�Ethel, Ethel! Someone�s at the door!�
�Ding Dong!�
�Why did I hire a maid?� Mrs. O�Neill asked herself as she rose to answer the door.
Standing in the doorway was a tall man wearing a grubby red workmen�s cap, soiled overalls and a plaid shirt. He looked at Mrs. O�Neill from behind thick smudged glasses.
�How can I help you sir?�
�I�m �ere ta tune the piano,� he said, his thick cockney accent was nearly impenetrable.
�Oh you�re the piano tuner. Please come in Mister��
�Wiggins, me name�s �Enry Wiggins.�
�Pleased to meet you Mister Wiggins.� Mrs. O�Neill led Henry Wiggins into her lavishly furnished home.
Once inside the living room, Henry Wiggins set down his black bag and removed his cap revealing thinning brown hair.
�The piano is through here Mr. Wiggins,� Mrs. O�Neill said showing him into the music room and pointing to the black baby grand piano. �I need it tuned by four o�clock pm because, I am throwing a dinner party at eight PM. That gives you two hours. I trust you will be able to tune it by then?� Questioned Mrs. O�Neill.
�They don�t call me speedy for nuttin,� replied Mr. Wiggins.
�Very well Mr. Wiggins. Now I have to run to the beauty salon. If you need anything, just press this button and my maid Ethel will be able to help you.�
�Thank you kindly ma�am but I don�t expect I�ll be needin� anythin�.�
Mrs. O�Neill smiled and left the room.
Henry Wiggins sat down at the piano and pressed several notes, until he heard Mrs. O�Neill�s car pull out of the driveway.
�Now getting down to real business,� he said to himself, as he rubbed his hands together happily.
Wiggins pulled his heavy black bag close to him. He unzipped it and sat at the piano. He reached into the bag and removed a small box with a silver lens along with his laptop. He attached the small box to one of the piano strings by use of intricate wires. He then inserted a small chip inside the box. When that was done, he powered up his laptop and typed several numbers on the computer. In a few seconds, the small box began to move.
�Perfect!� He said under his breath. �These spy cameras will work beautifully.�
Henry Wiggins then began setting similar devices in different rooms of the house, always being on the look out for the maid. Once he completed that task without being caught, he retreated quietly back into the music room and began typing the codes for the cameras in his laptop. One by one the cameras started to work. He then placed the laptop back into the bag and removed a tiny wrench.
With the aid of the wrench, he turned several knobs in the piano until the pitch sounded different to his unmusical ear. When that was finished, he checked his watch. It was four o�clock exactly.
He heard the car pull into the driveway and quickly began playing notes on the piano.
�Mr. Wiggins, are you finished yet?� Mrs. O�Neill asked once she was inside her home.
�I�m just puttin� me tools away,� Henry Wiggins said, recreating his cockney accent. �Come in �ere an� see �ow your piano sounds.�
Mrs. O�Neill opened the door to the music room, sat at her beloved baby grand and played several scales. She was delighted at the way it sounded. �Mr. Wiggins you are so talented. It never sounded so good.�
�Glad you think so ma�am.�
�How much do I owe you?�
Wiggins thought for a few moments. �Seventy five dollars,� he said at last.
Mrs. O�Neill frowned. �Is that all? Well here is one hundred dollars and keep the change. Thank you very much Mr. Wiggins.�
�No, thank you. �Ave fun at your party,� Wiggins said as he left the house. He walked to his grey pickup truck which was parked on the street. He started the motor, dove a block and stopped.
�My alias of Henry Wiggins worked wonderful,� he said pulling off the false face, and glasses. The next thing he removed was the wig which revealed thick, curly auburn hair that was down to the middle of his neck. Sitting in the front seat was not Henry Wiggins, the piano tuner, but Jake Decan, juvenile criminal! Jake once again started his pick-up and headed home.
�Hello Brian,� Jake said to his older brother when he entered his house.
�Hello Jake. What were you up to today?�
�Oh nothing too much. I just got myself a job though and I made a couple of bucks.�
Brian raised his blond eyebrows and looked at his brother keenly. �What kind of job? No job I know gives an employee money when they are hired.�
Jake laughed at his brother�s face. �It�s the funniest thing really. I tune pianos.�
�How can you possibly be a piano tuner when you don�t know a thing about pianos or music?�
Jake gave his brother a sly grin and showed him the one hundred dollar bill. �I saw some guy do it once. I bet you didn�t make this your first day on the force,� he said waving the bill in his brother�s face.
Brian Decan shook his head in disgust. �I have half a mind to arrest you for fraud. If I�ve told you once, I�ve told you a thousand times��
�If I want an honorable job with good pay I should join the police fore like you and Dad. It has been a Decan tradition since the beginning of time,� Jake said finishing his brother�s sentence.
�That�s right buster. You�re the only Decan who isn�t on the force. Don�t you feel left out when Dad and I are comparing cases?�
�No, and I�m sick and tired of you and Dad ramming the police force down my throat. I�m seventeen years old. I have my own plans in life and they don�t include wearing a badge!� Jake said and headed for the stairs, leaving his brother in the living room, stunned at his outburst.
Once in his room, Jake locked his bedroom door and connected his laptop to his PC. He power on both computers and typed a slew of numbers on the screen of his laptop. Then his computer monitor was split into several different black and white screens.
�Now it�s time to make some money,� he said to himself as he zoomed in to the O�Neill house. He searched every room in the house and when he satisfied himself no one was home, he shut down his computer and grabbed his car keys.
�Where are you going?� Brain asked when he saw his younger brother heading for the front door.
�Out,� Jake replied sarcastically.
�It�s almost six. You better be home before Dad.�
Jake shook his head and got into his pickup. He quickly drove to the O�Neill house. He circled it once, double checking no one was home. Then he parked his pickup down the block.
He walked slowly toward the house, attempting to be inconspicuous. When he reached the front door, he removed a skeleton key from his pocket, opened the door and entered the house.
�Now I have to find where the loot is,� he said quietly and walked into the O�Neill�s bedroom. �Jake Decan, you�ve just hit the lottery,� he said when he opened a chest revealing several diamonds and various pieces of jewelry with expensive gems. He began pocketing the jewelry. Once he took most of the jewelry and some cash, Jake decided he should leave before he got caught.
Suddenly the bedroom door flung open, and standing in the doorway were several members of the police force including his father and brother. He was caught red handed!
Jake made an attempt to jump out the window, but his brother�s strong arms were on his shoulders before he reached the sill. Brian Decan put a pair of handcuffs on his brother�s wrists as he read him his rights.
�How�d you find me?� Jake asked when he was in the police car with his brother and father.
�It was easy. You tripped the silent alarm,� Brian said sternly.
The car stopped at the police station and Jake Decan was led inside.
Epilogue
Brian Decan was promoted to Police Commissioner and his father, Erik Decan retired from the force.
Jake Decan served one year community service and thirty days in jail. After that he never committed another crime in his life and was once again in decent standing with his family.