The First Surveillance

Back in the mid-70′s, I was working for the double-billed Stewart Security Service/Thin Man and Associates.
I was working as a security supervisor at the Country Club, and, on my days off, getting training and working as a private investigator.
I finally received a surveillance assignment, in a nearby college town.  Boring stuff.  Grad students were getting together and ‘being romantic’.
Unfortunately, one of the grad students was married to someone else.
Arizona’s No-Fault Divorce law had yet to be enacted.  This meant, among other things, that the offended party had to prove what was termed alienation of affection (i.e. fooling around) in court.
A lot of business for the P.I. community.
So, I staked out the apartment of one of the parties.  This was in an area just East of the college known back when people cared about such things as ‘Sin City’.  Where students lived together ‘in sin’.  And, sure enough, the subject arrived with their ‘friend’ and entered the apartment.  Lights out, curtains closed.  I’m guessing sinning commenced.
But, sitting in the car offered a limited view of the slimeball’s, sleazeball’s, lover’s apartment.  And sitting in the car on yet another hot Summer night seemed less than desirable.
Having no camera or illegal bugging device, catching them in-the-act, as it were, seemed problematic.
I noticed an apartment pool, and as I was about the same age as the grad students, magically became a grad student, and went to sit by the pool, where it was cooler.  (and offered a better view of the subject’s apartment).
Soon, I was joined by another student!  He talked about going to school here, too, yadda, yadda, yadda.
Fortunately, I had actually gone to school there (remember Joe Cool?) so, I had some points of reference. 
Eventually, my buddy left, said he had a class in the morning, and left me to the mosquitoes and the heat.
And, the apartment remained dark, curtains closed.
Finally, after midnight, the couple separated, and he left.  Not working for True Detective Magazine, kicking in the door and taking a flash photo of the couple in flagrante delicto with my Speed Graphic might have been sensational, but certainly would have gotten me arrested.  And, I didn’t have a camera, anyway.
So, the client had to be happy with the typewritten report, specifying the time the apartment was entered, who did the entering, the time elapsed and the time one of them left.
Pretty boring stuff compared to TV and the movies.
But, I was stoked!  This was my first surveillance!