Criminals Pt. 2

This woman wasn't a stranger. In fact, her name was Tina and she was a part of our team. I couldn't believe my eyes. I never expected Chase to cheat on me, especially with her.

"Chase, what the f*ck?!" I exclaimed. The guilty parties were pulling the sheets over themselves as if doing so would afford them less harsh of a reaction.

"I can explain," he said. I scoffed. I knew I could not let Chase explain. If I stayed around for his explanation, he would try with all his might to get me to stay and there was a chance I would.

Without hesitation I began to collect my items from various parts of the room. A an off-white cotton bra hanging from a wooden chair from the night before had a new meaning attached to it. What was a fun reminder of their escapade was now tarnished by this ... discovery.

One of my bags had several pieces of technology including my laptop, radio, walkie talkie, headset, and GPS tracker. I stuffed everything I could find into my backpack and threw the key at Chase. He had gotten up at this point and was balancing on the wall, trying to get legs into his pants.

"Janessa, no, please don't."

"You have some nerve asking me to not do something. You don't get to tell me what to do ever again!"

I left out the door, strapping the backpack tightly and starting the bike. I took off without a clue where I was going. What had begun with steady rain was getting heavier by the second. I went to find a new place to stay.

I hadn't given Chase the address of the place I had been prowling around. We usually spoke about that when we were together where we could whisper or write things down. Now I'd take whatever I found and leave him high and dry.

There was another hotel closer to the target spot. We had always planned not to be this close, but I didn't have many options. I raced inside to get out of the rain. While it was summer in the south, that didn't mean I couldn't get cold from being soaked. 

I realized there I didn't have much clothing except the few items I had tossed in my backpack. After I got out of my drenched attire, I got into a T-shirt and shorts and began to review the audio notes I had taken from the day before. 

"The house has vulnerabilities in the upper east-side window and back deck. Potential entry there but will need to test before. No dog."

The protocol was to scout over a few days, again at night, then test the vulnerabilities while the owners were asleep. I'd have to skip the testing phase and assume with all my experience that I could pull this off alone. Despite the devastation with Chase, I was able to let the gentle rain put me to sleep.

***

When I woke the sun was down. I peered through the thick hotel curtains that smelled of cigarettes and fabric that had been in the sun for decades. It was still raining. I checked my watch.

"8 pm?!" I shouted. How had I slept that long? It couldn't have been more than a little after 10 am when I was back at the hotel. And especially facing the heartbreak of the infidelity Chase had engaged in.

He had to have known I was coming back there. Had he done that on purpose? I know in the past he enjoyed playing games with me to see if I'd come back. This was probably just another one.

Whatever the reason, I wouldn't be coming back no matter how hard he tried.

I pulled on my white button up shirt and black pants I'd had on earlier. They were still soaked but, no matter. I'd just have to buy some new clothes even though it was a huge no, no.

There was a mall that I passed on the way to this hotel. When I saw it, I turned into the parking lot and picked a spot amongst several other cars so my bike wouldn't be seen.

After dismounting, I walked with my head down in case there were cameras. I entered the store, and it was ridiculously cold from the air-conditioning. Why had people bought into the rumor that people needed the air to be 72-degrees or lower? I shivered once but made a direct skip to the women's section.

This place wasn't expensive, but it was up there. I grabbed a black long-sleeved lycra top with matching yoga pants and some additional gloves. I hoped these were not the kind of items that were memorable.

When I was ready to pay, I walked to the cashier and set the clothes down. She glanced at me and gave me a warm smile.

"And how are we today?" she asked me.

"Doing great but how about that rain?" I asked. Generic questions would keep me off the radar.

"I know, right? It hasn't let up for hours."

After she totaled everything, she asked for payment. I grabbed a few wet bills. She took them pretending they were too wet to hold. We smiled ingratiatingly at one another, and she gave me my change. When she printed me the receipt, I took it and stuffed it in my pocket.

I thanked her and cinched the bag with my new clothes as tightly as I could. I stuffed them in the backpack which I had left outside in the pouring rain. What the h*ll had I been thinking? I hoped the tech in there wasn't destroyed.

I rode back to the hotel and changed. It was close to 9 pm now. Hopefully the rain will let up soon.

***

When 10 pm rolled around, I decided to take a chance and hit the house now. I preferred to burgle later in the night, especially after almost being caught once. They were much more likely to hear me if they weren't sleeping deeply obviously. I crossed my fingers and hoped tonight was an early night for them.

I left my bike on a dirt road off the side of the neighborhood. That road had not been traveled on much at all. The grass grew thickly upward toward the rusty chain on the "Keep Out" sign. Nobody was going to find my bike there.

I traversed the neighborhood the way I had planned to. The best method to get there was from the back but I had to get into the pitch black woods. I was ill prepared for this night but I was frazzled from Chase's decision. I told myself not to let my feelings about that change the job I was going to do. 

After a few bumps and bruises, I made it to their back yard. There was an enormous pool perfectly cleaned and a brand-new deck. The moon was out enough so I could find my footing on the railing. 

As I silently crept up one of the deck railings, I thought I heard something. The rain was making it difficult to identify sounds. Nevertheless, I climbed up to the back to then over to the east facing window. When I glanced down to get my bearings, I was completely surprised to see someone already there!