Investigators Notebook

The Toughest Kind of Investigative Interview

A veteran criminal defense investigator reflects on why she’s willing to represent clients who’ve been charged with harming a child. My client Juan had been sitting in jail for more than two years, awaiting his day in court. He was charged with molesting his 11-year-old soon-to-be stepdaughter. He avowed his innocence. But, as I always

Kathryn Lestelle

27012

Watch Your Six

Some habits formed on the force have to change in the private sector. Others stick with you forever. Even when you do everything right, sometimes things can still go south rapidly. You can end up fighting for your life in the blink of an eye. I was a brand-new cop (two months on the job).

Dave Honiss

26866

Is That a Real Job?

When this private investigator fields the inevitable question, she answers it gracefully — by thinking of the exchange as a dance. Every time somebody asks me what I do for work, a kind of dance ensues: The person’s eyes widen, and then they ask a question — usually something like, “Is that a real job?”

Anaïs De Castro

26809

Out of the Blue

A New Zealand cop steps away from the force and deploys his skills for the defense. Defense lawyers were always the enemy, the overpaid smart-alecks who did their best to help guilty people walk free. I despised them and all they stood for. I grew up in a cop family and only ever wanted to

Dave Honiss

26592

One Mississippi, Two

I can’t forget my client’s final phone call. Thirty-six hours after my client was executed, I drove along the highway in the direction opposite the prison for my wisdom teeth extraction. The throb ballooning at the back of my gums had become a rhythmic, welcome distraction from the grief scratching my throat ragged. I ground

Sophia Laurenzi

25527

“Unsuiciding” – Investigating Deaths Ruled as Suicide

When my dreams of being a homicide detective were dashed, I found another way to investigate unnatural deaths — and bring answers to grieving loved ones. Before I found my way to private investigation, I first had to watch my ambition to become a homicide detective burn to the ground. I thought I was a

Lindsey Smith

25384

What Kind of Investigator Are You?

A long pandemic slowdown prompts a Chicago PI to recast himself in the professional role he was made for.

Ben Lopez

25343

Hear Me Out: A Difficult Serve

Sometimes, a challenging service of process is more about listening than searching. Being an investigator is so much more than you see on TV. It isn’t so much a job as a way of life — and especially, a mindset. Anything and everything can be a puzzle. Success in this job is all about how

Lindsey Smith

25285

The Art of Investigating

A North Carolina investigator applies his portrait-painting skills to defend a client accused of theft. I was recently hired on a criminal case. My client, a young Black female, had been charged with theft. Police suspected her of taking two credit cards belonging to her coworkers from a drawer under the cash register at a

James Petrie