S.O.U.L.O Stories of Untold Life Occurrences

By Darla S.

When Darla took off from Spokane, Washington, she thought she would be traveling around to see her country and to research information about cold cases. But to her surprise, after the first six months of traveling, everything changed, and she began crossing paths with people who told her some very interesting stories about their lives. Her faith was tested more than once, and she felt God guide her into meeting people that she would try and help as well as learn important life lessons from.

She traveled to the west coast, to the desert of Nevada, and also lived among the almond trees in California. She was able to see some pretty cool places that she'd only seen and read about in schoolbooks (that was before the Internet, of course).

There were times when she thought that she had had enough, but she kept on traveling and learned so much about people, traditions, and the country's history. The history of the many places she went to was, to say the least, "eye-opening," and the hard truth about how her white ancestors came to be settled in America took on a whole new unsettling meaning for her. It was an experience that she will never forget, and it made her a stronger woman, a better American, a better listener, and most of all, it made her a better human being.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Newman Springs Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: May 31, 2022
• ISBN: 9781638814917

Book preview

S. O. U. L. O.

Stories of Untold Life Occurrences

Copyright © 2022 Darla S.

All rights reserved

First Edition

NEWMAN SPRINGS PUBLISHING

320 Broad Street

Red Bank, NJ 07701

First originally published by Newman Springs Publishing 2022

ISBN 978-1-63881-490-0 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-63881-491-7 (Digital)

Printed in the United States of America

This book is dedicated to those who have lost their faith, to those that let fear keep them from accomplishing great things, to victims and their family’s seeking closure, to those who think they’re too old, to those who think women are weak, to those who need to learn about our country’s hidden history, and to those who want racism to come to an end.

I hope that you become educated from the cold cases you read about and learn from the stories that were told to me. I hope you understand that you can turn to God for anything, and I hope the history I wrote about leaves you wanting to learn more.

We are only on this earth for a short time, so learning about each other’s traditions and the history of our ancestors is essential in becoming at peace with one’s own self and others. When we choose to be open-minded about others, we gain knowledge, we gain understanding, and we gain respect for each human being’s contribution made while in this world, no matter their race.

Special Thanks

Thanks be to Father God, His Son, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit; for Their protection, guidance, and wisdom.

Special thanks to all of you who told me your stories, and may others learn from them as much as I did.

Many thanks to my sisters, Donelle and Diana, for without your never-ending sisterly love and support, my journey would have a different ending.

Also many thanks to Mark and Adam who without your loyal friendship, kindness, and help, I wouldn’t have completed my trip.

