Q. What made you decide to become a private investigator?
A. It sounds silly now, but my career choice was based on vintage
movies. I used to watch old mysteries with my mother. I saw the gumshoes track down their man and send them up the river.
I saw them add up the clues and come to conclusions, and sometimes they discovered the identity of the killer quite by accident.
Those movies romanticized investigating for me. The Maltese Falcon, the Thin Man series, and even Red Skelton's "Whisperin"
series were all motivating factors for me.
Q. How did you meet Pete and Stanley?
A. Thanks to businesses requesting
my services, I found I needed help. Some friends at the Los Angeles Police Department recommended Pete. He is an ex-cop
who was looking to get into the biz. After a rocky start, we found we worked well together.
Stanley Hawks was one of my
first cases. Out of the blue, a mangy looking man started following him and harassing him. He hired us to figure out what
was going on. I mean he was a meek little man who wrote greeting card versus. He was such ans endearing character
that we became fast friends.
My author, Marja McGraw, says you'll need to read her books to learn more.
Q. Back to
business, of all the cases you've worked on, which one did you find to be the most interesting?
A. I'd have to say it was
the Prudy Lewis case. Prudy is an elderly woman who was a P.I. back in the 1940's. She was quite a character and I had
a great time working with her. That was my second cold case, and most of the people involved were still living, unlike the players
in the first cold case.
Q. How is your business doing now and where do you think it will be in five years?
A. We do a lot
of work for insurance companies and that keeps the business going, but I’m ready for another case that I can sink my teeth into. This
isn’t really a lucrative way to make a living, but I can’t imagine doing anything else.
As far as the next five years, I don’t
really think about that, but I try to take it day by day. Life can change in the blink of an eye. I wake up every morning and thank
God for the day, no matter what it brings. So far, so good, but my hope is that I’ll be around long enough to see the business and
my life grow into something special.
(Sandi sighs) Is this interview almost over?