24th February 1879
My Dearest Diane,
A fresh light dawns upon my latest exploit as to-morrow morn I enter the village of Twin Steeples. It is a rather humble township, eighty-three miles northwest of London, and some two thousand inhabitants residing within its walls, according to the records at Scotland Yard.
I am lodging at an inn approximately ten miles away. Room and supper came to a total of eight pounds. The mutton was exceptional. At daybreak I will take the post coach to my destination. I am unsure as to how much it will cost me but it cannot be more than fifteen.
From what I have read, extensive wooded hills surround the village, populated primarily by the Wych elm. This lends it a supposedly uncanny charm. The prospect of undertaking a case in so peculiar a setting as Twin Steeples I find to be thrilling beyond measure; I anticipate its singular atmosphere should be of much help in stimulating my own methods as I attempt to solve the crime pertaining to one Laura Palmer.
Your friend,
Inspector Dale Cooper
P.S. If the fortune ever befalls you of finding yourself at the Lamplighter Inn, you really must try the mutton.