P.I.

TEC

Shorthand for someone who might tail a suspect or crack a case for hire.

"P.I." is short for "private investigator," a common term for a detective. In crosswords, it’s often clued this way to lead to the abbreviated slang "TEC," which is a casual or old-school way to say "detective." The clue plays on the well-known initialism while expecting the solver to think of the shorter, informal version. It’s a straightforward abbreviation swap with a hint of detective fiction lingo.