A Day Late, a Gumshoe Short

This is from the Poynter Institute, which points us toward so many interesting stories that can be localized. A wonderful tip for journalists, more angst for uxorious spouses. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution found private detectives who said Valentine's Day is a big deal for cheating spouses: Feb. 14, these investigators joke, is their Super Bowl of Surveillance. "Eighty percent of cheating spouses will try to spend part of the day with the other person," said Jimmie Mesis, editor of the trade journal PI Magazine. Ruth Houston -- founder of InfidelityAdvice.com and author of "Is He Cheating On You?" -- says she normally discourages the use of private investigators, but makes an exception for Valentine's Day. "I've seen too many people spend hundreds of thousands of dollars, only to come up empty except for a receipt," Ruth said. "But if someone's cheating, they are going to make contact on Valentine's Day, either to give a gift or receive one." [Jeanene] Weiner is the founder of Busted Confidential Investigations, an all-woman outfit in Marietta boasting the grrl-power motto "Where Intuition and Information Meet." Her Valentine's Day will begin early, because she knows from experience that many of the cheaters will schedule a breakfast or lunch-hour tryst. "This way, they get to go home after work and spend a romantic evening with the person they're married to, and no one suspects a thing," she said.