My First Case: The Detective’s Daughter

I come from a legendary family of detectives. When I uncovered what looked like a criminal conspiracy at my high school, I was certain I’d solved my first major case. I was wrong—but not in the way you’d think.

Chapter One: Legacy

My name is Jessica Harborough, and I belong to a family of legendary detectives.

My father was James Harborough, whose father was Hardy Harborough Jackson Jr., whose mother was Janet Harborough—the first one in our family to hold the badge and wear the uniform. The stories about her are the kind that seem too extraordinary to be true, but every Harborough child grows up knowing them by heart.

The most famous one goes like this: in 1892, Janet Harborough single-handedly defeated an entire family of bandits with nothing but an empty revolver and her wits. She’d run out of bullets during the shootout but refused to surrender. Instead, she bluffed her way through the standoff, convinced the criminals she still had ammunition, and held them at gunpoint until backup arrived. When they finally discovered her gun was empty, the bandits were already in chains.

That story inspired my great-grandfather, then my grandfather, then my father. Each generation adding their own chapters to the Harborough legacy, each one proving that justice runs in our blood as surely as courage does.

And now it was my turn.

I grew up knowing I would follow in their footsteps. While other kids played house or pretended to be astronauts, I solved pretend crimes and studied detective techniques. I read every Sherlock Holmes story. I memorized police procedures. I practiced tailing people without being noticed and observing details others overlooked.

By the time I reached high school, I was ready. I’d been elected head of the Student Welfare Association, a position I took very seriously. My job was to ensure student safety and wellbeing, which I interpreted as keeping the school free from criminal activity.

So when I stumbled upon what appeared to be a major conspiracy, I knew exactly what I had to do.

Chapter Two: The Package

It started on an ordinary Tuesday afternoon.

I was on my way back from the bathroom when I spotted James Heartthrob in the hallway. That wasn’t his real last name, of course—it was just what everyone called him because he was impossibly good-looking and half the school had crushes on him. My best friend Lily Lens was one of them.

What caught my attention wasn’t James himself, but the way he was moving. Furtive. Suspicious. Looking over his shoulder every few seconds as he carried a brown package wrapped in plain paper.

My detective instincts immediately activated.

I pressed myself against the wall and watched as he approached his locker. He checked the hallway again—I held my breath, staying perfectly still—and then quickly placed the package inside. The way he handled it suggested it was important. Valuable, maybe. Or dangerous.

After securing his locker, James walked down the corridor toward the east wing. I followed at a careful distance, using techniques I’d practiced hundreds of times. Stay three to four people back in a crowd. Use corners and doorways as cover. Never make direct eye contact.

He stopped at a quiet corner near the music rooms, pulling out his phone. I slipped into an empty classroom and positioned myself where I could see him through the small window in the door.

He looked around one more time, then made a call.

I cracked the door open just enough to hear.

“I secured the package,” James said quietly. “Everything’s in place.”

There was a pause as the person on the other end responded.

“Good job. We’ll execute our plan tomorrow at noon. If everything goes well, we’ll not only succeed in our goals, but we’ll also have enough money to be comfortable for the rest of our lives.”

My heart was racing. A plan. Money. Goals that required secrecy and a mysterious package. Every alarm bell in my head was ringing.

After ending the call, James reached into his pocket and pulled out something that made my eyes widen—a pair of glasses with a golden frame. But these weren’t ordinary glasses. When he pressed a small button on the side, a holographic display materialized in the air in front of him.

It showed a building. I squinted, trying to make out the details. It looked familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it. James studied the hologram intently, his eyes scanning what appeared to be different angles and entry points of the structure.

After about thirty seconds, he deactivated the hologram, slipped the glasses back into his pocket, and walked away quickly.

I waited until he’d turned the corner before stepping out of my hiding spot, my mind racing. What had I just witnessed? What kind of plan required holographic building schematics and promises of life-changing money?

Whatever it was, it couldn’t be legal.

“Jessica! There you are!”

I jumped, my hand instinctively going to my chest as I spun around.

Lily was standing behind me, her face flushed with excitement, her hands clasped together like she was physically trying to contain her enthusiasm.

“What are you doing lurking around here? Come on, we need to go! The football match is about to start, and James Heartthrob is leading the team!” She grabbed my arm. “I can’t tell you how excited I am to see him play. Did you know he scored three goals in the last game? Three! He’s amazing.”

