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The Con Debate team gathered and went over information and ideas for the Wednesday event.  Once everyone had their work plan and were getting ready to wrap up Brendan asks Brian a question, "You do that photo analysis for me?"

Brian nods and digs into his pack, "I burned the pictures, but here are the floorplan overlays based on the data from the images."  Brian hands Brendan some printouts that he spreads on the table and looks over.  "Before you ask, I double checked, the red circle has to be the general area the photographer is standing, allowing for camera zoom and accounting for the angle and the physical layout of the space."

The drawings all show a red circle in very conspicuous places, obviously the photographer has some way of not being seen.

"Well, that makes my invisibility theory a whole lot more plausable.  Now I just need to see if I can get a lead on this guy."

Megan had been about to leave to head out to a coffee shop and then maybe Barnes & Noble again for a few hours when she heard Brendan and Brian talking about the pictures Brendan had given to Brian last week for an analysis of where in the girl’s locker room the pictures of certain girls were being taken from.  Seeing as Brendan did not seem to worried about her or Laura seeing any of this, particularly as he had told them all last week what he was doing, the blond teen moved over to look at the diagrams as well as the Senior boy studied them.

When Brendan talked about his theory of the photographer being invisible as being most likely, Megan almost rolled her eyes, in her mind there had been little doubt of that.  But, she figured it was probably good to have it pretty much verified.  As Brendan mentioned getting a lead on him, she looked over at him as a thought popped into her head.  “Well, perhaps the most obvious thing would be to pay for a special on a girl they don’t have pictures of already.  But that still doesn’t solve the problem of knowing when they might try to get pictures of her or how you can be in position to do anything when this guy does go to get the pictures, seeing as it is in the girls’ locker room and all.”

Brendan looks over at Megan.  He's staring, but not at her so much as through her.  "Unless I asked for pictures of her in her bedroom.  That way the space can be controlled.  I just need to find out if there is any way to see this guy, maybe infared."  His gazes goes back to the drawings of the locker room, "With all the extra security he might stop taking shots of the locker room anyway.  Maybe a special request is the only way to be sure of getting the evidence and landing a conviction."

“Her bedroom?”  Megan asked, surprised.  “You think this guy would try that?  Seems like taking even bigger risks, and even more serious crime for that.  Sides, even if the space is controlled, you still have the timing issue, maybe even worse.  He could try to go there anytime, not just when she has gym or another reason to be in the girls’ locker rooms.  What you going to do, stake out the girl’s bedroom all night every night?  I am sure she would love that, not to mention her parents would be less than thrilled.”  She gives him a smirk with the last comments before looking back at the diagrams.

“What if you asked for a picture of her wet?  That would force him into the shower area.”  She pointed at that room on the diagram.  “Seems rather controlled, one way in, one way out.  But still there is the timing thing and the fact you would have to get into the girls locker room as well.”

"Well, asking for bedroom shots and giving a deadline would probably work.  Ask on Friday for bedroom shots by Monday.  The reason I'd ask for bedroom shots is I know that's what other special requests have been.  So I'd only have to stake out the bedroom two nights and if he shows up on thermal imaging, we'd be able to set up some cameras and catch him on film in the act, and then apprehend him before he got too far.  As for parents being thrilled, I suppose they'd be happier if this guy wasn't peeping at all so it's a risk that would be worth taking."

"I can get the thermal imaging stuff if you get a place to set it up."  Brian says, "Although why I'm saying this I have no idea."

"Because you're civic minded Brian."  Laura says with a smile.

"I'll start looking for a girl that would be willing to help out, but it needs to be one that makes sense."  Brendan says, his gaze shiting to some place a million miles away.

Megan gave Brendan a look of surprise when he said the peeping photographer had gotten pictures of girls in their bedrooms at least a few times already.  “He’s already taken pictures in bedrooms?”

She was then silent as he continued talking about the stakeout and Brian offered to help with equipment.  Brendan then mentioned finding a girl that would be willing to help and Megan felt this sinking feeling, but knew what she likely had to say.  “God, I can’t believe I am saying this, but what about me?  I mean, after all Brendan, you already asked last week if they had pictures of me, wouldn’t it make sense if you then come back and ask for some?”

“But….I am not so sure my parents would really be all that cool with the idea.”  She stops for a moment, remembering early Sunday morning and how mad she was at her mom.  “We would just need to figure a way to do this without having to tell them.”

"Yep.  At least two different girls from what I can tell."



Laura and Brian's  eyes go to Megan when she suggests being the bait, and they all widen in suprise when she suggests doign it without telling her parents.  Brendan just takes his glassess off and wipes them with his handkercheif.

LAURA: "Megan, this is pretty serious stuff.  It's risky enough, but trying it without telling your folks?"

