Tales of a 4th Grade Private Eye

When I was in fourth grade, Mrs. Brown  (who's husband's name was Charlie, which made me crack up back then) gave us an assignment to write a letter to a business person and ask them about their work and if they'd consider visiting our classroom. In looking for a suitable business to write, I found the Fat Man International Private Detective Services. The name and cartoonish logo of a fat man tip toeing with a briefcase sold me. While the agency's principal detective was not able to come visit my class, he did send me a response. I've thought of him and his work often over the years.

More than 20 years later, I'm still intrigued by the idea of having access to information most people don't, finding people and bringing them to justice and uncovering useful information people need in order to make important decisions.  Maybe I watched too many Magnum PI episodes when I was younger!

I know real-life detective work is nothing like what they show on TV. That's not the part that intrigues me. It's about finding the truth and helping people. I've dated a few men who helped me hone my own detective skills.  I learned to keep my eyes open. Recognize patterns. And most importantly, trust my gut. I bet if I wrote back to Mr. Fat Man, he'd say intuition plays an important part in pulling a case together. Intuition is something I was born with.

You have to know where to look next, what would make sense in someone else's world, how to pick up on the unspoken and the right questions to ask. I'd say too, you've got to care about the information you're looking for. Having a knack for cars, faces, names and remembering things other people would have long forgotten probably doesn't hurt either.

I should write Mr. Fat Man and see if he needs an apprentice. I'm not in 4th grade anymore, but I'd still like to hear about his work and see what it's really all about.