Page 31 of Perfect Vengeance

Can’t be. The only thing the FBI respects is the FBI.

He made one last turn and Psycho Fiori’s house came into view again. He parallel parked midway down the adjacent block and across the street between two other SUVs. “We’ll sit here for about fifteen minutes,” he said. From their position, they had partial views of both the front door and rear balcony. “In addition to the metal grating on the lower windows, Psycho has a standard security alarm package.”

“Do you know what make it is?” she asked.

“A residential Protector system.”

“Ahhh.” Gina made another notation.

“You’re familiar with it?”

She rolled her eyes. “Once again, you wound me. Protector makes a very common, very simple residential security package. I assume he has a monitoring contract.”

“He doesn’t.”

“You’re kidding. What kind of psychotic idiot installs an unmonitored alarm system?”

“The kind that doesn’t want the police responding to a burglary at a house that’s loaded with illegal cash.”

“Right.” This time, she did feel stupid. At least it made the job easier. There’d be no need to cut outdoor phone wires or internet cables before the alarm was triggered and a signal sent to the monitoring company. “Okay, then we’re dealing with a self-contained system with audio and visual alarms. Bells and whistles positioned inside the house to notify the owner of a break-in.” She jotted down a few more notes before continuing. “The basic Protector system uses a six- to eight-zone setup, including one motion sensor that’s usually installed on the ground floor to detect anyone breaking in through the front door.”

Jack tapped the steering wheel. “I assume there’ll be some kind of detection unit set up on the second-story balcony door.”

“Maybe, maybe not.” She eyed the rear balcony. “Most break-ins occur at ground level because it’s easier on petty crooks than hauling around a ladder to access upper floors. There could be glass-break sensors upstairs, but I don’t plan on breaking any glass. Most systems also use closed circuit, surface-mounted magnetic contact window and door sensors. Each window and door has a two-part, side-by-side sensor. One side of the sensor is a magnet and the other houses an electrical circuit that’s either wired to an alarm box or set to send a wireless signal. As long as the two parts are within an eighth of an inch of each other, the circuit remains closed. Any increase in distance opens the circuit and triggers the alarm.”

“How do you plan to get around that?”

“I can easily bypass the sensors.”

“How?”

“By simulating the magnetic contact.”

“How do you squeeze a magnet between two locked sliding glass doors?” The look of skepticism on Jack’s face was amusing.

“I don’t. I jimmy a slim strip of supermagnetized metal into the tiny space between the door and the jamb, close enough to simulate the magnetic contact required to keep the circuit closed. As long as that magnet remains in place, the alarm stays silent.”

“You didn’t learn that working on Wall Street.” Jack’s laser-sharp gaze could have burned a hole right through her.

“A girl’s gotta have her secrets.” She winked and was rewarded with a sexy half smile that sent a shaft of not unpleasant heat arrowing up her spine.

“Okay.” He nodded. “I’m assuming picking the lock on the balcony door should be a slam dunk for a burglar with supermagnetizing skills, but how do you plan to access the second floor?”

She held her hand out, palm facing up. “Like I said, with a rope.”

“You can’t leave anything behind, so how will you detach the rope after you climb back down?”

“Another of my inventions.” Again she couldn’t stop herself from winking.

“I won’t bother asking.” He shook his head. “Anyone who can supermagnetize metal can devise a way to remotely unhook a rope from a railing.”

She grinned. “So true.”

He turned back to the house. “There are no motion sensors in the backyard. Psycho ripped them out because his dog kept setting them off, but he might have installed extra motion sensors in the upper floor.”

“There’s a dog inside?” She loved dogs but didn’t want to tangle with one.

“Not anymore,” he said, shaking his head. “Apparently, the dog annoyed him.”