BRENDAN: "But, her house would have enough space for me to hide out and keep an eye on her until the photographer shows up.  She's certainly someone people think is attractive enough to warrant asking for special shots."

LAURA: "Megan, you're a Freshman.  I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but are you sure you're mature enough to be making a decision like this alone?"

BRAIN: "Yeah, this could be dangerous.  Maybe we'd better just pass this along to the police instead.  Maybe they can do something about it.  They are the people who do stakeouts for a living you know."

BRENDAN: "They've got good points."  Brendan says, putting his glasses back on.  "Why don't you take a little time to think on it.  How much time would you need to set up the equipment Brain?"

BRIAN: "Hour, maybe two."

BRENDAN: "Okay, Thursday night would be the latest we could do it.  We have the debate event Wednesday, so if we all go over to your house Thursday it wouldn't look too suspicious.  If you can let us know by the end of the event Wednesday, we can set up Thursday and I can talk to the front man late on Friday.  If you decide not to, it's no problem, I can find someone else."

Megan looked over at Laura as she questioned whether she should be making this choice or not lone.  “Gee Laura, how else am I supposed to take that?  And yes, I am fine with making this decision on my own.  Sides, tell my parents and the police will be there for sure.”  As Brian brought up the police, Megan just calmly replied.  “Yeah, I suppose we could tell the police, but do you think they could do it in a way that wouldn’t tip off the photographer?  I mean its one thing when they get girls to set up stings with those online predators and arrange to meet them somewhere, but the girls are never anywhere near the meeting places, they might be leery of trying this at all, even if my parents said it was okay.  Then we wouldn’t be able to do it, as everyone would be watching us closer.”

She looked back at Brendan as she replied.  “No, I don’t need any time to think about it.  Sides, trying to set up earlier might be better.  My dad is out of town till probably Thursday, so the house is emptier now.  If nothing else you can look things over and see what will or will not work.  And like you said, we have an event Wednesday, meeting to study and practice is plenty of excuse to come over.”

She thinks a moment and then continues.  “Also, I think we can work to control the timing as well.  I can easily arrange to be away from home a good bit thus giving the photographer only a few windows of time to try to get the shots.”

LAURA: "As long as you're sure.  Brendan can be awfully persuasive, so I just don't want you to think you have to do it."

BRIAN: "I'll get the stuff we need and bring it over Thursday then."

BRENDAN: "If you can stay out until around 11PM or midnight Friday and Saturday, I'm pretty sure we can get this to happen Saturday.  You just need to figure out a place I can hide out, maybe a guest room or something."  he looks to Brian, "I'll get you a list of some stuff."

LAURA: "Brendan, I want you to promise me you'll make sure nothing happens to Megan."  The statement stops Brendan cold.  He looks up from putting the last of his stuff in his pack.

BRENDAN: "I promise I'll do everything in my power to make sure nothing happens to Megan."  His tone is like ice water, and he goes back to putting his stuff away.  "See you guys Wednesday."  With that Brendan leaves.

“Yeah, I’m sure.”  Megan replied.  “Sides, like I said, I kinda make the most sense.  He already asked about pictures of me after our first team meeting.  Now having been around me some more he requests a special order, seems logical progression to me.”


Focusing back on Brendan, Megan nods.  “I can do that, lots of places really.  And most of them don’t get too much traffic.”


When Laura had asked Brendan to make sure nothing happened to her, Megan was a bit surprised, and Brendan’s reaction told her that the older girl had managed to stir up some very bad emotions in the older boy.  She waved as he left and then looked over at Laura.  “Wow Laura, I think you really hit some nerves there with him.  I appreciate the concern, but really the worst that could happen is the guy gets pictures of me with my clothes off.  Not an idea I am super thrilled about, but that’s all he has done so far with all the other girls.  If he is as smart as Brendan seems to think he is, why would he do anything different this time?”

"No reason to think he'll change his pattern, but I don't want there to be any suprises.  Besides, Brendan never breaks a promise.  He almost never makes them though.  I've known him a long time, so I know some of his hot buttons."

Megan nodded at Laura’s comment, but did not say anything about the fact she had likely dragged up some feelings about how he somehow had failed the girlfriend the older girl had mentioned last week that had been murdered.  And of course, the blond teen could not mention that she was less likely to need extra safeguarding than Brendan. 

“Okay, well, see you all Wednesday.”  She said with a smile as she gathered her things up and headed off to find her brother.  Though she would much rather continue with her plan of staying out late at night all the time, given the fact the others were counting on her now to help stage the trap for the peeping tom photographer, she had to keep from getting grounded too soon.  Besides, she thought, having this creep busted in my room this coming weekend should work just as well as a message to my mom.