Constant Change
Description
Vocal Characteristics
Language
EnglishVoice Age
Middle Aged (35-54)Accents
North American (General)Transcript
Note: Transcripts are generated using speech recognition software and may contain errors.
I arrived home at five p.m. in the midst of the usual hustle and bustle of preparations. 10 minutes or so after arriving, I heard the doorbell. I walked over to the door and was met by two nicely dressed men in their early 30s. Good evening, Mr Glide, Will. We'd like to come in and ask you a few questions. We're conducting an investigation of your neighbor. One of the men said to me flashing a police badge. I remember feeling rushed and aware of the fact that the rest of my guests would be at my house very soon and that I still wasn't ready to receive them. Can this wait? I'm having 16 people over for dinner very shortly. I replied, No, it cannot wait. Sir, we suspect your neighbor of being a major player in a drug dealing operation. I knew then and there that these guys couldn't be legitimate police officers. There was no way my upstanding neighbor, a man in his 80s who also happened to be the ceo of a multimillion dollar business, was a drug dealer. Maybe they could sense my doubt because they seemed visibly agitated. One of them had his hand under his jacket, and I strongly suspected he was carrying a gun. He could pull on me at any moment. My mind reeled as the men made their way through the front door. One of them placed himself between me and my alarm system. I felt a twinge of comfort, knowing that a friend of mine who also happened to be an off duty police officer was just a few feet away, assisting in getting my stereo system ready. The taller of the two men, the one who waved his badge at me when I opened the door, was still moving his right hand under his coat. These guys were amateurs, but I wasn't about to dismiss or underestimate a man with a gun. The three of us walked into my house, and my suspicions about the men were confirmed when I realized that neither of them recognized my friend, the off duty cop, and vice versa. Newport Beach is a relatively small community, especially in the police force. Most of the officers should know one another. I was expecting them to say something like, Hey, how's it going to one another? But nothing. I took one look at my cop friend and noticed that he was looking at these two guys stone faced. Clearly, he too realized this was some kind of a scam. The intruders began scanning my house as if they were looking for something or someone. How many people were in the house right now? One of them asked. five of us were visible. My buddy, the cop, my girlfriend to caterers and myself. There are nine of us in the house right now. I answered instinctively. I wanted them to think there were more of us than there were. This would give us an advantage and maybe buy us some time. They were messing with the wrong guy. I wasn't afraid. In a moment of crisis like that, you don't have time to be petrified. I stayed cool and collected. What else was I going to do? Ask them to let me kiss my dog. Goodbye. Why don't we continue the conversation out back? I suggested by the boat dock. I wanted to draw them away so that my friends could have an opportunity to call the police. Obviously, if they were asking how many people were in my house, they were not here to investigate my neighbor. As we walked out onto the patio, the taller of the two men pulled out a nine millimeter semi automatic weapon and put it right next to my ear. This is not your lucky day, he said. You're going to die no matter what, Either in 15 seconds if you don't cooperate, or we'll kill you in half an hour and leave you face down in a ditch somewhere. Either way, this is your last day to live. If I was prone to fear, this would have been the time for it. But I've never been a fearful person. Even during the war in Vietnam, I remember thinking calmly, I'll either see another day or I won't. Pure and simple, There's nothing I can do about things I can't control. Either way, these guys certainly had my attention. We know you have $800,000 in a safe in your upstairs bathroom, the smaller of the two guys said to me A week earlier. There had been an article in the Orange County Register newspaper about my purchase of an office building, and the journalist had reported that my down payment for the purchase would be $800,000. The article had displayed a picture of me In the months prior to this home invasion. My girlfriend and I had become more well known in the community. This article and others had greatly increased our visibility. I was quickly learning a hard lesson. Visibility was great if you were a one person company using social media to promote yourself. But if you're not visibility and any kind of fame or recognition was just another way to help others put a target on your back. Was it a coincidence that these guys were asking for the precise amount mentioned as my down payment in the article?