The Ghost of Dome Rock Road

Arty The Peeper

Arturo Mendez, Arty as his friends called him, powered up his laptop. The home screen popped up, and he clicked a large icon shaped like a padlock with the word WORK underneath it. A series of windows filled his screen. Each window corresponded to various video feeds from security cameras his company - Copper State Security - installed on his customer's premises. Usually, these screens would only be viewed in the company office by an employee when an alarm would go off, suggesting something nefarious might be occurring. But, well, you see, Arty was what one might call a 21st-century 'peeping tom.' He's rigged his laptop to remotely access his office's security systems so he can view video from the comfort of his home. He doesn't want an employee asking questions or some random customer wandering into the office and accidentally catching him in a voyeuristic pursuit.

Today, he's spotted a couple in an amorous embrace, and the guy in the video was a cop, no less! Unfortunately, when things started to get steamy, the couple retreated to another room, leaving a trail of pants, shirts, a gun belt, bra, etc. "Damn!" Arty shouted so loudly, it woke his slumbering basset hound. He quieted the canine and frantically checked the system ID to see what other cameras may be installed in this house. Jankins Lake House, the label at the bottom of the screen read. He's installed several cameras outside this residence, but there were only four inside this house. One in the foyer, one in the living room, one just inside the back door, and the one he's looking at in the kitchen. He's out of luck today.

'That's damn strange,' Arty thinks to himself. He wondered why a tall, attractive blond MILF and a young cop would be making out in the Jankins clubhouse kitchen in the middle of the week. When John Jankins had the system installed, he told Arty the home would be empty most of the time. He hit the rewind icon, then unchecked the mute button for the audio feed. Most surveillance systems don't record audio, but Arty has enabled it on many of his more expensive installations - often without informing his customers. Arty played the video back from the moment the couple entered the kitchen. Pretty dull stuff until he heard the couple mention something about a sheriff and lying to the police. He rewound the feed again and turned up the volume. The cop said Sheriff Koontz lied to another peace officer in an official investigation. The woman gave the cop information that would not look so good for Sheriff Koontz. "Whoa! Holy crap," Arty shouted. He knew the sheriff all too well.

You see, besides being a friggin peeping tom, Arty also likes to imbibe just a little too much. He's also a frequent flyer with some local escort services, both pursuits landing him on the wrong side of the law on several occasions. However, Arty had secretly helped the sheriff obtain video evidence illegally when Koontz couldn't get a search warrant. This collaboration led to the lawman cracking some complicated cases. This tit-for-tat between Arty and Sheriff Koontz goes back several years. Koontz kept Arty out of jail on several occasions when he would have otherwise been cited for DUI or solicitation. Both offenses might have cost Arty his bond or at least wrecked his reputation in a business where you needed to be viewed as squeaky clean. With what Arty heard on the video, he felt compelled to alert Koontz. He ran the tape back again, popped in a blank DVD, and hit the record button. Then he looked for Koontz's cellphone number in his contacts.

"Sheriff, this is Rufus - over!" "Yeah, what's up, Rufus?" the sheriff responded on his walkie-talkie as he got ready to head out the door. "Sheriff, I've been dispatch out to Quartzsite. There's been a big tanker explosion out there." "Yeah? And?" said the sheriff. "Well... dispatch said there's a Highway Patrol car involved in the explosion. A trooper is seriously injured, and they're taking him to La Paz Regional." Rufus waited a minute or so before he realized Koontz wasn't going to respond. He flipped on the siren and sped off south toward Quartzsite. Fred looked down at his cell phone vibrating on the kitchen counter. The word Arty flashed on the screen. He's not in a very good mood right now. He just got into a big brouhaha with his wife, and she stormed out of the house. These fights have been more frequent lately. Judy began meeting regularly with a woman she met at Narcotics Anonymous. She's been off the pain pills and booze for some time. As she's started to come out of her fog, she's asserting herself more in her relationship with Fred.

Fred looked back at the phone again. The last thing he wanted was to talk to that greasy-haired, low-life, Arty Mendez. 'He probably needs me to do him a favor again.' Koontz thought. "Arty, this isn't a good time. This better be important!" "Um, ah, well... I think it might be sheriff." There's a long pause. "Are you still there, Arty?" "Ah, yes, sheriff, I am. I wanted to fill you in on something I ran across while reviewing some security footage." "Was there a burglary somewhere?" Koontz asked. "Ah, no, sheriff. I don't think so." "Come on, Arty, are you going to get to the point, or what?" the sheriff bellowed. "Well, it's the Jankins house on Lake Havasu sheriff. It wasn't a break-in or anything like that. There were two people in the house. They had the code and let themselves in. An older woman and a cop. They were in the kitchen talking when the woman started making out with the cop. Then they went into the bedroom--" Koontz cut Arty off. "Arty, you better have a fucking good reason for telling me about this. Otherwise, it just confirms that you're the creepy fuck I know you are!"

"Sheriff, there's no reason to get hostile." "Then God damn, get on with it, man!" the sheriff yelled. "Ok. Ok. I got it. Well, when I first saw the two in the kitchen, I wasn't sure who it was, so I replayed the video a couple of times and listened to the audio." "And?" the sheriff prodded. "Well, sheriff, I think it's best if you just listen to it yourself." "And how do you suppose I'll do that Arty?" Koontz asked. "I'll text you the audio file, Sheriff." No sooner had Arty said that than the sheriff's phone beeped, signifying he just received an incoming text message. "Ok, I got it, Arty. I'll have a listen. If I have any questions, I'll call you back." "Ok, Sheriff... but please don't shoot the messenger...Sheriff? Sheriff, are you there?" but the call had already been disconnected.