Swiss Miss Marple

A husband with a whip in his car. A con man eyeing an elderly woman's wealth. It's all in a day's work for Louisa Erismann, private detective

- Juliane Schiemenz

A BLONDE WOMAN in her mid-60s walks through an exclusive Zurich neighbourhood. Well-groomed and slender, she is wearing a dark quilted jacket, black jeans, stylish but inconspicuous sneakers, discreet jewellery and fashionable glasses. She doesn’t particularly stand out. People her age tend to fade into the background.

She smiles as she squints into the sun. Traces of a curious, sassy girl can be seen in her face—a girl who is pleased because no one can find her during a game of hide-and-seek. Her expression seems to say, If they only knew! The woman’s name is Louisa Erismann, and she has been a private investigator for the past six years. I’ll be accompanying her for the next week as she does her investigative work.

“Great that you’re coming along with me!” Erismann whispers as we walk together through the residential area. “Two people together are less noticeable. And who would ever suspect they’re being staked out by two women?”

We’re doing what’s called reconnaissance. Casing a place. I learnt that from reading the books Guide to Surveillance and Profession: Detective, which Erismann gave me to help me prepare for our week together. She advised me on the kind of clothes and shoes to wear; I, too, am in dark colours.

Today’s reconnaissance involves a dispute between a man and his female neighbour. I am not permitted to share all of the details about this or any other assignments mentioned in this article. But this much I can say: Erismann has been hired to watch the neighbour.