“I’d rather not discuss my finances with anyone as it is a personal matter. However, as it is blatantly obvious that I am not, by any means, poor, I will say this:
"Both of my parents come from rich families and have their own inheritances. Both have careers at which they work very hard at and do a very good job. Both my father and my mother routinely receive gifts of cash from various sources. They also donate a very sizable amount to each charity that they sponsor. And more.
"That said, I come from a rich family. I also have inheritances. My parents have set up a savings account for me, which they continue to put funds into. These are funds that I do not touch; even the ones that I have access to. It is certain that I will… barring some bizarre circumstances, of course… never have to worry, financially speaking, for the rest of my life.
"…I am very much like my parents in many ways, including working. The money that I spend is all money that I have earned in my work as a detective, or related to such. Unlike many of my colleagues, I do charge for my services. Every time. Of course, I am more than willing to work with those who have need but not the ability to pay, but even then I do expect a fair trade of time or service for what I do. What “fair trade” is depends entirely on their situation, but it must be worth both of our time and efforts for a healthy professional relationship.
"So, each month I send out invoices for monthly retainers and hourly charges, including expense reports for the work that I do for them. I also receive checks for magazine, newspaper, and televised interviews. I am not paid for my work with the police force as it is considered an internship, but I certainly benefit from such a relationship. All of these often come with bonuses when I’ve done my job well.
"And that is, primarily, where the plane tickets come from so that I can travel back and forth between my parents at any given time. It’s also how I purchased my car, how I afford such fine clothing, and am able to rent out hotel rooms whenever there is a need.
"Best of all, I’m able to make my own charitable contributions to causes that I deem appropriate. These I am careful about, as I know from personal experience how easy it is to turn nice, considerable people into horribly controlling monsters when they know that there are financial avenues to be tapped.
"…I tend to reserve it for criminals, honestly, who have a desperate situation that they cannot attend to while serving their sentences. But, ah, don’t spread that information around… I’m not certain how my colleagues would take it. I just cannot stand the thought of a family, for example, now without a father and breadwinner at home, unable to feed their children because he made a huge mistake. They shouldn’t have to suffer. Thus, assigned a caseworker and a budget for a couple of months… Groceries, a nanny perhaps, so that the mother can find employment…
"God, I’m turning into my parents.”
