Drunk Cowboy

The last surveillance operation I went out on for my previous employer has stuck with me more than most have. A women had suspicions that her husband was cheating on her and suspected that he may take the opportunity of her going on a trip for business to meet with his mistress. He worked a construction job with an early morning shift, so I was instructed to be in the West Austin hills area where they live a bit before noon. I had a major upper hand in this case, as his wife was able to track his phone position and relay it back to me. Following people while driving is notoriously difficult and is where many cases can hit a dead end, unless you luck out with being able to legally track them electronically. (Fun fact: an Investigator can only plant a GPS on a vehicle that is at least partly owned by their clients). It wasn't long until I got the tip that the target was at a popular chain restaurant known for tacos and margaritas. I pulled up and quickly located the targets truck.

Let's talk trucks for a bit, skip this paragraph if you just want the juice. Truck culture is defiantly a thing in Texas, and this guy was DEEP IN IT. I'd never been into them, but I bought a slightly-above-entry-level used truck soon after I moved here to use to move around all the tools I needed for my handyman gigs, and found it doubled great as a surveillance vehicle. I admit that after driving it for a while I totally get why some people go wild for these machines, especially after setting it to 'Sport' mode a few times. However, I can't ever see myself being the guy dropping $80K-$100K or more on a beefdazzled jacked up to compensate for lack of something else truck that you never use for actual truck stuff. That's what this guy had. So already I have an excuse to not really like this guy and not feel bad that I'm about to throw a wrench in his life by exposing his infidelities.  

I parked within eyeline of both his truck and the restaurant, took a few photos of the scene, and waited for a bit to align myself with my surroundings. After a bit, I walk into the tightly packed restaurant where I'm presented instantly with my target sitting at the bar with a woman facing away from me. I glance around the bar and see zero empty seats. I leave nonchalantly and head back to my truck to plan my next move. Going over the mental picture of how the restaurant was organized, I realized that there was a vantage point on the other side of the rectangular bar where I could get a photo. After a few minutes, I started walking back. I took out my phone, opened the camera, and started recording video. I then put the phone in my shirt pocket, so all I had to do was stand for a bit in front of them. I walked around the bar and stood for a bit across from them, pretending to be interested in the menu. Solid 20-30 seconds of them talking was all I really needed. I put down the menu and went to the bathroom hallway out of sight to stop the recording. Also took the opportunity to use said restroom, which is a rare blessing on surveillance ops. 

They sat in that restaurant for a good two hours before walking out together. They walked to her car and talked for a bit, in perfect view of my camera. Even got a shot of her license plate as she left, which can lead to identification later. He did not go back to his truck immediately, he walked towards a row of shops. I considered following but thought the exposure risk was too high. He returned to the truck shortly after with what looked like a small blue gift bag. He got in his truck and took off. I put a bit of effort into pursue, but traffic soon separated us. I let the client know of the situation and told them to relay his position once he stops. Not long after I am informed he's at another bar in a nearby strip mall, so I head over.

I parked on the opposite side of the parking lot after I saw his truck. I also did an initial sweep for his lady friends' vehicle, but it wasn't there. I peeked inside the bar, but he and the bartender were the only ones there. The bar was a bit of a dive, the kind of place that bills itself as an Irish bar and only goes as far as including a few tacky green decorations to validate itself as such. I noped out of the door before either even saw me and went back to sit in my truck. For the next three hours, I sat in that parking lot waiting for him to leave. He came out a few times with another older guy who smoked, which I was able to photograph. Nothing juicy but filling a timeline with proof makes a higher quality product. Plus I just love getting in practice with the telescopic lens I have for my phone's camera. Clearly identifiable photos from 100+ ft away. To pass the time, I called a bunch of the stores around that taco place to see who might have sold that blue gift bag. None of them had a clue what it could have been. I also had some time to go over the material I collected so far. I noticed that the guy I’ve been following is pretty buff up top, but has skinny legs. Typical leg day skipper. 

I knew he had to pick up his three kids when they got out of school. Around that time, I saw him leaving the bar. He had been out drinking for about 5 hours at that time. Given that he was a bit toasted and thus less aware of his surroundings, I was a bit more aggressive in my following of him. He picked up three kids at three different schools, and I documented him swerving out of his lane three times. Hat trick. I broke off the chase when he turned into his gated community, and popped into a nearby gas station for snacks, coffee, and a bathroom. I did a swing by of his place to confirm he was at his address, then pulled back to a place where he would have to drive past to leave and contacted my client for instructions. Through her I learned he was going to hire a babysitter so he could go meet one of his buddies. Suuuuuuuuuure.

Thirtyish minutes later he blasted out that community like a bat out of hell, I lost him at the first stop light because he got so much ground as he flew past. I informed the client I'd need a location ping once he stopped. They were understandably concerned I may have gotten burned, but I assured them that guys who drive trucks like that tend to drive them like that. Not long after, I get the tip he was is at a nearby upscale restaurant, and head over. Pulling into the parking lot, I think I see my targets truck out back. I grab a quick photo and go around to the front door. Near the door I see my Target sitting in his actual truck. Even this guy's beefdazzled machine blends in somehow! I walk past him and take a seat at the bar where I can observe the entrance. I ordered a Lone Star and an appetizer. Normally on a job I'd order a non-alcoholic beer in a glass so I can keep my wits and still blend in, but Lone Star is Texas water and I knew this would be the last stop of a long day.

My target and the same woman he went to lunch with came in shortly after and sat on the same but opposite side of the rectangular bar. There was an empty seat on the opposite corner which I moved to, giving me a perfect line of sight. I've dubbed this mission as "Drunk Cowboy", because he had on a stupid looking cowboy hat. No disrespect to actual cowboy hats, but this thing was an embarrassing Walmart grade atrocity, which he kept on indoors.

The photos of them together were a piece of cake to get, nobody looks sideways at a dude alone on his phone at a bar. Thank goodness for the normalization of social media addiction for it not to be weird to hold a high-resolution camera towards a stranger's face, makes my job a breeze. I sent the photos to the client, and we agreed the doe eyed looks they were giving each other plus the fact she's not the dude he said he was with was pretty sufficient evidence. I could have insisted to burn a few more retainer hours, but a 10-hour shift with solid evidence gained is a win in my book.