The No 2 Pencil

On Friday, June 21st, Detective Simon Farge, chief investigator with the Plainsland Police Department's Missing Persons Division, opened an envelope, addressed in pencil and bearing no return address. The content of the envelope was a short letter, also written in pencil, on three-hole notebook paper. The handwriting appeared to be that of a child, still learning the art of cursive, and of course, unsigned. The note was short and to the point. "Dear Mr. Farge, Look for Sally Morgan in Overland Park in a trailer by the lake." There was no other writing on the paper. Simon placed the letter back in the envelope and opened the drawer of his desk that he had labeled "Crackpots". He glanced at the postmark that read Fort Collins, Colorado and pitched the letter into the drawer, slamming it shut. After all, how could a letter from a kid over a thousand miles away have anything to do with anything at all? By July 6th he'd know the answer to that question, or at least part of the answer. It was perhaps, the biggest mistake of his career⬦