Law enforcement. Other PIs. Basically if something weird came up, I was the guy they called. [He snorts.] "Benefit of your experience, Descant," they said.

[He rolls his eyes.] I worked here in New Orleans for awhile and I got a call from two buddies who worked out of the French Quarter. Said they got a bead on something. Don't remember the specifics, but it got one of them killed and the next thing I know, me and the other guy are partners- he did the legwork, I hit the books. Then in '81, we picked up a case. This kid was selling off fake Talismans. [He shoots Rafael a look.] And that means exactly what you think it means. It brought down some seriously hardcore shit. My partner got killed, I got the kid out, but there were a lot of unexplained bodies. And since I had a nasty habit of showing up at the worst time, I got called in. All I got out of if was a slap on the wrist and a get-thee-the-hell-out from the New Orleans PD, promising I'd never get a consulting job in the town again. So I left. I couldn't get anymore work advising, so I got a PI license and I've been doing it since.

[He pauses, thoughtful.] Guess it is kinda tragic if you squint.