“Yeah, amazing,” I muttered, my mind still on what I’d just witnessed.

Lily pulled me toward the football field, chattering nonstop about James’s athletic abilities, his smile, his hair, his everything. I barely heard her. My thoughts were consumed with the package, the phone call, the holographic glasses.

What was James Heartthrob really planning?

And how was I going to stop him?

Chapter Three: The Investigation Begins

The football game was torture.

While Lily cheered enthusiastically every time James touched the ball, I sat in the bleachers pretending to watch while actually planning my next move. The package was the key. If I could find out what was inside it, I’d have a better idea of what James was planning.

Getting into his locker wouldn’t be easy, but it wasn’t impossible. I’d noticed him entering the combination earlier—muscle memory from years of observation training meant I’d automatically registered the sequence. My father had taught me that skill when I was twelve.

Halfway through the game, while Lily was on her feet screaming as James scored another goal, I slipped away from the bleachers. The hallways were empty, everyone either at the game or already gone home for the day.

My footsteps echoed as I made my way to James’s locker. My hands were shaking slightly as I entered the combination I’d memorized: 17-34-09. The lock clicked open.

The package was still there, exactly where he’d placed it. I pulled it out carefully, feeling its weight. It was lighter than I expected, and there was something hard and rectangular inside.

I unwrapped it slowly, my heart pounding.

But when I finally got the brown paper off, my stomach sank. The package was empty. Completely empty. Just wrapping paper and nothing else.

Why would James hide an empty package in his locker?

Unless the package itself wasn’t the point. Unless whatever had been inside was already somewhere else, already being used for the plan that would happen tomorrow at noon.

But at least the wrapping paper had information. I pulled out the pen from my pocket and quickly copied down the return address and the sender’s name onto my palm: Jack Trades, 447 Morrison Street.

Just as I finished writing, I heard footsteps approaching from around the corner. I quickly rewrapped the empty package, shoved it back in the locker, and closed it. Then I ran down the corridor and ducked into an empty classroom, pressing myself against the wall next to the door.

Through the small window, I watched as James Heartthrob himself came walking down the hallway. He went straight to his locker, opened it, and pulled something out—his phone.

He walked to the same corner as before and made another call. I strained to hear, barely daring to breathe.

“Hey, listen, we’ll have to postpone our undertaking from tomorrow to the day after. I have a date with Lily Lens—she’s so into me I can’t miss this.”

My blood ran cold. He was planning to use my best friend.

“Our plan is ironclad and will still work no matter which day we carry it out. I’m sorry for this, but she’s really hot.”

I clenched my fists, anger rising in my chest. Not only was James planning something criminal, but now he was involving Lily. Was he using the date as cover? Or worse, was she somehow part of the plan without knowing it?

I couldn’t let that happen.

But to stop him and save my friend, I needed more information. And I couldn’t do this alone anymore—I needed help, even if that help didn’t know what they were really helping with.

Chapter Four: The Phone Calls

That night, I convinced Lily to come over to my house. I told her we were going to make prank calls—something we used to do in middle school when we were bored. She brought her phone book, completely unaware that I was actually conducting an investigation.

We sat at my study table with the landline phone between us. The address I’d copied from the package wrapping was 447 Morrison Street, and the sender’s name was Jack Trades. Now I just needed to find the phone number.

“This is so random,” Lily laughed, flipping through the phone book. “I haven’t made a prank call in years. What are you even going to say?”

“I don’t know, I’ll improvise. Just give me numbers of people named Trades from Morrison Street.”

She read out numbers while I dialed, putting on a deep voice each time someone answered. Most calls led nowhere—confused elderly people, annoyed teenagers, one very angry woman who threatened to report me to the police.

But then, on the seventh call, someone answered and said exactly what I needed to hear.

“Hello?” a male voice answered.

“Hey, is this Jack Trades?” I asked in my fake deep voice.

“Yeah, who’s this? James? What happened to your voice, man? You getting sick or something?”

Bingo.

“No, no, just… uh, some allergies. I’m still good to go. You know, for our… plan.”

There was a pause on the other end.

“Dude, what’s wrong with you? Why are you being weird? Are you sure you’re okay? Or did that girl you’ve been obsessing about finally make you lose your mind?”

“What? No, I just… I wanted to confirm we’re still on for the day after tomorrow.”

