A Man Of Faith And Province vBy Brian Teel Life is unpredictable and sometimes chaotic. The paths we choose are not always smooth and they are rarely adorned with signs telling us of what lies ahead. We navigate our paths the best that we can with what we have. It is never easy but that is what makes life interesting. When I was told that my next assignment would be to interview and write an article on a man who does private investigating in Yankton and the surrounding area I was excited. I had, as one could imagine, all the sensational clichés displaying scene after scene in my mind as I thought about this new experience I was about to begin. One scene that came to mind involved a dark street in the seedy part of a city. Streetlights were casting very little light allowing the criminal element to hide within the shadows of the night. And in those shadows stood a man, not a criminal, but a hardened detective clad in a fedora and trench coat. He carries a snub-nose revolver and a lot of experience dealing with criminal types. He has keen eyes, like a hawk you might say, watching his “mark”, camera in hand, making sure to conceal his presence. He has been doing this a very long time and he knows how to use the cover of darkness to his advantage. On this night he will discover the truth and bring his current clients the closure they need to get on with their lives. Tonight, the mark will answer for the evils he has done and justice will once again prevail. Now I know what you’re thinking. What I just described had to be from a “hardboiled” detective novel from the 1950’s or perhaps a Dick Tracy movie. You would be right to think that because before I met Mr. Marty O’Connor, that was all I knew of private investigating; the glamorized sensational images created by Hollywood films and fiction writers such as Mickey Spillane with his creation “Mike Hammer”, and others such as James M. Cain and Raymond Chandler. But nothing could be further from the truth. Marty O’Connor of Investigative Services, an investigative agency here in Yankton, is nothing like what we have read in fiction stories or seen on the big screen, (although I am willing to bet some of you have seen Marty on the small screen). No, Mr. O’Connor is very serious when it comes to investigation whether it is for private service or Judge appointed. He seeks the truth to help those who need help and he does it with professionalism and a strong sense of spirituality. His business card says it all: “To Find What Can Not Be Found, Uncover What Has Been Hidden, And Lead You To The Truth.” Meeting with Marty at his office located at 319 Broadway I see the professionalism right away. His office space is modern and very welcoming. There is a receptionist desk as one would expect near the entrance and on this day there is a young man sitting at the helm facing a stack of case folders. His name is Daniel and this was his first day working at the office in a receptionist capacity. He is filling in for the full-time receptionist who is on holiday. I am told that Daniel is a bright young man and a welcome asset to the agency. “He is super smart and real inquisitive. He will ask me things and I will think, yeah, I never thought of it that way.” I begin to get the sense that the young, temporary receptionist is special and my sense proves correct. Daniel is Marty’s 14-year-old son, and on this day, he is vO’CONNOR continued on page 4 HISVOICEvSEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018v3