It’s 1958 and I’m Sam Slater.

I would like to tell you how my life drastically changed about a year ago. I could not have imagined the events which overtook me but then ultimately made my life better.

I’m a private investigator in San Francisco. I still flinch a little when I define myself by telling everyone that I’m a private eye. In my heart, I still consider myself a baseball player.

I played for the San Francisco Seals for ten years until my career and the Seals’ time as San Francisco’s team ended in the summer of 1957. The Seals were replaced by the major league San Francisco Giants who moved from New York City.

I had a fairly static life up until September of 1957. I lived the life of a carefree bachelor in the Mission District in San Francisco. I had an apartment just a few blocks from Seals Stadium where the Seals played. When we were home, I could walk to the stadium to play.

It became apparent in the 1957 season that my skills were diminishing and that I was nearing the end of my career. This, coupled with the end of the Seals in San Francisco, meant it was probably a good time for me to say goodbye to baseball.

My best friend, Jimmy Jankow, was helping me find my way in a post-baseball existence. When the 1957 season ended, Jimmy was taking me in as a partner in his successful private eye business. He was going to show me the ropes and help me begin a new career.

As the last weeks of the baseball season approached, a mob hitman murdered Jimmy and left him floating in San Francisco Bay. I tried to pick up the pieces of the business and find out who murdered Jimmy, who I had known ever since we were part of the invasion force on D-Day at Omaha Beach.

I would likely not have succeeded in my transition to becoming a private eye had I not met Amelia Ryan.

Amelia! How do I begin to tell you about Amelia?

Amelia is a TWA stewardess who, since she was a little girl, dreamed of flying and longed for adventure. Amelia is an extremely beautiful woman—she is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.

But there is much more to Amelia than her beauty. She is a very tough, savvy, driven young woman. I really admire that Amelia wanted something different. She wasn’t ready to get married out of high school and settle down to have babies.

Amelia wants to be married and wants to be a mother, but Amelia wants to experience the world. She is a glamorous woman who is perfectly at home in the glamorous world of rich travelers, movie stars, and nightclubs.

She is also a pretty good private eye herself. I envision the day when Amelia is going to leave her career with TWA behind and be my partner in the private investigations business.

But Amelia is so important to me. I couldn’t live without her. In fact, in 1958, in the story contained in San Francisco Secrets, Amelia becomes my wife. I’m the luckiest guy in the world.

I truly love Amelia with all of my heart. I’m so proud of her on so many levels. When I walk into a restaurant or public place with Amelia, all of the men in the place stop and admiringly look her over. She has blonde hair and big blue eyes. She is often told how much she reminds people of Grace Kelly. I agree.

Amelia has a way of looking at me with those big beautiful eyes that penetrate my soul. Amelia and I are completely in sync in our points of view and life goals. I didn’t think it was possible to find someone like Amelia.

But there’s one more thing about Amelia that I need to tell you. It is both something that I admire about her but also an attribute that causes me anguish.

Amelia is passionate about everything she does—whether it’s flying or solving a puzzling case we’re working on. Fortunately, she’s also passionate about me.

She is relentless in pursuing what she thinks is right. This manifests itself in a total lack of fear when plunging herself into dangerous situations.

I’m very protective of my sweet, innocent Amelia, but it’s hard to keep her safe sometimes. I had a friend who said, “Your Amelia is not afraid of anything.” My reply was, “I know, that’s what scares me.”