“Obviously we’re still on. Why wouldn’t we be? The loan meeting is scheduled, the prototype is ready, everything’s set. Now stop being paranoid and get some rest.”

Loan meeting? Prototype? That didn’t sound like criminal activity.

“Right, right. See you then. Peace out.”

I hung up quickly, my mind racing. I’d been so sure they were planning something illegal, but what if I had it all wrong?

“That was weird,” Lily said, looking at me with raised eyebrows. “Why did you suddenly start talking about plans and prototypes? That’s not a prank, that’s just confusing.”

“That’s the point of a prank—to confuse people. I bet this guy will be thinking about this call all night.”

Lily shrugged and went back to looking through the phone book, but I was barely paying attention anymore. My detective instincts were still screaming that something was wrong, even if I couldn’t quite figure out what.

And now I had another problem: Lily’s date with James was tomorrow, and I still didn’t trust him.

“I still can’t believe James Heartthrob actually asked me out,” Lily sighed dreamily. “Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for this? Since the first day he walked into our school with his backpack and cool jacket. Tomorrow is going to be perfect.”

“Are you sure about this date?” I asked carefully. “I mean, you barely know the guy. Don’t you think you should be more careful?”

Lily’s expression changed immediately, her dreamy smile replaced by a frown.

“What are you talking about? It’s just a date, Jessica. It’s not like I’m marrying him. And for your information, I’ve been observing him for months. I know he’s kind to people, he volunteers at the animal shelter, and he’s on the honor roll. He’s not some random stranger.”

“I’m just saying, be careful. Good-looking guys can be…”

“Can be what? Nice people? Interesting? Worth getting to know?” Lily stood up, her face flushed. “You know what your problem is, Jessica? You’re so obsessed with being a detective that you suspect everyone of everything. Not everything is a mystery that needs solving. Sometimes people are just… people.”

“I’m trying to protect you—”

“I don’t need protecting! And you’re not my mother, so stop acting like it!”

“Don’t talk back to me like that—”

“I’ll talk however I want! You know what? I’m going home. Thanks for the fun prank calls.”

She grabbed her phone book and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

I sat there in the silence of my room, staring at the closed door. Maybe she was right. Maybe I was seeing crimes where there weren’t any. Maybe my family legacy had made me paranoid instead of perceptive.

But then I remembered the secretive package, the hushed phone calls, the holographic building plans.

No. Something was definitely wrong. And whether Lily believed me or not, I was going to protect her.

Chapter Five: The Disguise

The next evening, I found myself standing in the alley behind Marco’s Italian Restaurant, wearing a stolen waitress uniform and questioning every decision that had led me to this moment.

Lily and James were supposed to meet here at seven o’clock. I’d arrived an hour early, slipped in through the back entrance, and found a storage room filled with extra uniforms. It took me three tries to find one that fit reasonably well.

Looking at myself in the small, grimy mirror in the storage room, I barely recognized my reflection. I’d pulled my hair back into a tight bun and put on more makeup than I usually wore, hoping it would be enough to keep Lily and James from recognizing me.

My plan was simple: get close enough to observe their date, listen to their conversation, and find out what James was really up to. If he mentioned anything about the “plan” or tried to involve Lily in something suspicious, I’d be there to intervene.

I took a deep breath, grabbed a notepad and pen from the storage room, and walked out into the restaurant like I belonged there.

The dining area was already half-full with customers. I scanned the room and spotted James and Lily at a corner table near the window—a romantic spot with soft lighting and a view of the street. Perfect for a first date. Also perfect for having a private conversation that I needed to overhear.

I was making my way toward their table when a hand shot up from a nearby booth.

“Excuse me! Miss! We’ve been waiting for someone to take our order for fifteen minutes!”

I turned to find a family of four staring at me expectantly—two parents and two children who looked about eight and ten years old.

“Oh, um, sure. I’ll send someone right over—”

“You’re standing right here,” the father said. “Can’t you just take our order?”

I glanced desperately toward Lily and James’s table. They were looking at menus, not talking yet. I still had time.

“Right, of course. What can I get you?”

“Can you tell us what the specials are today?” the mother asked.

My mind went blank. I had no idea what the specials were. I didn’t even know what this restaurant normally served beyond the “Italian” part.

“Um, I have short-term memory loss, so I can’t really remember the specials right now. Maybe just order from the menu?”

