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bedroom -that is when my
relationships ever made it that far. Usually men were scared off closer to the
first date. Lately, as I neared my 32 nd birthday, this bothered me
more and more. The more my personal life seemed to flounder; though, the more my
professional career was soaring beyond my expectations.
    The meeting was
held at one of Jackson Vaughn’s subsidiaries, Venture Corporation, in downtown
Dallas. I made it to the lobby of the impressive steel and glass structure with
time to spare. I was given a visitors badge and asked to meet a Mr. Thomas on
the tenth floor. I was seated in a lush office suite, staring down a lovely
spread of fruits and cheeses and an assortment of bakery delights. While I
waited for Mr. Thomas I helped myself to a coffee that turned out to be quite
good.
    Mr. Thomas entered
the room in a rush. “Julia Collins?” It was more a question than a statement as
he reached to shake my hand.
    “Yes. Mr. Thomas,
I presume? Very nice to meet you.” His grip was strong and firm.
    Mr. Thomas
motioned for me to take a seat. “It’s nice to meet you as well. I have heard
many wonderful things about your work. Please, help yourself." He gestured
to the food.
    He seemed to be
eyeing the spread hungrily, so I started casually grazing, choosing a few items
for myself. I studied him surreptitiously as I scooped some fruit into a bowl. He
was tall and thin, mid-forties, not overly handsome but not bad looking. What
surprised me the most were his hands. They stood out. They were well used to
hard work, rough and calloused, not like the smooth soft hands of a high paid
white-collar worker.
    While I politely
waited for him to finish piling food onto a plate, I asked, “Will there be
anyone else joining us today, Mr. Thomas?”
    “No, I’m afraid
it’s just me today.” He grinned sheepishly. “I work directly for Jackson, er,
Mr. Vaughn as a personal assistant of sorts. Mr. Vaughn is determined to keep
your investigation completely hidden from anyone. As far as I know, we are the
only three who know about it and Mr. Vaughn wants to keep it that way.”
    I nodded, “Of
course. I understand.”
    “Mr. Vaughn has
personally reviewed your background check, the one we conducted with your
permission. He is also very impressed with your qualifications, Ms. Collins. He
is friendly with several of your past clients and you have come to us highly
recommended.”
    He started
stacking the loose papers on the table in front of him. “I have looked over the
standard confidentiality agreements that you have signed and the lawyers have
informed me that all is in order. I have just one more agreement for you to
sign before we get started. This agreement will not go through our legal
department, because it will pertain to this specific assignment for you. It is
just one more precaution Mr. Vaughn is taking to ensure your investigation
remains completely under wraps.” He slid the long document over towards me.
    “Before you sign,
Ms. Collins, let me explain what you would be getting yourself into.” I glanced
at the document before me and then nodded for him to continue.
    “Mr. Vaughn is
very eager to get to the bottom of this problem before him. He would like you
to work for him exclusively until you have solved the problem.”
    I had already
expected as much. Truthfully, it was the way I worked best. I liked to get
fully immersed into the investigations without any outside distractions. “That
won’t be a problem.”
    Mr. Thomas
continued, “Good. Also, because of the sensitive nature of the investigation,
Mr. Vaughn would like you to work alone.”
    Alone! Without
my team? My team of various experts was the reason for more than half my
successes. They saved me hours and hours of exhausting but necessary legwork. They
could find the proverbial needle in the haystack when necessary. It freed me up
to work on the higher-level complexities of a case. I couldn’t even begin to
fathom conducting an investigation of