So this is how things work in the PI business. The phone rings, and a potential client is on the other end. They tell me their story and then they tell me what they think I need to know. That’s usually when I interrupt them and tell them that I know what I need to know. I don’t need to know what the subject’s (person being investigated) shoe size is. I got a call from a guy who told me that his ex- girlfriend, Jewel, stole his new car – a Porsche. When I asked if he tried calling her, he replied that he left dozens of voice mail messages, emails, and texts – but never quite heard from her. I then inquired as to what she did for a living and he told me that she was an adult film star. She had apparently auditioned for my client’s movie (a few months after arriving in Los Angeles from Iowa). She went from riding a tractor to riding three men. I asked him if Jewel maintained a schedule and he replied “when she’s working she does, but if she’s not working she hits the clubs around midnight, gets home around 7:00 a.m., sleeps until 3, goes to the gym, showers and hits the clubs again.” I then asked if he knew any of her friends, to which his response was that he knew one guy named Blane Tucker living in West Hollywood. Blane was an editor and had an office on Sunset Boulevard. This was the only lead I had, so I ran a few database searches and found three Blane Tuckers. I couldn’t find a phone number for the first Blane but did get an address. The second Blane was already dead and I found a number for the third one. I assumed Blane would be working in the porn industry as well and given this, I assumed he liked to party. People working in the porn industry belong to a different breed altogether. I had a friend who worked as a production assistant on the set, and was barely able to last a day. He said that people were doing coke, drinking heavily, smoking weed and ejaculating all over the floor. I didn’t know what I would say to Blame when I called him, but knew I would be able to construe something believable.
In my opinion, the three most crucial skills needed to be a good PI are 1) being a good liar, 2) being able to think on your feet, and 3) paying attention to details. I dialed the phone number, and a guy with a deep voice answered the phone. I told him my name (Madison Turner – my fake name since college. I use to love the show “Thirty Something.” One of the characters on the show was named Madison and I thought the name was so cool. Turner was a nod to my girlfriend Lisa) and told him that we met at an industry party in the Hollywood Hills. I added that I was with Jewel that night. I asked Blane if he remembered me from the party and replied he had no idea who I was. I told him that he gave me his business card and even tried to kiss me. He said he still couldn’t remember who I was and had no recollection of being at this party. At this point, it didn’t matter because I was able to convince him that we met. I told him that I was a producer and that I’d found the perfect role for Jewel. When I asked Blane if he had a contact number for her, he said he did, but he didn’t have his phone with him, so he told me where she was working. She was in Nevada working at the Moonlight Bunny Ranch. I pretended to know what Bunny Ranch was all about, but I had no clue. I hung up the phone and did an Internet search. I found out that it was a legal brothel in Carson City Nevada.
After identifying the number, I immediately placed a call. It was a woman who answered the phone; she sounded like she has been smoking and chewing on glass since she was 10. I inquired about the possibility about speaking with Jewel Benz, but was told she was with a client and would be occupied for the next hour or so. An hour later, I was back on the phone with the Bunny Hill Ranch. The same woman answered the phone and I made the same request. Jewel picked up the phone and said “hello.” I explained to her that I was a producer and wondered if she was interested in starring in a movie. She said yes before I could utter another word from my mouth. I told her the movie was about a young woman who was starting college and didn’t know if she wanted to live on campus, or to rush a sorority. This girl then decides to go to a sorority party and gets hammered very quickly after arriving there. Unbeknownst to her, she is at a sorority that is rumored to look for pledges who are swingers. I then asked Jewel if she had any issues having sex with women or multiple partners; she assured me that she was comfortable with both. I told her I wanted to Fed-Ex the script to her. In response, she said this was her last week at the Bunny Hill Ranch, so it would be best to send it to her home address. She then gave me her address and added that she was living with her boyfriend. The next morning, I was at her apartment at 7:00 a.m. I immediately saw the Porsche parked in the street. An hour later, a guy walked out of his apartment, got into the Porsche and drove away. For the next two hours, I followed him to the dry cleaner, CVS, Ralphs, The Guitar Center and then to his bank. After leaving the bank, he drove back to his apartment. He parked the car in the street and went inside. I immediately called my repo guy. About 15 minutes, later my guy showed up and within 45 seconds, he had the car on his tow truck and drove away. I truly felt as though I’d seen a beautifully choreographed dance. I called my client and told him I had recovered his car. He was ecstatic! I was impressed with how things unfolded as well.
