I wanted not only Traverse City Area but Kalkaska, Leetsville, and Mancelona. One girl was a Lisa Valient. Her mother was Fern Valient of Washington Street, right there in Traverse City. I found Fern Valient, still on Washington Street, and wrote down the address and phone number. It seemed a good thing to simply call her. But this matter felt too delicate. I didn’t have the right, or the necessary power, to go snooping back into the woman’s life. I’d need Dolly with me. Her little gold badge could open doors. A reporter was different from a cop. The cop could scare the heck out of people. A reporter only irritated. But then, I told myself, this might make a good story: girls missing all these years. What happened to them? Where were the investigations? I’d have to call Bill first and make sure he wanted the story. I didn’t want to misrepresent myself, or the paper. It didn’t do to get a reputation for sneakiness up here where stories spread like wildfire and reputations got ruined by stupidity.
What do You think about Dead Floating Lovers (2009)?
