Listen, listen carefully and you will learn more than you really need to know when a Client is telling their story. You will learn their truth, which could be a one-sided coin. From their words, you mentally begin to create a path for your investigation direction and build a foundation for your case. But not this time!
There are such things as Clients who just need to talk. They need to know their words are being heard. They want what is best for them and many times only them, forgetting that the truth of the situation is different from their own. Take for instance a Client who was adamant that her husband was cheating on her. She provided stories, events, persons, situations, locations, anything that would make whatever she believed to be true. And then, in the end, she stated,” but he would never do that, what do you think? “
Many times I offer my opinion, but I knew in this situation, my opinion was the last thing I wanted to give her. I did offer her recommendations for her situation. I tried to tell her that investigative cases will produce facts, not speculations. And in a cheating spouse case, there are avenues to take that can produce factual results. Since they were married and residing in the same household, both names were on their vehicle titles and both had legal access to the vehicles, I suggested the use of a GPS Tracking Device that she could place on his vehicle, that was not an option for her. She was sure he would find it. I then suggested surveillance to see where he goes on the nights she felt he was being unfaithful, that too was not an option for her. I suggested that he take a Polygraph Test, and she knew for certain he would never agree to that, as a matter of fact, she didn’t want to conduct any type of investigation that would possibly break up their marriage should he become aware that she hired a private investigator.
I was stumped, there weren’t many options left for me. As our meeting ended, her tears and sadness turned to a gentle smile and she told me she felt so much better to have gotten those “horrible thoughts” out of her head and realized, maybe she was wrong, maybe she had made a mistake in believing in her accusations against him. She thanked me for my time, for listening to her, just listening! And when she got out of her chair, she reached for my business card and said, “you never know when you might need an investigator!” and walked out the doors.
On this day, I think we both learned a lesson. Not all Clients are ready to commit to learning the truth or are prepared to hire a PI, and there are times when Investigators need not say a word. Sometimes people get clarity by talking to a professional with no intention of taking the steps to learn the truth. So I came to the conclusion that in the two hours I sat and listened to her words, that maybe, she heard those words too.
