Life of (this) PI

I've been remarkably remiss lately, Dear Reader, and for that I sincerely apologise. Things have been surprisingly hectic around Bad City and I have been otherwise engaged in a number of varied, if not time consuming, investigations.

Which is a good thing. But while there have been a few moments of good fortune, there also have been some setbacks.

Seems that you can't have one without the other. 

Anyway, some short updates...

Firstly, you'll remember one of my recent late-night 'good ideas'  Well, the result was probably not all that unexpected; rejection. And with the standard letter I specifically asked them to dispense with.

Oh, the indignity.

Well, can't say I was really all that invested in that role anyway. It would have been a waste of my prodigious talents. 

Secondly, I have purchased a new car. It's only been a year since the Beast was put out of service. A long year of hiring, begging, borrowing, and only very occasionally stealing, vehicles comes to an end. Don't know why I didn't bite the bullet earlier but I'm glad I finally did.  

Sweet, sweet freedom!

Thirdly, I have been involved, in differing capacities, with two separate major international events that came to Bad City. The first role was in looking for counterfeit goods associated with the event being sold around the venue, as well as keeping an eye out for any ticket scalpers. I was provided a large amount of information including what legitimate tags and labels should look like as well as photographs of seized goods taken at other events overseas with a number of pointers what to look out for to demonstrate the goods were not official merchandise but inferior knockoffs.

Well, after hours of walking around the venue and milling with thousands of people attending the event, how many people do you think I found selling dodgy merchandise or scalping tickets?

At an international event with the number of attendees in the tens of thousands?

Zero.  

Not one single unscrupulous merchant or purveyor of pirated trinkets.

And ticket scalpers? Well, I did find a number of people who were selling tickets but when I approached them looking to make a buy, turned out they all only had one ticket to sell - along with a similar tale of having had a friend unable to make it.

I have to say I was exceptionally disappointed in the lack of criminal enterprise displayed by my fellow citizens of Bad City!

Well, that hasn't been all. I've been out on surveillance jobs (in the new car) as well as an ongoing site-protection gig, and have about four insurance investigations currently running.

All in all, it's been a busy month.