11.10.10
More
The pieces and facts I have gathered thus far:
- My parents were killed in a car accident when I was eighteen. Though labeled as a tragic misfortune, I believed it to be murder.
- My memory prior to the accident was permanently erased.
- The police claimed they knew the other driver was Troy Hampton and arrested him.
- Hampton's vehicle didn't match the paint scratches on my parents' car, nor did the evidence, in my opinion, hold up, along with the fact that Hampton never confessed.
- Hampton was released from prison several years later.
- My own investigating revealed to me it must have been a pickup hauling lumber that hit our car - though the police never agreed.
- After joining the police force I began my avid quest for the truth.
- Searching, I discovered the name Truman Barker - the vehicle and timeframe seemed to add up. I believed he was the culprit. After more research and a false arrest, I learned he was not the murderer.
- Next was Roy Peterson, a rival coworker of my father's. After pursuing him, I found he was innocent.
- Further investigation led to crossed wires, hidden files and closed mouths. No one would talk about my parents or what business my father was really in. I feared dirty dealings, encouraging me to continue my search for justice.
- Clark Rierson had made written threats to my father. I tracked him down and cornered him, only to discover he was out of state at the time of the accident, with a solid alibi.
- Each time I dug deeper, I faced more dead ends. My father was supposedly a clerk for the local mill while teaching driver's ed. on the side. But was it more? No one wanted to give me answers. Not even my family. Friends and relatives were never to be found. And those that were, denied me truthful answers.
- I discovered Bob Michaels, a thug loosely connected to the Agency. Upon arresting him, an alibi for the time of the accident was revealed.
- Next was Neil Smith, Byron Thompson and Les Welds. Each time I thought I had proof, and each time I was disproved and forced back to square one.
- I pinpointed a new name: Mason Parks. He worked with my father, or so it seemed. Evidence piled up and I thought I'd found the right man this time. Then I discovered he had died of natural causes four years ago. I also discovered he hadn't been the right man after all.
- A new name came up: Rex Herschen. A gunman, I discovered he could be connected to the case and could have information for me. But that trail only led me into trouble.
- With some help, I finally found the red pickup truck I believed to have been the other vehicle in the accident. Abandoned in a junkyard for years, I began to trace ownership.
- A new nightmare interrupted my investigation, convincing me that an argument with my father had been the cause of the accident - not murderous intent.
And then...?
I never added to this string of puzzle pieces after I recognized that it was I who had caused the car accident, not some evil plot to kill them. After I wanted to end it all. After I recovered and began to live again. No... it seemed pointless to go on here. All of the piece I had gathered really didn't fit one to another and it was time I admitted the truth - the puzzle would never be whole because it was I. It has been a long time since revisiting these thoughts and feelings. The passion with which I drove myself into the case of a ghost... was I so blind?
My dreams have returned with merciless fury. And so has the vision of that second vehicle. And so have my doubts.
3.19.09
Not Fair
The nightmare came back last night. Now it feels like I'm missing something. It's hard to describe. But it's almost like the dream has been skewed by imagination, not just fact. Was it really a pickup that struck our car? All the lights and smoke... was that real? Why can't I remember anything prior? It doesn't seem fair.
1.10.09
I Will
You'd think by now I'd be used to the opportunities slipping through my fingers. Sting is still there though. I had a name. And the name was mentioned in Mexico. But when my source got there, it was too late. I'm not giving up though. I will find him. I will find the man that destroyed my world.
8.17.08
Anniversary
Found a picture of my grandma today. I didn't know I had it with me. Yesterday was the ten-year anniversary of her death. Having only known her for two years, I feel swindled out of more time. Granddaddy didn't last long after she was gone either. Maybe it was for the best. At least they weren't that long without each other. Perhaps it was all in the plan for me to be alone. Without the accident, I wouldn't be where I am today.
2.5.08
Missing Piece?
Had a nightmare last night. It’s a reoccurring one. Comes back a couple times a year.
In the dream, I’m in the car accident. I know it’s the one because the two other people in the car are my parents - at least that's what it feels like. I never see their faces. Out of nowhere, a red pickup comes flying at us. I hear my mother scream. Then it's as if I'm looking at the scene from the sidelines. There's a lot of smoke, emergency lights and shouting. Fear is what keeps me watching. Then everything goes black.
Funny thing is - the police never knew what kind of vehicle the other guy was driving. That was one reason they couldn't trace him. Was it a red, Ford pickup? I wonder.
12.16.07
New Photo
Got an email from Ted Dover today... I guess I knew him in high school. Least that's what they tell me. He's one of the few that stuck around after realizing I didn't remember a thing about being friends with him.
Anyway, he sent me a picture he just found in an old box and scanned so I could see it. Looks like it was me and my parents on some sort of fishing trip. I look like I'm about ten years old. Got a dog with us...I wonder if we were pals.
I don't recognize the scenery. My granddaddy told me once that my family would go up to Canada every once in a while for vacation. I bet that's where this was.
Another piece in the puzzle. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll ever see the completed scene.
10.15.07
My Past
Imagine waking up in a hospital bed and not having a clue where you are or even who you are. That was me at eighteen years old. Finding out my parents had both died in the crash didn't bring tears - I couldn't remember them. People felt sorry for me because I couldn't remember anything about my past or my family. But to me it was simply something I never knew.
It was my grandparents that took me in until I was steady enough to get out on my own. After a few surgeries, pins in my shoulder and leg and a nice metal plate in my head, I suppose I was grateful for being alive. Though being alive wasn't all it was cracked up to be without knowing who I was.
I guess my aunt and uncle didn't care much for me. They pretty much cleaned out the house. Took a bunch of stuff. I wound up with a few pictures, but nothing that gave me much to go on about my past. My grandparents told me stories, but it bothered them to talk about it since my parents were gone, so I finally stopped asking them questions.
A few friends stuck around - only those who were ambitious enough to start a new friendship with me, because the old one was gone. After a while though, the number got down to about two.
The culprit for the accident was never found. He'd been arrested for armed robbery, but somehow escaped jail. Though the police knew who it was, the escapee disappeared. Later, the case was closed.
I guess the unsolved mystery lit an ambition for law. The police force was a new start in life. I worked my way up until I got a proposition from TJY and my motivation shifted. Since then, that's where I've been.
