The Cal Brink Files are written from my experiences as both a real estate agent for the last twenty-five years and as a former private investigator and process server back in the pre-internet era. Technology has changed. People have remained constantly inconsistent.
A Goodreads reviewer said this about The Golden Rule, a short story set in 1997, Washington, DC.
This story is more realistic than other detective stories… …The author has a nice way of weaving a story.
Internal Moral Compass
We all have a north star. Something that guides us in how we make decisions. Cal Brink was raised in the church. He was taught Matthew 7:12—The Golden Rule—and he does his best to navigate a world that doesn’t always see things the way he does.
Cal Brink walked away from his life as a private investigator. He lied for a living to catch liars. The profession was poison to his thinking and faith. He just couldn’t be sure that the end justified the means.
But when a friend calls, he helps. It’s who he is.
From the Short Story
“Cal, you promise to be safe?”
I did. Of course, I did. I reassured her this was a one-off.
“Nothing is ever a one-off for you, Cal. I need to go meet this person that’s waiting on me. I’ll see you tonight.”
She hung up the phone.
On the relatively short drive over to Forestville Road, I thought about the reasons I had quit doing this kind of work. Shawna still didn’t know the whole truth of what I’d done as an investigator. With a little luck, she’d never know. But she saw it in me.
We were at a party one night. We were both talking to a man who was full of half-truths and outright lies as he told us a couple of his stories. I resisted the urge to call him out. I stood there, nodded, smiled, and drank my drink. After he walked away, I looked at Shawna. “Just about everything he said was not true. He was trying to impress you,” I kidded.
Shawna didn’t take the ribbing. In fact, she ignored it. She looked me right in the eye and asked, “How do you know?”
“Know what?”
“Know that he’s lying,” her arms now folded.
“I just do. I could explain it, but I’m never quite sure how I know. But I know that I know.”
“Cal, not everyone is under investigation. Not everyone is your mark.”
With that, she left me standing there as she walked across the room to talk to one of the other wives.
That was the match that lit the fuse. Within the month, I started taking on more sports photography and less cases. I started ignoring the calls to serve this subpoena or that summons. Rather, I used my learned photography skills to get paid for delivering action shots and smiles. So much better than photos producing proof and tears. Yet, here I was driving fifteen miles or so to go play Jim Rockford, again.
“This is the last time,” I mumbled to myself.
The Golden Rule
Imagine being responsible for a priceless national treasure and you realize it is missing. Your mind races and your pulse quickens. Nausea sets in. Who do you call for help?
Jesse called Cal Brink, a former private investigator.
Follow Cal from a custom photo lab on Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, DC, to the back streets of suburban Maryland. No car chases. No shoot-outs. Just lifelike investigative process told by a writer who lived the streets, did the job.
See Cal's thinking. Learn his moral code. Because sometimes, justice doesn't mean jail.
A twenty-minute mystery. Free with Kindle Unlimited. Otherwise, $0.99 on Amazon.
Book Release Celebration
The October 27, 2026 release of Notice of Assignment is weeks away. If you live in the Kansas City area, I am hosting a Book Release Celebration at Quaint Cocktail Lounge in Olathe, Kansas.
Learn more about the event here.
A Chris Writes, LLC Publication
Not legal advice / not professional guidance / do not imitate tactics
Fictionalized/composite/altered details + no identification intended
© 2026 Chris Writes, LLC. All Rights Reserved.