THANKS TO ALL THE TOWNS, CITIES, BUSINESSES, AND WEBSITES

TOWNS & CITIES

Spokane, Washington

Salem, Oregon

Brookings, Oregon

Lincoln City, Oregon

Depot Bay, Oregon

Crescent City, California

Clear Lake, California

Napa Valley, California

San Francisco, California

Santa Cruz California

Aptos, California

Santa Barbara, California

Hollywood, California

Yorba Linda, California

Las Vegas, California

LaGrande, Oregon

Pendleton, Oregon

Priest Lake, Idaho

Sandpoint, Idaho

Harris Beach, Oregon

Beachfront Oregon

Portland, Oregon

The Dalles, Oregon

Pasco, Washington

Ritzville, Washington

Newport, Oregon

Colbert, Washington

Montana

Spokane Valley, Washington

Chewelah, Washington

Seattle, Washington

Boise, Idaho

Wells, Nevada

Alamo, Nevada

Searchlight, Nevada

Cal-Nov-Ari, Nevada

Bullhead City, Arizona

Spirit Mountain. Nevada

Laughlin Nevada

Sacramento, California

Christmas Tree Pass, Nevada

Dishman Hills, Washington

Grand Canyon, Arizona

Williams, Arizona

Cedar City, Utah

Missoula, Montana

Post Falls, Idaho

Newman Lake, Washington

Issaquah, Washington

Redmond, Washington

Shasta, California

Redding, California

Dunnigan, California

Woodland California

Paradise, California

Chico, California

Magalia, California

Bend, Oregon

Chinatown. California

Schweitzer Mountain, Idaho

Weed California

Fairfield, Washington

BUSINESSES

Dodge

Subaru

Nascar

Chinook Winds Casino/Hotel

Three Rivers Casino

Ocean World

Trees of Mystery

Golden Gate Bridge

Islander Motel

Observatory In the Hollywood Hills

Fremont Street

Moose Knuckle

CoHo RV Park

Portside RV Park

Riverside RV Park

Roadside Assistance

Taco Bell

Fred Meyers

Walmart

New American Standard Bible/Nelson 796

Greyhound Bus Station

Train Station/Portland

Ritz Crackers

CDA Casino

Northern Quest Casino

Superfly Restaurant

The Bavarian Pub

Oregon State Hospital

Waitts Lake Resort

Yahtzee

Fi’s Noodle House

Seattle Seahawks

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Immaculate Heart Retreat Center

Angel Lake RV Park

Pickett RV Park

Searchlight Public Library

Kidmore Airport

Chevron

Bounder

Creation Illustrated

Cinnabon

Dustbuster

Q-tips

Route 66

Coca-Cola Café

Safeway

U.S. Post Office

Vietnam Veterans

Kuwait Veterans

Indian Hills RV Park

Fairmount RV Park

Suntree RV Park

Facebook

Messenger

Riverfront Park

Happy Time RV Park

Special Olympics

Life Alert

Peloton

Salem Exhaust & Auto Services

Cache Creek Casino

U-Haul

Alcatraz Prison

Rice-A-Roni

Lombard Street

Wells Fargo

Pilot

Costco

Dollar Store

NASA

Great Clips

Taquerto Mexican Restaurant

Pentecost Church In Salem, Oregon

Relevent Life Church in Salem, Oregon

Little Caesars Pizza

WEBSITES/TV PROGRAMS

Google

www.websleuths.com

A & E Entertainment

MeTv Channel

Public Broadcasting System

www.thewisdomofgrandmothers.com

America Unearthed

Iyanla

KURY Radio Station

The Lord of the Rings

Xena, Princess Warrior

H & I Network

www.npr.org

Reverend Bill Winston

KCR3Tv

The Birds

Home Alone

White Christmas

Hallmark Movies

Oscars/Spike Lee

Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly

Thomas Hargrove—Murder Accountability Project

Contents

A Note from the Author 

1 #-4000-Mile-Road-Trip 

2 #-Into-a-Future-Unknown 

2a Continuation of Chapter 2

3 #-Living-on-the-Oregon-Coast 

4 #-A-Surprise-Extravaganza 

5 #-Oceanside-to-Riverside-to-Lakeside 

6 #-Broken-Heart-Living-Soul 

7 #-A-Desert-Tripleshot 

8 #-Lessons-Learning-Living 

9 #-Goodness-vs-Evilness 

10 #-Hot-N-Dry-to-Fresh-N-Cool 

11 #-Past-Present-Reality 

12 #-California…Here-I-Come 

13 #-Exploring-the-Wild-West 

14 #-Answer-to-Ignorance…Education 

15 #-Listening…Sometimes-Good—Sometimes-Not-so-Much 

16 #-Spiritual-Enlightenment 

17 #-Sad-Endings-and-New-Beginnings 

A Note from the Author

The stories and cold cases that you are about to read are real and true.

The names have been changed in the stories to protect the privacy of those who felt comfortable enough to tell me some of their life stories.

The cold cases are real criminal cases that have been unsolvable over a moderate period of time, and the cold cases in this book are those that were put in my path by God.

Whether you believe that God helps us human beings or not, I do hope that this book will strengthen your faith.

If you never ask anything of Him, then you are believing or not believing without your own personal experience. How can you honestly believe one way or the other without first trying it yourself? I do hope that each of you asks, seeks, and finds your own connection.

I have been touched in my heart to help cold case victim’s families and friends in any way that I can. For me, that is to investigate, research, and write about each case that God puts in front of me.

Each cold case not only produces a victim but has family and friends that are affected to the point of changing the path of their lives. Some are changed for the better, but some are changed just the opposite, and it creates a huge amount of turmoil for them. For those whose lives have been affected in this way, the victim’s death has now created a ripple effect, making each family member or friend who feels this way: another victim (this is my own opinion).

I have had many people look at me like I was crazy, and believe me, it’s not been an easy road to walk down, but God truly has been the One that has guided me to do this with my life.

