In the section of the form labeled “payment preference,” Noah wrote “PayPal” to make it simple. In the section labeled “start date,” he wrote “ASAP if it is decided to move forward.”
After Noah clicked send, he again felt a letdown similar to when he realized the idea of his hacking the Brazos University computer system was off the table. Again, with the PI idea, he had gotten himself worked up, and now he had to sit on his hands and wait. He wondered when he might hear back from Roberta Hinkle, understanding it depended completely on her schedule. If she were busy, it might be days. If she wasn’t, then it could possibly be within twenty-four hours. Vaguely, he wondered how busy Lubbock PI’s were in mid-summer. Unfortunately, there was no way to know answers to any of these questions. The only thing he could do was call Roberta’s phone number in the morning.
For lack of anything else to do, Noah decided to go on Facebook to see if Gail Shafter or Melanie Howard, meaning Ava, were online. Yet he didn’t want to do it as Noah Rothauser. Instead, he decided to create his own sockpuppet, calling himself Butch Cassidy, in deference to one of his favorite old movies. That would make it such that Ava wouldn’t know she was dealing with him if she happened to be on Facebook. But then he changed his mind about the name. As smart as Ava was, he was afraid she might recognize the name as too much of a coincidence, as they had talked about movies on several occasions. Instead, he decided to call himself Harvey Longfellow, which he just pulled out of the air. At least it sounded appropriately New England.
As Noah was creating the profile of a thirty-year-old love-starved insurance salesman who hated Ivy League snobs, a point he thought Ava might appreciate, he was alerted to an incoming email. Since he wasn’t finished with Harvey’s profile, he used his phone to see who had emailed him, hoping it might be Roberta Hinkle, and it was.
Dear Dr. Rothauser: Thank you for your inquiry about possibly retaining my services to undertake a confidential, in-depth background check of Dr. Ava London. I can start tonight with my online sources if you decide to move forward. If you know actual dates of her personal history and the name of her high school, it would be helpful to make sure I am researching the correct individual. Any other pertinent information you might have would also be of assistance for the same reason.
Respectfully yours, Roberta Hinkle.
Amazed at the rapidity of Roberta’s reply, Noah minimized his profile of Harvey Longfellow and immediately began a long email back to Roberta:
Dear Ms. Hinkle, I appreciate your rapid reply. Here is what I know, although all the dates might not be accurate. She was born in 1982. I do not know where she went to elementary or middle school, but I was told she went to Coronado High School, where she was a cheerleader and took AP courses. I believe she graduated in 2000. Between 2000 and 2002 she worked for a dentist by the name of Winston Herbert, who became dean of the newly created Brazos University School of Dentistry. She then attended Brazos University for a six-year combined B.S./M.D. curriculum from 2002 to 2008 with a major in nutrition. After obtaining her M.D. degree, she took a residency in anesthesia at the Brazos University Medical Center from 2008 to 2012. Following her residency, she was offered a position as a staff anesthesiologist at the Boston Memorial Hospital beginning in 2012. Some of these dates are guesses, but they should be close. Other important information: her oil-executive father committed suicide when she was a junior in high school, and she was briefly married around 2000 to a Serbian medical doctor. Although we will find all information about her pertinent, what we are mainly hoping to learn are details about her residency training, and the more detailed the better. We would be particularly interested in whatever any of the faculty remembers about her, which seems would have to be significant for her to get the kind of recommendations needed for her to be hired by the Boston Memorial Hospital. If anyone asks, you can say that she has earned high praise from the BMH chief of Anesthesia. Last point of information is that she is a devotee of Facebook, which she avowedly uses daily but only via aliases named Gail Shafter and Melanie Howard. For a current picture of Dr. Ava London, please check out her LinkedIn page. Does this sound like a job you would be interested in accepting? I must emphasize that confidentiality is key.
Sincerely yours, Dr. Noah Rothauser
After rereading the email and making a few minor changes, Noah sent it off. He then brought up the profile he had been creating for his fake Facebook account. No sooner had he reread what he had written about Harvey Longfellow when a second email came in from Roberta Hinkle.
Dr. Rothauser: Thank you for the information. I am very interested in accepting your proposed investigation, and I can assure you that it will be done in strict confidentiality, as is the case with all my work. Let me know if you want me to begin.
Roberta Hinkle
Noah went back to staring up at the ceiling, trying to decide what to do. He had an immediate good feeling about Roberta Hinkle and liked that she was eager and could start right away. With the same impulsivity that had encouraged him to respond to Roberta’s website, he decided to go ahead with hiring her. He knew that if he changed his mind overnight, he could stop her efforts. He emailed her back to give her the go-ahead. Almost immediately a reply came back:
Dear Dr. Rothauser: I am looking forward to this project and will start immediately. I will email you tomorrow what my initial inquiries uncover. This should not be a difficult assignment as I also attended Brazos University and have maintained close contacts by continuing to teach an introductory criminal justice course.
All the best, Roberta Hinkle
Impressed with Roberta’s rapid responses and seeming professionalism, Noah emailed her back that he would be looking forward to her email. Once again, he cautioned her that discretion was paramount. She responded that she understood perfectly and emphasized that strict confidentiality was the nature of the business. She told him not to worry.