"Prologue (otherwise known as The Fool)"
It's another cold day here in Philadelphia, and I can't help but wonder where I patch of snow is ruined by the blood of a corpse. Before you judge me and call me morbid, please know that I am a detective. My name is Lillian Rush and I work for the Cold Case unit. Oh, about that Lillian thing? Disregard that, because I hate that name. Call me Lilly instead.
As I said earlier, I work for the Cold Case unit. My job is to solve the murders that have gone cold, or if you prefer, unsolved. I have to admit that this job is harrowing at times. Some of these cases can really mess with your mind, but I don't tell anybody that. They know that I hate the rain, and I hate forests, but I don't want to discuss that.
When I'm on a case I like to keep the pictures of the victims next to me. Some call this morbid, and one guy called it sleeping with the dead. I don't see it that way though. Sometimes I feel their presence around me, and it makes me pursue further to solve their case. At the end though when the case is set right I always feel a great sense of relief, and that's the greatest reward of this job.
Lately, I can't help but wonder if this is all truly worth it. Sometimes I feel like a dead person myself.