The three-year journey I took has been, and still is, a testament to not only myself but to the many who have met me, told me their stories, and helped me along the way.

The hope in my heart is that each of you who reads this book will take the time to not judge one another (you don’t know what someone else is going through in their lives), look up and ask for a connection with God (if you have never tried it, how do you really know?), and never give up on what you truly believe in (you could change the world for better for so many!).

Sincerely,

Darla

Chapter

1

#-4000-Mile-Road-Trip

It was 2014, and in one more year, I would be able to retire, I thought to myself. I had worked at this shipping company for twenty-eight years and wanted to be able to retire as soon as I was eligible. I discovered that I would be eligible in July of 2015 and looked forward to that time.

During that last year, I did a lot of thinking about what I wanted to do with my life after leaving a job that had given me a pension.

My name is Darla. I have raised two kids, one boy and one girl who are now adults living their lives with open futures to do whatever they put their minds to. Brendon and Brenda are independent, smart, and work at jobs that they seem to enjoy. I am proud of them and knew that whatever they decided to do for their careers, their employers would be thrilled with their positive attitudes and great work ethic.

I had also been working on cold cases for the past few years (in my spare time) and even went back to school and got my AA degree in criminal justice when I was forty-nine. I was wanting to become a private investigator and had worked with a couple of women on two different cases. We were not certified, but the work we did was excellent, and we felt that we had achieved success in each case that we investigated.

We also gave our information to the local authorities, but after telling them what we had discovered, we never heard from them again.

I even submitted a resume with the county after hearing that they were looking for people to work on cold cases, but again, I never heard from them.

I wanted to continue researching and writing about these cases that had left families without closure in their hearts and lives. I really felt that this was my purpose for the next stage in my life.

One of the two women I worked with had some medical issues that were giving her problems, and the other had different ideas for her life, so we all went our separate ways to fulfill what we each felt we needed to do.

I thought that it would be great to be able to serve a purpose and travel at the same time. I would be able to see different places that I had not traveled to yet.

My thought was that wherever I would go, I would find out if there were cold cases in that town and write about each one that I came across. I would gather the information that I had found in researching these cases and put that information back out into the public to keep their cases ongoing and not forgotten.

I got online to check out just how much it would cost to travel to the different places I would like to see, and after discovering how expensive it would be, I was sure that traveling would not be an option for quite some time.

When the day came to retire, and I had a chance to think about my options, I decided that I would buy a house (I had given my ex-husband our house in exchange for my full pension), and so I looked around for quite some time until I found one that I could afford and that would work for me.

The realtor was very good, and the process went smoothly. The paperwork was in order, and as the day came to finalize everything, I was excited and ready to become the owner.

My realtor contacted me a few hours before I was to sign the papers and told me that he had not received any response from the seller about the repairs that needed to be done. If I signed the papers, which made me the owner, then I would be the one responsible for the six to ten thousand dollars it would take to complete the repairs that needed to be done.

What?

Of course, I did not sign anything and lost that place leaving me very disappointed, a little angry, and a bit wiser than I was before.

Well…all righty then (I love Jim Carrey)! I guess I’m not supposed to buy a house right now!

If I’m not going to buy a house, then I’m going to check again into traveling options.

I started researching tiny houses and talked about possibly buying one of those, but as I discovered more information about them, I was finding that people were having a hard time licensing them.

I decided to start researching travel trailers, and as I gained more knowledge about them, I was liking what I was finding. I looked at several trailers online, and then I started going to RV retailers.

I found two different models that I thought would work, but the big question after looking and finding them was, Where am I going to get a truck to pull one?

I was realizing that if I bought a new truck and trailer—whoa, that would be way too expensive to be able to buy both.

I was looking at my 2005 Subaru Legacy and wondered how much I could get for her. I named her Subi back in 2006 when I got her, and she had been an awesome car all these years. I thought of all the people I knew who owned trucks, and while most of them were men, there was one person that I knew that had bought her truck brand-new and had taken very good care of it throughout the years. I checked all the specs out on the 2002 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab SLT, and not only did it have low miles, but it also had the tow package that was needed to pull a trailer six thousand pounds or less. That would be perfect to pull the trailer that I had found, which was only forty-one hundred pounds.

