First Date Investigation

Mark sat in the dimly lit corner booth of a trendy bistro, nervously smoothing his tie. He was meeting Sarah, a friend of a friend, and he wanted everything to be perfect. When she finally arrived, she was stunning, but she didn’t waste any time with small talk. Before the waiter even brought the water, she leaned across the table and looked him dead in the eye.

"Mark," she whispered, "if you were a getaway driver and the police had a roadblock on the bridge, would you floor it or try to blend into a car wash?"

Mark blinked, caught off guard. "I... I guess I'd try the car wash?"

She nodded solemnly and scribbled something in a small notebook. Over the next twenty minutes, the questions grew increasingly bizarre. She asked about his blood type, his ability to crawl through ventilation shafts, and if he had any allergies to industrial-grade sedative. Mark was starting to think Sarah was either a secret agent or deeply unhinged, but he was too polite to leave.

Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. "Sarah, are you looking for a boyfriend or a partner in a diamond heist?"

She closed her notebook with a satisfied snap. "Neither," she smiled. "My dad is a retired detective and my mom is a thriller novelist. I’m just trying to figure out which one of them is going to like you more."