Categorized In

“A Hand for the Head”

Murphy, Cullen | The Atlantic Monthly, April, 2000

 

pp. 56 - 58

”’Our aim is total peace of mind for you and your family.’ That is the motto of the Alibi Agency, a start-up company . . . whose purpose is to provide an insulating layer of verisimilitude between philanderers and their spouses. Based in Blackpool, England, the Alibi Agency establishes a plausible paper trail. It will furnish ticket stubs for the theatre performance you were supposed to be attending. It will print up dummy invitations to the social and business events that kept you away from home. It will hire official-sounding receptionists who will intercept phone calls to the putative locale of your out-of-town conference or golf game. ‘We can discuss individual requirements,’ the Alibi Agency’s literature says, ‘and tailor-make an alibi to your specifications.’”