If I was seriously going to go through with this, I needed to be realistic and ask myself some very hard questions. I also wanted to pray about this because I am a huge believer in God’s help and guidance, and for the past thirteen years, He has not let me down yet. I tell people all the time that if you never ask anything of God, then how is He going to connect to you and you to Him? If you have never asked God for guidance or any help, then I wholeheartedly recommend that you do. He looks at your heart to hear you and see your true soul, and He will let you know that He hears you, but you must have patience and understand that He will answer you in His time, not yours.

I started praying and asked myself a question, Can I handle traveling by myself? Hmmm…I’m a fifty-six-year-old woman. And do I think I can do it? I’m not sure because I’ve traveled short distances by myself but nothing long-term.

I kept praying and asking myself the many questions, and then whether it came from up above or just me, I came up with an idea.

What if I traveled alone for about six weeks to see if I could handle it? My Subi was an awesome traveling car, and I could plan a trip that would last for six weeks and test myself out.

With this plan in mind, I pulled up Google as well as bought paper maps to plan a route that I could take. I did not have a GPS system in my car, nor did I have a smartphone to rely on; however, I did have a tablet that I could use when stopping at the different locations that I would be visiting or staying at that had Wi-Fi.

After talking with Brenda and Brendon (who did not know what to think of their mother gallivanting all over the countryside by herself), prayers asking for protection and guidance, and a lot of planning, I took off in Subi on July 19, 2016, late in the evening and headed for the Oregon coast.

I traveled the interstate and drove most of the night until I reached Lincoln City, Oregon, at two in the morning. I pulled into the parking lot of the Chinook Winds Casino/Hotel and went inside to use the facilities. I freshened up and then went back out to my car and slept until the sun woke me up early the next morning.

It was a beautiful day, and I decided to take a walk along the same beach that I had walked many times with friends of mine during vacations of years past. After I got done walking, I decided to have lunch inside the casino, and when I finished, I took off and headed toward Depot Bay. I loved shopping at the stores that were there, and one of my favorites was the caramel corn/candy shop.

After I finished shopping, I watched the ocean for a bit and then decided it was time to head on down the coast. I had parked in a spot that was difficult to get out of with the crazy traffic, so I ended up taking the street behind the shops and came down at the edge of town where I had to stop for a red light.

While waiting for the light to change, I noticed this white car with two women in it across the street. One of the women was at the trunk, and the other got out of the car and went back to the trunk also. As I watched them, I realized that I thought that I knew who they were. I believe that it was an old ex-friend and her daughter! Maybe it was, but maybe it wasn’t, so I kept on looking as I drove through the streetlight, and it really did look like it was them. How weird was it that we would be in the same place at the same exact time? I did not acknowledge them and looked forward to where the coastline took me next.

I headed down the highway (I know, that song keeps playing in my head too!). It was a beautiful day, and even though there were construction and delays, nothing seemed to dampen my mood. After driving for quite some time, I came to Three Rivers Casino and went inside to have some dinner. When I finished, I played the slots for a while and then decided to go to my car and try and get some sleep. I must say that sleeping in a car isn’t too bad, but it’s not the most comfortable bed you could have either.

I got some bits and pieces of good sleep throughout the night, and when I got up, I took a bag with my essentials in it into the casino bathroom and got changed, refreshed, and cleaned up. I wasn’t that hungry, so I decided to take off and drove down the coast most of the day until I came to the small town of Brookings, Oregon.

The town was small, but the coastline was magnificent because there were several places where you could stop and take pictures of the ocean. It was very nice, and I wanted to see more of this place, so I stayed an extra day so I could see more of the ocean views, and that salty ocean air felt great!

There was also something else that had caught my attention as I drove into town. There was this man along the side of the road just before you entered the city limits, waving at people as they drove by in their cars and trucks. He was an older gentleman with a gray beard, and he was sitting on a motorcycle that had a red, white, and blue flag on the back. As I watched him, he would wave at every single vehicle that went by, and what was so great was that every person would wave back at him and honk their horns with big smiles on their faces. What a wonderful thing to do for people, I thought, and what a blessing he is to this town.

