oticed some lipstick on your husband's collar? Has your wife suddenly started buying sexy lingerie? What about your nanny — are you sure that she's not watching soap operas all day instead of minding Junior?

Luckily, if you live in New York, there's no need to dismiss your paranoia. Instead, buy a hidden camera at your local spy shop or hire a former New York City police detective to do the surveillance for you. It may not be cheap, but at least you'll be able to sleep at night.

At the International Detective Store on Christopher Street, you can buy a pinhole-sized wireless camera hidden inside innocuous household items such as a stapler, a smoke detector or even a teddy bear for anywhere from $600 to $4,000. (The stapler even works!) Uptown, at the tony Counter Spy Shop on Madison Avenue, ask to be taken into the back room. You can pick up a trendy set of night vision goggles for $6,000. By capturing and amplifying the light of the stars, night vision goggles cast an eerie green glow over the scene — even when there's no moon.

"No one should be concerned
if they're not doing anything wrong."
                    — D.L. Ross, Counter Spy Shop

The sales staff takes any questions about the right to privacy in stride. "We're being watched all the time," says D.L. Ross of the Counter Spy Shop. "No one should be concerned if they're not doing anything wrong."

But if you don't want to do the dirty work yourself, just call Jerry Palace of Check A Mate in Manhattan. After 20 years as a New York City police detective, Palace discovered his niche: doing background checks and surveillance on unsuspecting spouses. "I use eight millimeter digital cameras and hidden cameras," says Palace. "It's easiest if the target walks around — I dress like a tourist and follow him. But, hey, if he gets on a bus or a train, I go with them."

The cost ranges from a few hundred dollars to several thousand. Palace's career is really taking off these days — he just filmed a television pilot for Court TV. Working with a New York Times reporter, Palace re-investigates cases for prisoners who claim they've been unfairly convicted.

Married since 1974, Palace gives this advice to his four daughters: "Before you get married, think about it good. Don't do it unless you're absolutely sure." Palace should know. "By the time someone hires me, their suspicions are usually true. Nine-tenths of the time the suspecting spouse is right on the money."

So if you're sitting at a cozy, candlelit table with your "sister" and spot a tourist wearing night goggles across the room, better own up now. Another New Yorker, caught on tape.

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Source: C.J. Pinto
International Detective Store