Chapter 4: John Pranks His Father

John carefully filled the glass in his hand with water almost to the top. He placed the thin piece of cardboard on top and inverted the glass onto the countertop. He gently slid the cardboard out from under the inverted glass, creating a pressure seal that stuck the filled glass to the counter upside down. Anyone trying to lift the glass would need a lot of effort and would also get soaked once the seal was broken. John had set up a mini cam that was motion activated on top of the fridge, aiming the lens at the glass.

He took an apple from the bowl on the counter and casually walked out of the kitchen. Once in his room, he checked the video feed from the mini cam on his computer. He was hoping to catch Katie with the prank, but anyone in the family would be okay.

John worked on his homework while he waited for someone to try to move the glass. Katie came home from watching Anthony play basketball. She went to her room to start on homework, and did not go to the kitchen. John hadn't given up that she would eventually go into the kitchen, though.

As John finished his math homework, he heard his Dad come in the door. He watched the cam feed from the kitchen and had a sinking feeling. Dad was looking at the glass, and John just knew it would be his father who got the bath.

He watched as Dad tried to move the glass, and then as he tried to pick it up. He was sure Dad had said some choice words, and wished he had used the cam with sound. He saw Dad jump back and he heard the yell from the kitchen.

"John Anthony McGee, get yourself in this kitchen NOW!" Tim was soaked on the front of his shirt and pants. He had tried to lift the glass from the counter and not realizing that it was full of water had pried it up and let the water loose. Only one person in the house could be responsible.

John slowly got up and walked into the kitchen, finding his Dad wiping up water with a dishrag. "Need some help, Dad?" John tried to play it cool.

"Um, YES!" Tim glared at John. "Once this mess is cleaned up, you and I will be having a talk."

John grabbed another dishrag and started wiping up water. He wiped the cabinets and floor while Tim wiped the counter. The glass was in the sink so John rinsed it and placed the glass in the dish drainer. He avoided eye contact with his Dad.

When the last of the water had been wiped up, Tim motioned to John to sit at the counter on one of the barstools. John sat down waiting for his father to say something. Tim watched John, and realized the quiet was making John squirm. He decided to stay silent a bit longer. John fidgeted and avoided looking at his Dad.

"Dad?" John looked at his father, "Are you going to say anything? Or just look at me?"

Tim looked at John, saying nothing for another few minutes. John fidgeted in the chair and looked at the floor. Finally, Tim spoke, "Who was your intended victim?"

"Katie."

"Why?"

"She's my sister; I HAVE to prank her." John shrugged, "Anthony pranks his sisters all the time."

Tim sighed, "We're not talking about Anthony. I'm sure Aunt Ziva and Uncle Tony have talked with him about the pranks.

"Now, why did you feel a need to prank your sister?"

"I don't know; it's fun to watch her react. She almost always has a funny reaction." John said no more, realizing that his father probably did not know about the hidden web cam.

Tim looked around the kitchen; John had just given away a clue. He spotted the cam on top of the refrigerator and stood up to remove it. "Where does the feed go?"

"My computer," John sighed; he had been busted.

"And?"

"I record the feed and then sometimes post it online when it's funny." John knew better than to hem and haw; his Dad had ways of finding out no matter what he did or didn't say. If his parents caught him in a lie, he was in even more trouble.

"How long has this been on the fridge? Are there others around the house?"

"This one has been in the same spot for two months. There is another in the family room and a third one in Katie's room." John refused to meet his father's eyes. "And, yes, Anthony has watched the feed from Katie's room."

"Go get them both, NOW." Tim was upset with John. "We will talk more when you bring them back to me."

John did as he was told, retrieving the cam on the bookcase in the family room first. He went to Katie's room and his Dad was waiting for him. He walked over to her desk and pulled the magnetic minicam from the base of her desk lamp. He handed both cams to his father, mumbling an apology to his sister.

Tim stopped John from leaving, "Apologize so Katie can hear you, please."

"I'm sorry, Katie. I didn't think when I put the cam in your room. Only Anthony and I have watched it, and never when you were dressing or undressing, I swear."

John followed his father back to the kitchen, wondering how much trouble he was in, and what his punishment would be. He sat back on the barstool as he watched his Dad examine the cams.

"Did you build these?" Tim was impressed with his son's work, even though he was upset at the final use of the items.

"Yeah, it was easy once I figured out the scale for the lenses." John had been rather proud of his accomplishment, and hoped he'd get the cams back eventually.

"Nice work on the cams, but I am very disappointed in how you chose to use them." Tim was genuinely proud of his son's skills, but had to focus on the misdeeds. "Your punishment is two weeks of no computer, unless for school work. Any computer time for school stuff will be supervised by me or your Mom. Understood?"

John nodded, "Will I get my cams back after the two weeks?"

"Most likely, but the pranks have to stop. AND, no more videos of your sister posted online without her permission, is that clear?"

"Yes, Dad."