Investigation of Passion ch.12

Harry returned to the main store and found Hermione. She had a box in her hand and was discussing something with the clerk.

"Are you sure they're small enough?" Hermione asked. "And won't be noticed?"

"As long as you place them where most people don't look too often, they won't even see them," the clerk said. "Did you see the one we set up to watch the store?"

Hermione shook her head, noticing Harry.

"What do you want to buy?" he asked.

"Cameras," Hermione said. "To solve this case."

She handed the box to Harry, grabbing another one from a nearby shelf. The picture on the front showed a small, spherical camera, with the front no larger than a nickel.

"These cost 150 dollars," Harry said. "Hermione, I can't afford this."

"That's why I'm buying them," Hermione said. "My curiosity is piqued. Besides, I'm sure I'll find a use for them later."

She smiled at him slyly. The clerk at the counter frowned, looking confused. No wonder, after the initial sob story they had given her, this probably seemed strange.

"Did you find out anything from the manager?" Hermione asked.

Harry shook his head. "I think this might be our next best chance."

Hermione bought the cameras, and they headed home. They spent half an hour in Hermione's room, charging the small, wireless devices. There was an app that allowed them to stream the footage directly to Harry's phone, relying on a low-quality satellite connection when they were out of range of an open Wi-Fi signal.

"Your mom is going out somewhere," Hermione said, watching out the window. "Looks like she might be going for a run."

"Well, I guess this is our chance." Harry bit his lip, suddenly unsure of how he felt about spying on his stepmother. It wasn't any better than eavesdropping on her in the bathroom. Maybe a slightly subtler form of invading her privacy, but still the same.

"Trust me, Harry," Hermione said. "This is a good idea. It will give you peace of mind. We'll place one in her room and the other in her car. I seriously doubt she's walking to wherever she's filming these videos, given the effort she puts into disguising herself."

"You think it's her," Harry said. "That's why you were willing to spend so much on these cameras."

The realization made him uneasy. If Hermione really thought his stepmother was the woman in the recordings, what did that mean? Was she some kind of exhibitionist? Would his mom go even further, start doing more slutty things, maybe some involving other people?

Would hidden cameras give them a front-row seat?

"That's not what I meant," Hermione said. "Right now, none of the evidence points in that direction. But if it is her, we'll know."

Hermione placed a hand on his leg and gave it a light squeeze. She handed Harry one of the cameras.

"We should do this quickly," she said. "You set one up in her room. I'll handle her car. Does she usually leave it unlocked?"

"No," Harry replied. "But the keys should be inside. Check her purse."

They went to his house, splitting up to handle each installation separately. Harry spent a minute in mom's room, considering the layout and the most likely location to remain unnoticed.
He decided to place it inside the plant that mom kept on the table in front of the window. The camera had a clear view of her room, including the mirror and the bed. Harry opened the app to test it.

Hermione was still setting up her camera, and the angle she held it at gave Harry a view almost directly down her shirt. He chuckled and went outside to meet her.

"There," Hermione said when she finally positioned the camera on the headrest of the car’s back seat. "That should do it."

"Alright," Harry said. "I guess now we just wait."

"Yeah."

He and Hermione went back to her room. There was a bit of tension, and not just because they were opposite-sex teenagers with free time and privacy. Harry was anxious about what he might discover, but also about how he would feel if they managed to prove stepmother's innocence.

In the past few days, he had done so many things completely out of character. From spy cameras to what he did with stepmother's panties to his uncontrollable reaction to her massage... The memories wouldn’t fade easily. Somehow, he had changed, and he wasn't sure if knowing that mom was still the woman he loved and expected her to be would change him back.

"She's home," Hermione said.

Harry looked out the window, watching as his stepmother, sweaty from jogging, walked inside. He turned on his phone, switching to the stream from mom's room.

It took Bellatrix a few minutes to come upstairs. She was wearing a tank top and a pair of leggings that only reached halfway down her calves. Her black hair hung in a neat ponytail, and a thin layer of sweat covered her face and chest. As she entered the room, she stretched, running her hands over her body while watching herself in the mirror.

"Maybe she'll start undressing," Hermione said. "If she does, we can test one of my older theories."

"What?" Harry asked.

"Her boobs," Hermione said. "We'll see if they match."

Naked breasts of his stepmother. Harry felt an unwanted surge of arousal at the thought of watching her strip out of her sweaty clothes and, well, do whatever she would do once she was naked. He didn't want to do this if it meant intruding on his mom’s shower. Was this really better? Did he have any choice now that the plan was in motion?

Bellatrix left the room before Harry could get too excited, and through the faint audio from the camera's microphone, they heard the shower turn on in the bathroom at the end of the hall.

"She'll have to get dressed afterward," Hermione said. "It's almost guaranteed we'll see her naked."

"You sound excited," Harry said.

Hermione smiled and shrugged. "Weird for you, huh?"

Harry clenched his teeth, feeling his face heat up. It was weird for him because he was as excited as she was. He wanted to see her naked, even if that desire made him feel disgusting and confused. His cock was getting hard just thinking about it.

"You don't have to watch," Hermione said. "I can handle that part."

"Uh... Harry shook his head. "I should probably see it too."

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him, and he felt even more embarrassed. It was like watching the initial video for the first time all over again, with the strange thrill pulling him in a direction he wasn’t sure he wanted to go.

His stepmother only took a quick shower. She returned to the room dressed in two towels, one draped over her chest and the other wrapped around her hair. The one covering her backside was a bit too small and barely reached her buttocks.

Harry was as hard as he had ever been in his life when his mom paused in front of the mirror. She touched her face, frowned slightly, and then moved to the closet. The closet was almost directly opposite the camera, and when she opened the door, she let the towel fall.

Bellatrix had her back to the camera, but the view of his stepmother naked, even from behind, was enough to make Harry's eyes widen in disbelief. She was stunning. Her ass was perfect, not too big and not too small. They could see the side of one of her breasts, along with the pink tip of one of her nipples, but she was turned too far away for them to get a good look.

"Now I get it," Hermione whispered. "Jesus, you must be in a constant state of sexual frustration living with that woman. Even if she's your mom."

"Shut up," he muttered.

To his disappointment, mom closed the closet door and disappeared behind it. He hoped she would find her clothes and bring them out to get dressed, but that didn’t happen. When she came out, she was wearing sweatpants and a blue T-shirt. She used the towel to dry her still-damp hair and picked up the one she had discarded along the way.

"It was worth a shot," Hermione said. "From now on, it’ll probably be less interesting. We just need to watch and see if she does anything unusual."

Bellatrix took the towels to the laundry room, then returned to her room. She picked up her phone from the bed and smiled slightly as she looked at the screen. She sprawled out on the bed, staring at her phone and typing with her thumbs.

"Or maybe not?" Hermione said. "She's texting someone."

"My mom doesn't usually text," Harry said. "I mean, not often. Weird."

The conversation between Bellatrix and whoever she was texting lasted for several minutes. Then Bellatrix took socks out of the dresser, put them on, and went downstairs. She only paused to grab her purse and put on shoes before heading to the car.

"You're sure she doesn't have to work today?" Hermione asked.

Harry nodded, feeling his heart beat a little faster.

"She said she had the day off," he said.

"This is getting interesting," Hermione said.