RICO’s Q — Streaming soon on your favorite app is Costa Rica’s own mystery thriller, “Espionaje en la Casa Prestada” (Spying in the Borrowed House).
This story revolves around presidential candidate Laura Fernández, who revealed on Tuesday that a “hidden microphone” had been found in her private office.
During a press conference, Fernández explained that an internationally recognized security firm had conducted a search and detected a signal coming from her office.
“This space is private—just for me. They checked the bathroom and the ceiling and discovered a high-tech microphone, one that’s reportedly hard to get in Costa Rica,” said Fernández, who is aiming to continue President Rodrigo Chaves’ work next May. That is if she is elected in February.
The office is set up in a borrowed house owned by Antonio Barzuna, a legislative candidate for the Rodriguista group, where the campaign team holds meetings.
The Plot
The presidential candidate reports the political spying to the OIJ, even though she doesn’t trust the agency.
“I don’t trust the OIJ or the Prosecutor’s Office at all,” Fernández said. “I’ve seen how politicized they’ve become. Look at what happened to President Chaves. I’ve witnessed the political targeting of government officials firsthand. I saw my colleagues Mauricio Batalla, Alejandro Picado, and former cabinet members have their offices raided, furniture destroyed, and then they claimed, ‘There was nothing there.’ I have no faith in them.”
We’ll have to wait for the Jaguar production to drop to see how the story’s twists and turns play out for its key players—President Rodrigo Chaves, legislator Pilar Cisneros, and presidential candidate Laura Fernandez, among others.
Will we ever know who planted the bug, and why?
Borrowing the catch phrase from my childhood hero, Batman, “Stay tuned. Same channel. Same time”.
For those who haven’t heard this before, the phrase is like saying, “Don’t go anywhere, I’ll be back with more action.”
The phrase echoes that classic TV sign-off when shows promised to return at the same time on the same channel.
In this case, it captures Fernandez’s battle to become president—her story’s far from done, and you know she’ll be back, ready for whatever’s next. It’s straightforward, catchy, and just right for this moment.
PS. I did actually meet Batman (Adam West) in person at a trade show many years later.
Image from Facebook post.