Scenario:1
Create my version of this story
I should have known it was a mistake to come back to Willow Creek.
This small town is full of twists and turns, not just in the streets that curve around the mountain like a snake, but in the secrets the town holds.
And right now, I canāt help but feel like Iām walking into a trap.
But itās too late to turn back now.
Iām already here.
My childhood friend, Alex Johnson, has been accused of kidnapping an author who disappeared from the library where Alexās cousin works.
If I donāt find this author and clear Alexās name, someone else will be arrested for a crime they didnāt commit.
And the real kidnapper will get away with it.
A shiver runs down my spine as I step out of my car, but it has nothing to do with the autumn chill in the air.
Willow Creek is a small town nestled in a valley, surrounded by mountains that are so densely packed with trees, you can barely see the houses on the mountainside unless youāre looking for them.
The streets are narrow and winding, and theyāre lined with ancient willow treesāhence the name of the town.
The trees are what make Willow Creek stand out from any other small town.
Not only are they massive, their branches are so thick and lush, they block out the sun and create a natural canopy over the entire town.
Itās beautiful and also eerie at the same time.
But thatās not what makes this town special to me.
Iāve visited Willow Creek many times over the years, and each time, it felt like I was walking into an episode of The Twilight Zone or a world frozen in time.
There are many reasons for that.
Willow Creek was founded in the early 1800s by two brothers who wanted to start a new life away from their abusive father.
It was said that the father tracked them down and killed the brothers in cold blood.
The townspeople found the bodies and hanged him from one of the ancient willow trees that line the streets of Willow Creek.
They say he hung there for days before anyone cut him down.
To this day, no one knows who killed the brothers or their father.
And thatās just one of the many unsolved mysteries in Willow Creek.
As I walk to the library, I canāt help but think about the stories Iāve heard over the years.
Perhaps thatās why Iām so fascinated by unsolved crimes and unexplained phenomenon now that Iām an adult working as a detective for the police department in Kansas City, Missouri.
And right now, Willow Creek is calling out to me in ways it never has before.