After spending the night, I let my daughter, son, and sister, Danielle, know where I would be going next. It’s very important to keep in touch with family or friends when you travel alone. It gives the people you love that extra assurance that you are okay, and if anything was to happen, then they would be able to retrace your route. I did not have a gun (nor did I think I needed one), but I did have my pepper spray and cell phone.

I left and headed toward the California border, and as I entered the state, there was a checkpoint that you had to stop at to declare any fruit being transported across. I had no idea that this was done, but after telling them that I did not have any fruit, I traveled on toward Crescent City, California.

There was this huge store called Ocean World there, and I decided to stop and check it out. I took the tour they offered for twelve bucks and got to see sharks, eels, and sea otters in their huge aquarium tanks.

The sea otters put on their own little show on the outside of the building in a small pool with seating all the way around it (so cute!).

After the show, they led us to a large shallow indoor pool where there were small ocean crustaceans and a small shark that we could touch. The whole experience was very educational, and we learned that many of the animals had been injured, and they were trying to help them heal and recover.

That is a great way to be able to help those animals, gain funds for their food and care, and educate all of us human beings at the same time. I was thrilled that I had stopped and was able to learn so much.

I was driving out of the parking lot from Ocean World, and as I made my way down the road, I noticed the signs for the Trees of Mystery. I wanted to see those big giant trees called redwoods, so I looked for the place to turn off and followed the road up the mountain.

They were so huge and beautiful, and I took the gondola ride to the top of the mountain where the view was awesome! I had seen some pretty big pine trees in my day, but they don’t even compare to the height and width of these ginormous redwood trees.

I had been looking for the big redwood that you could drive through, but the area had socked in with fog, and that was not going to happen for me today—bummer!

After leaving the redwoods, I headed toward my next destination of Clear Lake, California. The drive was slow and tedious because of all the corners you had to navigate around. The speed limit was twenty-five most of the way, and as I got higher and further up the mountain, the views were breathtaking.

There were vineyards all over the mountainside, and when I arrived at Clear Lake, it was sunny and hot.

It was midafternoon, and I was eyeing the swimming pool because of the heat. I was used to the cooler weather being on the coast for the past few days, and now it was eighty-eight degrees. Man, I’m getting old; the heat never used to bother me, but now in my fifties, my body temperature changes just as much as the outdoor temperature does.

The few days I stayed at Clear Lake, I could see where the climate change had made an impact on the environment. Everything was so dry, and where there was once a small end of the lake, there was nothing but dried-up weeds and mud.

How sad, I thought, and to think that our government thinks that there is no climate change. Has anyone in the government from California or any politician been to any of these places where it is very evident that there is something going on with the environment? Maybe it would better our nation if these politicians and whoever else thinks that there is nothing going on with the climate visit the west coast, Clear Lake here in California, and other places that have experienced and seen drastic changes to their environments over the past few years. Just sayin’.

After leaving Clear Lake, I drove straight into Napa Valley. Wow, it was vineyard after vineyard as I drove along the highway and winery after winery. I don’t know how anyone who likes to drink wine gets very far through this town because every winery had wine tasting going on, and there were so many wineries I lost count.

I passed by several towns on my way to San Francisco and ended up at a brand-new casino. You’ve probably figured out by now that I like to play the slots every once in a while, and after playing for a couple of hours, I decided that I would get some sleep in my car. I had been sleeping for about forty-five minutes when I heard a tap on my window. It was the casino’s security guy, and he asked me what I was doing. I told him that I was from Washington state and had stopped to play for a bit but got tired and thought I would take a little nap. He told me that I was not allowed to sleep in my car there, so I got up and went back into the casino. I stayed at a game where I rested my head in my hand, but after an hour, I decided to go back to my car and drive to a business somewhere in the area where I could park in their lot and sleep. I found one a few blocks away, parked there, and slept for a few hours.

When I woke up, I decided to go get freshened up and get something to eat before heading toward San Francisco. I wanted to video tape going over the Golden Gate Bridge, but I couldn’t get my video camera to stay where I wanted it. I did end up taking two pictures with my phone (that’s a flip phone, and yes, shame on me).

When I started over the bridge, it was sunny and nice, but when I got toward the end of the bridge, it had fogged over, and I wasn’t able to see much from that point on.

