors and windows," Delgado began, pointing to the living room window before moving into the hallway. "They're very discreet and no one will notice them. As far as your stalker will know, nothing will appear to have been changed with your home security system."
"What if they saw you here?" I asked. "Penelope saw you."
"Look at the back of my jacket." Delgado turned around. Bodyguard was written in bold letters across the back. "That's my cover. I arrived in my own car and if your stalker is watching, and if it's this Penelope chick, she'll assume you were considering a little extra protection," he said, adding, “at least, that’s what we’re guessing.” Juliet nodded, but didn't look very reassured.
"Won't it look strange when you leave?" she asked.
"We have to assume, if they are watching, and they see me leave and not return, it should be enough to convince them you've decided not to proceed with more protective services. Meanwhile, we'll be here, all the time, watching and listening."
"To everything?" asked Juliet, frowning.
Solomon shook his head. "No, as a general rule, we switch audio off so we aren't eavesdropping on any of your private conversations. If there's something you need us to listen to, you can simply signal beforehand. We'll work out a gesture you can make that we'll pick up."
"That sounds okay."
"Let me point out the other cameras," continued Delgado. "There's one here trained on the front door, and on the other side of the door is another small camera that will pick up anybody who steps onto your stoop. Over here, all the windows in your dining room are wired; and in the kitchen, there are two more cameras, one covering the door from the inside and one from the outside."
We followed mutely in awe as Delgado continued his tour, pointing out where microphones were hidden and all the other windows that were wired. He paused at the bottom of the stairs, saying, "We haven't wired upstairs, as the windows are too hard to reach without a ladder or being seen. We've also added cameras to the detached garage and wired all the doors. I changed the frequency of your garage bleepers too."
"And the locks have all been changed," added Juliet. "I made sure only Rob and I have keys. Is that enough to keep them out?"
Delgado's mouth tensed. "It's hard to say how motivated the stalker is, but these precautions give us better odds at catching them."
"Good. I hope they try again! And you can catch them once and for all. I may as well have a target on my head thanks to this." Juliet pointed to her ankle. The bracelet peeked out from under her pant leg, reminding me of how stuck she truly was.
"You're safe," added Solomon.
Juliet sucked in a deep breath. "Until I go to jail."
I took Juliet by the arm, steering her into the kitchen and away from Solomon. He was seeking even more evidence to prove why Juliet belonged in prison. As soon as I thought that, I felt mean. Without Solomon, I wouldn't have access to all that surveillance equipment and manpower. I couldn't have asked questions of her colleagues. Solomon’s only mission was finding the culprit who did the insider trading; and proving Juliet didn't do it would be almost as good a result. It might even turn out to lead him to the real bad guy. Between the two of us, we should have been able to gather enough information to release Juliet from her current predicament. It no longer mattered that Solomon and I had joined forces from opposite sides of the case; it was now vitally important that we both see it from different perspectives.
"You can't think like that," I told her. "We're going to find out who's doing this."
"I'm losing hope."
"I know."
"I just... I have no one to talk to except Rob; and he's worried sick, and I don't want to burden him anymore... and my friends. What exactly did they say?"
"They said you severed all contact with them." I glanced up, noticing Solomon filling the doorway, listening quietly. "Rose said she got strange texts from you. Rebecca said you told her where to go, and in no uncertain terms, and Chloe said you accused her of sleeping with Rob."
Juliet paled "Oh my gosh! I would never... never say those things! I don't... strange texts?" she asked, stuttering to a stop.
"Rose says she lost them when she got a new cell phone, so I never saw them to verify her claim."
"And Rebecca and Chloe?"
"Rebecca showed me the texts; and they are traced to your phone."
"I can show you my phone. I don't have any texts like that because I never sent them! Chloe too?"
"Chloe was too angry to talk any further," I said, recalling the door slamming in my face.
"I need to speak to them! They need to know I didn't send anything like that. I would never accuse Chloe of sleeping with Rob! Such a concept never even crossed my mind. And why would I tell Rose and Rebecca to get lost? We've been friends for years. Here, check my phone." Juliet pulled her cell phone from her pocket and pushed it into my hand.
I brushed the screen with my thumb and it flashed to life, the icons brightening the screen. "You don't use any pin protection?" I asked, meeting Solomon's eyes over her shoulder, who gave a disbelieving shake of his head.
"No, I never had to in the past."
I handed the phone back, without checking her text messages. "I don't need to look to believe you," I said, not bothering to add I would comb her phone records later. I expected to find a record of the damning texts, but still felt sure Juliet never sent them. Whoever did would most likely have deleted them as soon as they were sent. Juliet would have been none the wiser, thanks to her poor personal security. "There have been several other incidences of false texts and emails, which suggests someone is accessing your data," I told her, hoping she would feel some relief in my uncovering a trail.
"Someone's reading my emails and my texts?"
"I think so."
"Should I change my password?"
"Not yet," I advised. "It could be useful. We could use it as a vehicle to feed information through, you know, the stuff that we want to make them believe."
"Like a false trail?"
"Exactly! So far, the stalker doesn't know what we know; or that we know anything. Let's keep it that way."