Surry Investigations

Looking at my blog, I realize that I have drifted away from my original intentions: to share information, warnings, and anecdotes from my experience as an investigator. With that in mind, I’ve decided to share with you a case I took a few years back.

Novak is a close friend of mine, and I share this story only with his permission. The only change to the story has been the use of his preferred nickname, Novak, instead of his real name. The reason for this change is not only to protect his identity from the public: it also protects him from potential prosecution. He is what some might call an “underground hacker,” and his methods can sometimes be legally gray. That said, he is a good person and generally uses his powers for good. (For example, he helped me perform data recovery after Eyegasm-Design messed up my first website; look for the new site to launch sometime in June.)

I first met Novak when I was hired by his wife, Mrs. Novak, to tail him. The Mrs. believed that Novak was cheating on her with another woman. Recently, Novak had begun leaving the house with some frequency (more than the usual once-a-week, anyway), and the Mrs. believed that he was seeing a mistress.

Technologically speaking, Novak was very secure. Physically, though, he was not particularly hard to follow. I used simple tailing techniques to watch him for two weeks, during which he made seven visits to a small house about three blocks from his own. The visits ranged in length from thirty-five minutes to three hours. I spotted a woman lingering outside the house with Novak three times during the two-week period. After taking pictures and gathering my observations into a detailed report, I presented the information to Novak's wife.

The Mrs. was furious and promptly divorced Novak. I testified in court regarding the visits, and it was after the divorce hearing that I first spoke to Novak. I remember his words exactly: “Thanks, dude. That bitch couldn’t take the hint that I hated her, and it took her forever to catch onto the whore thing. But thanks to you, she’s outta my life for good! I owe ya one, man.”

We’ve been friends ever since.

I didn’t drink last night, and that’s a fact I’m rather proud of. I suppose that the folks at AA would tell me that I shouldn’t have put myself in such a tempting situation, but staying sober doesn’t require that I be antisocial.

I’ve been sober and alone for 1888 days now: I took my last drink on May 1st, the same day Patricia and I signed the papers. Maybe someday, I’ll meet someone new.

Maybe.

Writing these last few blog posts has gotten me thinking a lot about my situation. I usually spend most of my spare time preparing presentations or working on current assignments. I mean, I watch TV and read—I’m not weird—but I don’t really have any hobbies unrelated to my work.

With that in mind, I’m going to take the night off of work tonight and go out to the bar—the one I used to go to back when I still drank. I’m not going to have any alcohol, but I think that the night out might do me some good… To show myself how far I’ve come.