They expose fraud, catch cheating spouses, and track down missing assets — but they don’t come cheap. Zachary Crockett takes the case.

• SOURCES:
  • Ashley Wardlow, chief operating officer at Nathans Investigations, owner of Wardlow Consulting.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Eugène-François Vidocq and the Birth of the Detective," by Daisy Sainsbury (The Public Domain Review, 2024).
  • "The Pinkerton Story - Chapter 1," (The Pinkerton Foundation, 2017).
  • "Expectation of Privacy," (Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute).
  • "Evidence & Private Investigators," (Dugas Law Firm).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Private Investigation Equipment (Detective Store)."

There are now nearly 12,000 satellites orbiting Earth. What does it cost to put them there, and how do they make money? Zachary Crockett launches an investigation.

• SOURCES:
  • Tim Farrar, president of TMF Associates.
  • Rachel Jewett, managing editor of Via Satellite.

• RESOURCES:
  • "How geostationary small satellites are providing strategic access to space," by Steve Collar (World Economic Forum, 2025).
  • "State of the Satellite Industry Report," (Satellite Industry Association, 2025).
  • "Elon Musk Dominates Space Launch. Rivals Are Calling Foul." by Eric Lipton (New York Times, 2024).
  • "Kessler Syndrome and the space debris problem," by Mike Wall (Space, 2022).
  • "BlackRock Says Satellite Images Can Help Track Chinese Companies," by Lisa Pham (Bloomberg, 2017).

How does a museum place a value on a priceless work of art? And how much does it cost to keep it safe? Zachary Crockett appraises the situation.

• SOURCES:
  • Glenn Lowry, director of the Museum of Modern Art.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Why Climate Activists Are Still Throwing Food and Paint at Famous Artworks," by Tala Ansari (Wall Street Journal, 2023).
  • "The Woman Who Made van Gogh," by Russell Shorto (New York Times, 2021).
  • "The Lillie P. Bliss collection," (MoMA Collection, 1934).
  • "May Belfort," by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (Cleveland Museum of Art, 1895).
  • "Still Life with a Bottle," by Paul Cézanne (Pola Museum, 1890).
  • "The Starry Night," by Vincent Van Gogh (MoMA Collection, 1889).
  • "Portrait of Victor Chocquet Seated," by Paul Cézanne (1877).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Hotel Art," by The Economics of Everyday Things (2025).
  • "The Hidden Side of the Art Market," by Freakonomics Radio (2021).