The parents exchanged a confused look.

“How are you even a waitress if you can’t remember the specials?” the father asked.

“It’s a recent… condition. Very tragic. Now, have you decided what you want?”

“Fine. The side salad—is it good?”

“It’s amazing. Great choice.”

“What’s it served with?”

“Served with? It’s served on the side of your plate, obviously. Anything else?”

The mother’s eyes narrowed. “Are you being sarcastic with us?”

“No, ma’am. Just trying to be helpful. Now if you’ll excuse me—”

“We haven’t finished ordering! And I want a different waitress. You’re being rude.”

I was about to respond when I felt a tug on my skirt. I looked down to find the youngest child, a boy of about eight, staring up at me.

“Can I have chocolate cake?”

“Not now, kid. Let go of my skirt.”

“But I’m hungry!”

“I said not now!” I pulled my skirt away from his sticky fingers, maybe a bit too forcefully.

The kid immediately dropped to the floor and started wailing at the top of his lungs.

“She pushed me! The waitress pushed me!”

“I did not push you, you little liar—”

But it was too late. Every head in the restaurant turned toward us. The mother was already on her feet, calling for the manager. The father was recording everything on his phone. And the kid was rolling on the floor like I’d attacked him with a weapon.

Within seconds, the manager appeared—a stern-looking man in his fifties with a perfectly groomed mustache.

“What is going on here?”

“This waitress assaulted my son!” the mother shrieked.

“I barely touched him—”

“You’re fired,” the manager said flatly. “Get out. Now.”

“But I don’t even actually work here—”

“OUT!”

Two security guards appeared and literally escorted me toward the door. I caught a glimpse of Lily and James standing up from their table, looking confused. And then I was outside on the sidewalk, still wearing the stupid waitress uniform, my mission completely failed.

A moment later, Lily and James came outside.

“Jessica? What the hell just happened in there? Why are you dressed as a waitress?”

My mind raced, trying to come up with a plausible explanation.

“I work here. Or I did. I just got fired on my first day.”

James’s expression softened. “Oh man, that’s rough. Since when do you work at a restaurant?”

“Since today, obviously. I needed the money.”

To my surprise, James reached into his wallet and pulled out a hundred-dollar bill.

“Here. Take this. I know it doesn’t make up for losing your job, but maybe it’ll help a little.”

I stared at the money in shock. A hundred dollars was a lot to just give to someone, especially someone you barely knew. The gesture seemed genuinely kind, which didn’t fit with my theory that he was a criminal mastermind.

“You must have a lot of money if you can just hand out hundred-dollar bills. I guess you’ll be even richer soon when your trades go well.”

The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them—a fishing attempt to get him to reveal something about his plans.

James looked confused. “What are you talking about? What trades?”

“You know, your… trades. Jack of all trades? Master of none?”

His eyes widened. “Wait, do you know Jack Trades? Are you friends with him or something?”

Damn. I’d said too much.

“No! I don’t know anyone named Jack Trades. I just remembered I have a movie to catch. See you later, Lily!”

I ran off down the street before either of them could ask more questions, my cheeks burning with embarrassment.

That had been a disaster. Not only had I failed to gather any useful information, but I’d nearly blown my cover and revealed that I’d been investigating James.

I was walking aimlessly, still wearing the waitress uniform, when I passed by a large building and stopped dead in my tracks.

Texas State Bank.

The building from the hologram. I’d walked past it hundreds of times but never really noticed it. But now, seeing it in person, I recognized the distinctive architecture, the wide steps leading to the entrance, the row of columns along the front.

This was the building James had been studying so intently.

And suddenly, everything clicked into place.

The secret package. The phone calls about money and plans. The holographic building schematics. Jack Trades as an accomplice.

James Heartthrob was planning to rob Texas State Bank.

Chapter Six: The Hero

The next day, I was at Texas State Bank at 11:55 AM, five minutes before James’s plan was supposed to go down.

I’d barely slept the night before, my mind racing through possibilities. Should I call the police? But what would I tell them? That I suspected someone of planning a bank robbery based on overheard phone calls and holographic glasses? They’d laugh me out of the station.

No, I needed to catch him in the act. I needed proof.

I positioned myself near the entrance, pretending to fill out a deposit slip while actually scanning the lobby for any sign of James or Jack Trades. The bank was moderately busy—about a dozen customers conducting various transactions, two security guards stationed near the entrance, and several tellers behind their windows.

