In the Wind

The Disappearance of Janice Starr

In 1981, detective Kay Schucker was the lead investigator in the high-profile missing persons case of Old Dominion University student Janice Starr. The beautiful co-ed disappeared without a trace from ODU's Norfolk, Virginia campus. Among the only leads was Janice's diary, which included detailed journal entries about her daily activities. As Kay studied the diary—going several years back—she learned that Janice, a US Army veteran, had faced the same challenges in the military that Kay did in law enforcement. They were both women trying to succeed in a man's world. Feeling a kinship toward Janice, Kay became consumed with unraveling the mystery of Janice's disappearance and possible death.

As the investigation unfolded, Kay began to suspect that Janice had an affair with her ROTC professor at ODU, Army captain Dwight Beddingfield—a well-respected family man married with three kids. Kay was warned by superiors to tread lightly in her investigation of Beddingfield and cautioned not to dig too deeply. But she soon uncovered a life insurance scheme and discovered that Janice had been assigned a series of dangerous tasks by Captain Beddingfield. Did these circumstances play a role in Janice's demise? Was the highly regarded Beddingfield actually a killer? If so, what did he do with Janice's remains?

©2024 Ron Peterson, Jr. (P)2024 Tantor

Great story

It is an interesting and well told story. Performance was not great initially, but once I got used to the voice it was fine.

Truth wilder than fiction

This happened in my hometown shortly before I was born. As a true crime obsessive, I can’t believe I’d never heard of the case. Very well told with a strong female protagonists. Much enjoyed!