Under a lens

nowing that for the past few months Doug had been actively assisting members in some of the threads on ILW ~ threads in which I, too, had participated, in fact, in which he had directed comments towards me, albeit under a completely different moniker was a little disquieting. Add to that the fact that I hadn't received one reply to my emails since he purportedly was in Idaho Falls. As much as I wished to dismiss the caution I'd received from both Private Investigators I'd consulted (the outcome of Mr. Henderson to be explained, shortly) it was difficult not to wonder why Doug hadn't continued contact with me and if there was some less than honourable motive for his initial interest in getting to know me. I likened the feeling to one of a specimen butterfly on display under glass. Could it be that I was now being watched? And for what purpose?

There was no doubt that "irritated" was simply another ID he'd used. I compared the absence of posts on ILW during mid-March to mid-June, when Doug had been on a project in California. His emails to me during that time frame indeed indicated that they originated from the La Jolla area of Southern California, so I had no doubt that his work had taken him away for a while. Indeed, under his other personae, the same break in activity was evident. I began to expand my search for information beyond the realm of ILW to see if he was a participant on other immigration message boards. Bingo! Not only was Doug active on two others, but he'd shared a wealth of information, to include his own "immigration process". Immigration? He had told me he was a United States citizen.

What's more, during the late summer months, after it became clear that Doug had returned from his project on the west coast to resume participation on ILW under his alter ego, he'd been quietly observing how I was in BS's "scope" and the heinous manner in which BS had been discrediting me for my loyalty to "irritated".

Subsequent to those very uncomfortable outbursts from BS, my activity on ILW had bifurcated. In addition to providing assistance on immigration issues, I'd also begun adopting a more philosophical approach to the information I posted there as well. My participation was to encourage people to be aware that there was indeed a person "Behind the Avatar" and that we should all be mindful of that. How could Doug then sit back and watch how this had impacted me terribly and yet make no attempt to thank me for being loyal to the end, or to put my mind at ease? Was it, indeed, entirely possible that he was enjoying the display and that he wished to see me hurt and humiliated?

The prospect that someone I'd shared so much information with and had represented himself to me as a friend could wish to witness my despair was disturbing, to say the least. I knew that I would only begin to understand once I had identified who he really was. I reflected on his own comment when the Famous Five were attempting to solve the mystery of the impostor on ILW. "El, it's not one big clue that solves a mystery, but a whole lot of little ones". I began to scrutinise the trail of clues.

In a rather peculiar and unexpected turn of events, while I was indeed a specimen under Doug's lens, at the same time, he didn't realise that, yes, he was now under mine.