At exactly noon, James Heartthrob walked through the doors.

He was dressed nicely—button-down shirt, slacks, his hair neatly combed. He looked like any other customer, which was probably the point. Behind him was a man I assumed was Jack Trades, similarly dressed, carrying a briefcase.

They approached the customer service desk where a bank manager sat. I moved closer, pretending to look at informational brochures while actually listening to their conversation.

“Good afternoon,” James said politely. “We have a noon appointment with Mr. Henderson regarding a business loan.”

A business loan? That was their cover story?

The manager checked his computer and nodded. “Ah yes, Mr. Heartthrob and Mr. Trades. Please, have a seat. Mr. Henderson will be with you shortly.”

They sat down at the desk, and Jack opened the briefcase. I crept closer, trying to see what was inside without being obvious about it.

That’s when I saw it—James reaching into his jacket pocket.

Everything happened in slow motion. In my mind, I saw him pulling out a weapon, threatening the bank manager, demanding money while Jack held customers at gunpoint. I saw the whole robbery playing out, saw innocent people getting hurt, saw my best friend’s crush revealed as a criminal.

I couldn’t let it happen.

I launched myself across the lobby and tackled James to the ground before he could pull whatever weapon he was reaching for. We hit the floor hard, his chair clattering sideways, papers scattering everywhere.

“Freeze! Don’t move!” I shouted, pinning him down. “Everyone get down! This is a robbery!”

Chaos erupted around us. Customers screamed. The bank manager jumped back from his desk. And that’s when I saw him—a man in a ski mask near the teller windows, pulling a gun from his jacket.

A real gun. A real robber.

But I was on top of James, not the actual criminal.

The masked man started shouting at the tellers to empty their drawers. One of the security guards reached for his weapon, but the robber fired a warning shot into the ceiling. More screaming. People diving under desks.

And I was still on top of James Heartthrob, who was looking at me with an expression of complete bewilderment.

My detective training kicked in. I rolled off James, assessed the situation, and made a split-second decision. The real robber was focused on the tellers, his back partially turned to me. The security guards were frozen, afraid to make a move while he had his gun drawn.

But he hadn’t seen me yet. I was just another customer to him.

I moved quickly and quietly, using the desk as cover. When I was close enough, I grabbed the closest thing I could find—a heavy three-hole punch—and threw it at the back of his head.

It connected with a satisfying thunk, and the robber stumbled forward. His gun went skittering across the tile floor. I threw myself at him, knocking him fully to the ground, and used my belt to tie his hands behind his back before he could recover.

The whole thing took maybe ten seconds.

One of the security guards finally snapped out of his shock and rushed over to help secure the robber. The other one was already on the phone with the police.

I stood up, breathing hard, and turned around to find everyone in the bank staring at me.

James Heartthrob was still on the floor where I’d tackled him, his mouth hanging open. Jack Trades looked equally stunned. The bank manager had his hand over his heart.

“Did… did you just stop a bank robbery?” James finally asked.

I looked down at the secured robber, then back at James, and suddenly felt incredibly stupid.

“I thought you were robbing the bank,” I admitted quietly.

“What? Why would you think that?”

“I saw you with the package. I heard your phone calls about money and plans. I saw the holographic building plans. I thought—”

Understanding dawned on James’s face. “You’ve been following me. Jessica, we’re here to ask for a business loan for our invention. The hologram was our prototype—a demonstration of what we’re trying to get funding for.”

“Oh.”

“The ‘package’ was components for building the prototype. The ‘plan’ was our business plan. The money we talked about was potential profit from the product if it succeeds.”

“Oh.”

Jack Trades started laughing. “You thought we were bank robbers? That’s actually hilarious. And also you just saved this entire bank while thinking we were the criminals. That’s some top-tier detective work.”

The police arrived within minutes. They took the real robber into custody, took statements from everyone present, and then turned to me.

“Young lady, what you did was incredibly brave. And stupid. Mostly stupid. But also brave.” The officer in charge shook his head in amazement. “Civilians shouldn’t engage with armed criminals, but given that you stopped a robbery and no one got hurt, I think we can overlook the protocol violation this time.”

He handed me a commendation certificate right there in the bank, and someone took a photo of me shaking hands with the police chief.

