Prologue: The Poster Girl Case
Hey there, stranger,
Been a while, I know. God, it's been years since I pulled out my old journals. A real nostalgia trip. I've been meaning to get this down much sooner, but I've been very busy. Not much changes, huh? Always something… but this is important. There's one chapter of my life that has gone criminally unwritten (yes, a pathetic excuse for a police related joke – insert groan here). I can still remember it like yesterday, though. It's something I'll never forget for so many reasons.
In all my years as a detective, one case in particular always sticks out in my mind. It might seem strange to some – particularly to those who know my investigation history – but they only know part of the story. Even I didn't know the full truth by the end of it, so much left wrapped in mystery. Still don't to this day. The one case I could never solve. I guess every detective has one. All I know is that it changed my life forever. That might seem melodramatic, but it's true. Every word.
It all started when I was twenty-six. No, maybe that's not quite right. It started before then but only came to full fruition at that time. It had been building up for around three years, not long after I made it as a detective. One of my very first cases set me down this path. I lost so much along the way, but later gained something much more precious. Something I didn't even know I needed until it hit me like a gut punch, which by the way ain't pleasant – I know from experience. But we'll get to all that eventually.
I've been asked so many times to retell my story of the most prolific Missing Persons cases in ten years. By my fellow police colleagues, my family, the press… everyone, really. Only one other person in this world knows the full unadulterated truth, well as much as we'll ever get. Like I said, some things go out of their way to stay hidden. In fact, this person was at the center of it all, just as much as me. All because of one missing woman.
I can never quite tell if fate or destiny have anything to do with it. Maybe, maybe not. Anyway, let's not get ahead of myself. If I'm going to do this, I'll do it right. We'll start from the beginning and work forward, then back a bit and continue that way until we get to the end. What? I like to keep some mystery.
Whether anyone other than me will ever read this account, I have no clue. Either way, I need to get everything clear in my head and on paper. This process will be quite therapeutic, I imagine. After what I've been through, I'm gonna need all the help with that I can get. You'll soon see why.
So, here we go. After all the silent evasion, this is my – and that one other person's – version of a case that sent shockwaves through America and beyond. The 'Poster Girl' case…
So, there's a little taster of a new fic I'm working on currently. Not sure how long it'll be yet – at least ten chapters, probably no more than twenty.
Regular updates coming this August, probably around the week starting the 10th (I'm trying to be good with updates, honest). We'll see how writing goes. I've made a good start already, so here's hoping. As always, I look forward to sharing this story with you and I hope that you'll enjoy it :)
See you soon, NYCP (or Olivia, if you prefer).