Thread: The Life of Valor (Grave x Kat)

After Scott had arrived in New York City, he had turned his mind toward looking for a career. He wanted to do something that would make a positive difference in people's lives, but he did not want a high stress job like working in the medical field or for a police department. He finally settled on the job of private investigator, and got his license in a short time. He had managed to secure the floor of a multipurpose building for him to work out of, and Valor Investigations was born. As he walked into the building, the pretty secretary named Jessica gave him a greeting. My weekend was good, Jessica, thanks for asking. Over the short time he had been working here, the two had become casual acquaintances. She was one of the only people he knew who did not know about his special power, and that made it easy to start with her using a clean slate. He politely broke off conversation and headed for the elevator, pressing the button for floor ten. When he got off of the elevator, he went into his office to sort through his case files. Since his business was so new, he had not had too many cases at first, but he had cleared the ones given to him except for one that he was hung up on because a particular subject was out of the country. His case load was pretty free, so it was good timing when he heard a knock on his door. The young woman who entered was a petite blonde wearing a chaste dress and fashionable boots. The look on her face was neutral, but something about the way she entered troubled him. He had seen a few different emotions from clients when they entered his office, ranging from polite courteousness to anger, but this woman's mood was different. The mood coming off of her was fear. Please have a seat, miss? Scott said as he stood up to pull the chair out for her. She nodded and sat down with her hands in her lap. Scott took a seat behind his desk. So, what brings you to Valor Investigations? The young woman looked uncertain for a moment, gathered her resolve, and looked at him. Mr. Young, my name is Valerie Harper. I came to you, because...well, because... She trailed off until Scott obliged her to continue. ...Because I think I'm being followed. Scott nodded in understanding. He had tackled these kind of peeping tom cases before, and sometimes it brought him into the company of another PI who was following the wishes of his own client. Do you know who it is that's following you? No, Valerie said with a shake of her head, that's why I'm so frightened. Do you have any enemies? No. Any jilted ex-boyfriends or an ex-spouse with an ax to grind? No, I've never even had a boyfriend, she said kind of shyly. Do you have any kind of job stress or stress in your personal life that could spill over into this kind of thing? No, I live a pretty quiet life. I go to work and come home most days, and on weekends I just lounge around the house. What kind of work is it that you do, Ms. Harper? I actually work in this building on the sixteenth floor. I'm a fitness and yoga instructor. Have you ever had a client that acted suspiciously or left you on bad terms? No. Sometimes a client tries to ask me out for coffee or a movie, but I always turn them down, and I've never had something like that affect my professional life. Can I get the names and addresses of the clients that have asked you out? You don't think one of them is behind it, do you? she asked nervously. It's just a formality. In these kinds of cases, it pays to look at everyone. I have their files in my office upstairs. I can get it for you. That would be swell. For now, I would like to get your name, address, preferred phone number, and email address. I need at least two ways to get in contact with you should I find out anything. Valerie nodded and wrote out all of the information on a sheet of paper, information that would later be put into Scott's e-files. Is there anything else I should know before we talk about payment? Valerie thought about it a minute and then shook her head. Very well. My fee is 100 a day plus expenses. Expenses include food and gas, and may include travel expenses. I do all that I can to save my clients money and find out the truth, but you never know where a case might lead. I also need you to sign this release form absolving me of any responsibility for any legal or other problems that may result from my investigation. Valerie read over the form and then signed it. Scott took the form and put it in a file in his cabinet. Okay, Miss Harper, you're good to go. I'll begin my investigation immediately. Let's start by getting the files on your clients upstairs. Valerie nodded and got up. The two walked to the elevator and began heading for the sixteenth floor. Once they were on the sixteenth floor, he followed her through the studio and into her office. Valerie produced a key and unlocked the filing cabinet where she kept her documents. She produced a stack of five files and handed them to him. These are all files of men that have hit on you? Valerie nodded. Wow, you're quite popular. She blushed a bit and turned away to lock up the filling cabinet. Scott walked with her to the elevator and stopped it on his floor. Well, Ms. Harper, I'll get started on your case right away. You have a good day. Thanks. You, too. Scott stepped off the elevator and he heard it close behind him as he headed for his office. He put the files on his desk and sat down before pulling the top one and beginning to read it. It was a fairly standard file, and nothing really jumped out at him about the guy. Reading through all the other files was pretty much the same story, although she attracted a diverse crowd of professions into her studio, from white-collar guys to construction workers. After reading the files, there was no obvious suspect, and he leaned back in his chair. Did you get any vibes off of those guys, Valor? Nothing unusual. Valor had a sixth sense about him where he could read the hearts of individuals. It was a valuable trait that helped ward off deception, but even his keen senses could be fooled or come up empty, sometimes. What about Valerie? Anything strike you as strange about her? No, all indications were that she was being perfectly honest. Scott nodded. So we're on the same page, then. Yes. It appears our only recourse is to do surveillance on these men and see if they are up to anything suspicious. With five guys, that won't be easy. Nevertheless, Scott got up to head out, but stopped when he heard the elevator open again on his floor.