FOR DECADES, the slums just west of downtown Cincinnati had been sinking farther and farther into decay. The federal government even tried to help by re-routing an interstate highway system through the neighborhoods to destroy as many of the dilapidated buildings as possible. But, it didn’t work. The remaining structures became the home of junkies, alcoholics, the homeless and others of those tossed onto the dung heap of despair by life’s misfortunes. In recent years, conditions became even worse, as the remaining residents, except for a few bars, crack houses and drug dealers also gave up and moved on, leaving large blocks of empty apartments, boarded up store fronts and an occasional rat, darting from one crumbling building to another. All was …show more content…
She slid down behind the wheel, trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible, her high resolution camera focused on a young man climbing out of a late model Dodge Ram pickup, a block and a half away. She watched him on her 3-inch color monitor, magnified several times. Making sure the flash attachment was disabled, she snapped a twenty-four megapixel high-definition image. The man paused, beside the open door of his truck for a moment, looking both ways, up and down the street, examining every doorway. His eye seemed to hesitate, as he looked in her direction. She held absolutely still, making sure she did nothing to draw attention and tripped the camera’s lens once more. Taking his time, the man leisurely looked toward each of the entrances to the boarded up apartment building. After at least a minute, he closed his vehicle’s door and walked slowly toward the nearest entrance, studying the building as he went, apparently reading the graffiti spray painted across its plywood covered windows. When he reached the door, he grasped the doorknob in his left hand and apparently found it unlocked, as it easily swung