Today, I am thankful for that black GPS box I found dangling from the left rear tire on my mini-van.
It was tiny. It was black. It was held in place with electrical tape.
I figured out how my in-laws knew where I worked.
I guess that explains how they knew I was having lunch with an old friend and where we were.
It explains how the stalker found me.
I spoke to a cop today.
It wasn't the type of box a police officer would use. I used to keep my van unlocked, so an officer of the law would simply have had one hard-wired under my dash as I gave long winded, boring speeches at political events.
But I didn't have government property. If I did, being the tax avoidant person I am, I would have had to return it for fear of being a hypocrite. If I don't want them wasting money, I'd best be frugal with their stuff.
The GPS box I had was an el'cheapo model with only five months of battery life.
The stalking started to pick back up after I attended a funeral for my estranged spouse's aunt. I knew her since I was fourteen years old. I promised her I would go.
I had to be there.
I shouldn't have. While I was at this funeral, my in-laws encircled me and glared at me. One of his cousins blocked in my van, so I couldn't leave. I had to hitch a ride with someone else to the burial site.
I think that is when they installed the GPS box. They did a crappy job of it. It was literally taped to the back of the wheel well.
One day in January 2012, my tire started to smoke. I pulled over and this black box was dangling behind the tire. It was hot to the touch.
The next day, my sister-in-law called to ask me to tell her brother to call her. My attorney wrote her a letter ten years ago telling her not to call. She had not called much. She had other people call on her behalf but she left me alone after that letter.
She knew she wasn't supposed to call me.
Her brother told me that the call was odd in that she said that she was buying phones for the in-laws. I wonder now if she was trying to entice me into accepting a phone that would allow her to track my whereabouts?
Why am I thinking about this today? I was advised not to take my cell phone to political, social, and work related events anymore due to fears of being stalked.
I may sound more paranoid than ever but I'm actually less so. It narrows down the field of potential stalkers.
It points to having a cheap-ass stalker trying to annoy the hell out of me.
The cops would have had more fun with the gps device than my in-laws would have had. The cops could find me and follow me everywhere. They could have pulled up beside me and laughed as I crooned off key to the radio. They could have taken their little clubs and gave my car a make-over.
They've never done things like that.
The GPS box also explains why the stalking picked up between October 2010 and January 2011. The GPS device probably ran out of batteries in early 2011, so the unit just sat there until it fell down. It was probably hot from the friction of being near the wheel.
I'm going to have my car checked for another device.
I have had an inordinate number of flat tires this year.
Maybe they put a new one on my car.
Wow...
Maybe I just need a new car
or a wraith.
Love ya,
S.