June Kirkpatrick isn’t the kind of private eye seen on detective shows. She owns a gun, but doesn’t carry it. She’s been shot at a couple of times, but the St. Helena resident’s most frequent challenge is convincing a reluctant witness to give an interview.

Kirkpatrick, who generally works under her former name June Waugh, is a sometime independent contractor for the state attorney general’s office, investigating civil lawsuits filed against state agencies.

She moved to Vineyard Valley, a senior community, four years ago, and although she’s now in her 60s and semi-retired, she still works cases — including three right now.

Kirkpatrick investigates lawsuits against the California Highway Patrol, the state Department of Corrections and others. Her cases range from claims that patrolmen used excessive force to suits filed by former employees alleging wrongful termination, sexual harassment or discrimination.

“My job is to locate witnesses, interview them, research public records and prepare a very comprehensive report,” she said.

It might surprise readers of hard-boiled detective fiction that Kirkpatrick considers her gender, age and mild demeanor her main assets.

“This is one of the few professions where being an older woman is definitely to your advantage,” she said. “People tend to trust you. Most people have never even met a private investigator, and they think they’re going to be grilled or beaten up or something. I just laugh and say, ‘Yes, I have a .357 in my apron pocket, but I’ve also got milk and cookies.’”

Many of her cases involve inmates and their guards. Interviewing prisoners in facilities all over the state might seem like a tall order for a pleasant woman who stands all of 5-foot-4, but Kirkpatrick doesn’t let it faze her. Whenever she has to enter the cell blocks to take pictures and measurements, such as when she’s investigating an inmate’s suicide, she’s dressed in full body armor.

If an interview starts to go downhill, Kirkpatrick can’t rely on physical superiority, so she takes control with her verbal skills.

“Your brain is absolutely your best defense — what you say and how you say it,” she said. “If you’re looking at somebody and they’re contemplating doing something to you, you look at them and say, ‘Don’t even think about it.’ That makes them stop.”

Aspiring private investigators should know more than how to tail a shady subject without being made. Kirkpatrick said a successful P.I. needs excellent written and spoken communication skills, the ability to get along with people from every socioeconomic group and, like every entrepreneur, a good understanding of the mundane day-to-day tasks of running a business.

But things can still get colorful for real-life private investigators. When Kirkpatrick was investigating welfare fraud, she said she was “shot at twice, chased by a nude man, confronted by a boa constrictor — you name it. But what I do now is pretty safe.”

Kirkpatrick said one of the most important skills in her line of work, and her favorite part of the job, is interviewing. Some of her major cases require more than 100 interviews. She’s even taught Department of Justice attorneys how to conduct an effective interview.

“The way you do it, mainly, is through your nonverbal communication,” she said. “I can absolutely control an interview and never say a word. One of the greatest tools you can use is silence.”

During her interviews, Kirkpatrick must be prepared to report to her clients whether a subject would make a good witness in court. Naturally, they have to be honest. They also have to keep their cool under a tough cross-examination.

Not all Kirkpatrick’s work is commissioned by the state. As a private investigator, she has access to information brokers and is adept at scouring public records, so she occasionally takes on private cases — but only after confirming that her prospective client has the best intentions.

A person wants to round up their spouse’s childhood friend for a surprise party? OK. Someone wants to locate an old flame? That depends on the circumstances. Someone’s looking for another person’s confidential tax information? No way.

Even when she successfully finds a person, she doesn’t immediately report the discovery to her client. First, she tells the person she’s found who she is, who hired her, and why. Then she lets them decide whether they want to contact her client. If they don’t, her client is out of luck.

“As a private investigator, you’re a businessperson who happens to have a license to ask questions and solve puzzles,” said Kirkpatrick. “I love the work because every day is different. I never know where I’m going to be, what I’m going to be doing, or who I’m going to be talking with. That’s what I like — the variety of it.”