A half-mile north-west of the Vice-President’s rented property stood a much smaller residence, just three bedrooms on a small plot. It too was a rental but with a single occupant, although the actual individual varied from day to day.
The present incumbent was a middle-aged female, her attention focused on a large computer display. The monitor showed a semi-darkened living room, the timestamp revealing the various images were from some four hours earlier; an L-shaped couch was centre frame, a single figure sitting with coffee mug in hand, the man’s face slightly angled away from the camera. The picture had a subtle sheen on it, almost a hint of distortion, most noticeable around the outside edge. It was annoying but not serious, the fault caused by a combination of unavoidable deterioration in image quality and the consequent need for computer enhancement.
The woman was bored: the Vice-President’s sexual antics made for uncomfortable viewing, but she was required to inspect each separate image, one recorded every three seconds, needing to ensure the various pieces of technology had behaved themselves. Irwin’s Secret Service codename was Gymnast, which considering what she had seen over the past few weeks seemed fairly appropriate.
Irwin’s Security Chief might believe the Vice-President’s privacy had not been compromised, but the reality was somewhat different. Almost a full year’s preparation had gone into the operation, the house specifically chosen, modified and marketed with this one aim in mind. A detailed comparison between the house’s original plans and its present dimensions would have revealed the width of the living room was three inches less than when first built, thus allowing a minor but key addition to the property’s many facilities.
A spy camera or voice recorder was susceptible to detection in a variety of ways: through its energy supply, its method of recording the relevant data, the heat subsequently generated, or the RF signal created as the data was transmitted. Surveillance counter-measures comprised of both physical and electronic techniques, from one man with a flashlight to spectrum analysers and portable X-ray machines, the operators trusting that at least one of these methods would be successful.
But like any surveillance device, the detectors too had their own intrinsic flaws and loopholes. For Irwin’s property, the electronic components of the spy camera had been placed sufficiently far away from the living room wall to be invisible to the security team’s detectors, and all potential electro-magnetic and thermal signals were well shielded. The optical system consisted of low density components throughout, including multilayer dielectric mirrors, and an X-ray scan would reveal nothing to cause concern. The two mirrors reflected the scene captured by the outer lens back to the image sensor and memory card; the encrypted data was then transmitted in a short burst once the property was unoccupied, bypassing any RF detectors.
Which wall to adapt and the consequent position of the camera had been only resolved after some furious debate, McDowell’s view that the master bedroom would be subject to a more rigorous security assessment eventually winning through. Not that it had mattered: Kate was never one to follow convention and the living room was as convenient as any bedroom for making love. The camera lens was actually part of a glorious marble fireplace, Italian Neo Classical style with glass mosaic details at the top of fluted columns. So far, the system had done everything asked of it; time now to quit before someone made a mistake.
Kate had played her part to perfection, the innocent Erin a bonus no one could have predicted. In reality, it was a classic Soviet-style sting. Whilst not every kiss or caress had been recorded, there was more than enough to destroy Irwin’s marriage, his reputation, and especially his right to be considered next in line to be President of the United States.