The next day, my picture was in the local newspaper with the headline: “STUDENT DETECTIVE SOLVES HER FIRST CASE.”

It wasn’t exactly accurate—I hadn’t actually solved anything, just accidentally stumbled into stopping a crime while investigating the wrong person. But I let them have their headline.

Chapter Seven: The Apology

The following Monday, I found James at his locker after school.

He looked up as I approached, a mixture of amusement and wariness on his face. I couldn’t blame him—the last time we’d interacted, I’d tackled him to the ground in a bank.

“Hey,” I said awkwardly. “Can we talk?”

“Sure. Are you going to accuse me of any other crimes, or is this conversation going to be relatively normal?”

I deserved that.

“I wanted to apologize. For everything. For following you, for suspecting you of planning a crime, for ruining your date with Lily, for tackling you in the bank. I know I was way out of line.”

James closed his locker and leaned against it, considering me. “You have a wild imagination and you’re incredibly nosy. But tackling a guy with a gun? That was genuinely brave. Stupid, but brave.”

“Everyone keeps saying that.”

“Because it’s true.” He smiled, and some of the tension in my shoulders released. “Look, I get it. You come from a family of detectives, you take your responsibilities seriously, and you were trying to protect Lily. Your methods were questionable, but your heart was in the right place.”

“So… we’re good?”

“We’re good.” He paused. “Actually, Jack and I got the loan. Our prototype impressed the bank so much—especially after the whole robbery incident made us local news—that they agreed to fund our startup.”

“That’s amazing! Congratulations.”

“Thanks. And hey, if you ever need someone to test out your detective skills on, maybe ask first instead of launching a full investigation?”

I laughed. “Deal.”

As I walked away, I felt lighter than I had in days. I’d made mistakes—big ones—but I’d also stopped a real crime and learned some valuable lessons about jumping to conclusions.

Lily forgave me too, eventually, though she did make me promise to never interfere with her love life again. Her date with James had been cut short by my disastrous waitress incident, and they’d decided to just be friends instead of pursuing a romantic relationship.

“It’s fine,” she assured me. “We didn’t really have that much chemistry anyway. Plus, he’s super focused on his business now. And I might have a crush on someone else.”

“Please tell me you’re not going to make me investigate this one too.”

“Absolutely not. You’re banned from my romantic life forever.”

Epilogue: Years Later

I graduated high school with honors and went on to study criminal justice at the state university. Lily went to art school and became a successful graphic designer. And James? His holographic technology startup became a massive success. He and Jack are now millionaires, just like they’d planned.

After college, I joined the police academy and became a detective, officially joining the family legacy. I’ve worked on dozens of cases over the years—some successful, some not, all of them teaching me something new about the job and about myself.

But here’s the twist nobody saw coming: James Heartthrob and I started dating in our mid-twenties.

It happened at a college reunion. We got to talking, laughed about the bank incident, and realized we actually had a lot in common. He’d always been fascinated by my detective work, and I was impressed by how he’d built his business from the ground up. We started meeting for coffee, then dinner, then… well, you know how these things go.

Three years later, we got married.

Lily was our maid of honor, naturally. She gave a speech at the wedding about how she’d had a crush on James first, but Jessica had literally tackled him before she could make a move. Everyone laughed. James blushed. I threw a dinner roll at her.

And yes, some things went wrong at the wedding—the cake collapsed, the photographer got food poisoning, and I may have briefly suspected the caterer of attempting to sabotage my big day. But it turns out sometimes things just go wrong without it being a conspiracy.

Lily still brings that up whenever I start getting suspicious about something.

“Remember your wedding, Jessica? Not everything is a crime. Sometimes cakes just fall over.”

She’s right, of course. But old habits die hard. I’m still a detective at heart, still seeing patterns and possibilities everywhere I look. The difference now is that I’ve learned to verify my theories before tackling anyone to the ground.

Well, most of the time.

James says he fell in love with me the day I apologized at his locker, when I was honest about my mistakes and brave enough to admit I’d been wrong. I say I fell in love with him when he handed me that hundred-dollar bill outside the restaurant, showing kindness to someone he barely knew.

Either way, we both agree that our origin story is one for the books: the detective who investigated the wrong person, stopped the right crime, and ended up marrying her prime suspect.

My great-grandmother Janet would have loved it. She always said the best cases were the ones that surprised you.

And this one certainly did.