7/8/05

7:36 a.m. I already had the cops called on me twice this morning. Fortunately for the local residents, a Cpt in the local PD lives just up the street. He rolls by me and I open my window. "Can I help you?" I smile. He's friendly enough but I can tell he wants me to slip up and tell him who I'm surveilling. No way, man. I am now up the street at the only exit out of the neighborhood. I'm bummed I won't be able to get too close to the house again today. I don't want anybody tipping off my Subject. I'll just have to wait for him to drive somewhere.

I call my old boss (the one who recommended me as a supervisor) because I found out he ran one of my cases while I was in Puerto Rico. That's odd. Anway, I haven't talked to him for a while and so it'll be good to chat. Very soon after I get him on the line he tells me he was demoted. As you'll recall he has a few problems with his memory. He is now a regular investigator and will probably be working for me. Well, that just sucks. I feel a lot of loyalty to him. He might be losing his mind, but he was a natural leader and made all of his investigators feel important. I can hear the hurt in his voice. Then he tells me that he has been dealing with cancer and that probably hasn't helped. I ask if he told Corporate about his cancer and he said no. I am silent and he says, "Oh, now, hell! Don't start all that sympathy s@#t!" I laugh. "I would never think of having sympathy for you, you old coot." He seems pleased with that.

I hang up the phone. I would like to call Corporate and make them aware of the fact that they fired an old man who is battling cancer while working for them 60 hours a week. But it's not my place and I know he would be angry with me if I told anybody his secret. I'm afraid he's in late stages and he's alone. Lives out of his van. No wife. No kids. The best thing would be to joke around and act like nothing unusual is happening.