I was trying to get to a small town called Aptos, but when I got to Santa Cruz, I wanted to check this great-looking place out a bit more. I was driving toward the beach area and saw a small motel that might have a room that I could afford. I pulled into the Islander Motel and asked the desk clerk how much it would be for a room for the night, and when she said two hundred, I just about choked. I think I’d better leave and try and find a cheaper place to stay, I thought to myself.

The clerk then told me that she did have a half room if I would be interested. I had never heard of a half room before, so she led me upstairs to see it. It was a regular room with a queen bed and everything that a regular room would have, but it was half the size. I took it for a hundred thirty, and after getting my stuff in my room, I found some brochures. They were full of different things you could do in Santa Cruz. I wanted to experience that boardwalk, the carnival on the beach, and anything else that would catch my eye.

I left the motel and went toward the pier and beach area, trying to find a good parking spot. I found one and wasn’t sure it was okay to park there, but with only a block and a half to walk, I didn’t really care at that point. After walking and getting closer to the beach and pier, I was thrilled to see the very long boardwalk. It was great because there were so many activities that you could do (of course, they all cost something), but it was a beautiful day, and I planned on making the most of my time there.

I had lunch on the boardwalk at this small restaurant and watched sailboats, paddleboarders, and other boats as they went by. I finished eating and was enjoying the view when I noticed that there was fog starting to roll in. I took a bunch of selfies and other pictures and then decided it was time to leave and head toward Aptos where I had rented a small studio that was in a private home.

It only took me an hour to reach it as it was only twenty to thirty miles from Santa Cruz. I pulled into the driveway on the left-hand side like the owner wanted me to do and then found the hidden key and let myself in the gate.

It was such a cute place the owners had called it Seascape Studio, and it was filled with older furniture. There was a metal chandelier in the form of lilies and leaves hanging from the ceiling, and the bathroom shower had a swivel round door as well as there being an older cabinet that held linens and towels. The outdoor area had a small couch and patio chairs, and it was decorated with a beach by the sea theme.

I stayed there for three days and got to explore the beach and park areas in that small town.

After leaving Aptos, I headed toward Santa Barbara, and after arriving, I drove around and found a cute place with palm trees and flowers all throughout the landscape. I knew that it was probably expensive, but all the hotels/motels would be here in this town.

I decided to bite the bullet and stayed at this wonderfully flowered and warm little place. I had a huge room with a king-sized bed and a cute little patio that was very private. I figured I would party it up a little and had a couple of drinki-poos and enjoyed the great weather while looking at all the vined flowers along the fence and doorways.

The following day, I left and drove to Hollywood. I thought that I could maybe see some of the famous sites, but there were a lot of bus schedules and changing of the buses from here to there, so not wanting to get lost on them, I didn’t take the bus.

I ended up driving to the observatory that sits in the Hollywood Hills. I never realized that Hollywood was so hilly, and after driving around for a while, I went back to my hotel room and decided to get a good night’s sleep because the following day, I would be heading to Yorba Linda to stay with my cousin whom I had not seen for quite some time.

I left the next day, and I’ve heard stories about the California traffic but had never had to drive in it before.

It was a pretty amazing sight as there were about eight lanes completely filled with traffic, and as I got onto the 405, I was wondering how on earth I was going to get from the side I had entered on to the other side where I needed to be to take the correct exit. As I drove, I realized that this traffic had a certain flow to it. No one was braking to stop. They just kept on going at a slow pace, and I slowly made my way over lane after lane to the exit I needed to get off on. I was pleasantly surprised at how this traffic ran smoother than the four lanes of traffic that I was used to back home.

I headed toward my cousin’s place in Yorba Linda and made it there by early evening.

I hadn’t seen Lily for quite some time, and I appreciated being able to catch up on all the events that had taken place since I last saw her. She had two boys, Shane and Bruce—well, they were young men now, but they were very kind and made me feel right at home.

They had a pool that was very nice, and the patio with the palm trees was very calming, beautiful, and a wonderful outdoor space.

After spending a few days with her and her boys, I headed out on the highway again toward Las Vegas. I was excited to go there because this time, I was going to be staying on Fremont Street which is the old part of Las Vegas.

I arrived at the hotel and was checking in, all the while telling the desk clerk that I had just retired and was treating myself to a few days in Vegas. He was very kind and told me the floor number, and I thanked him as I picked up my bag and headed to the elevator.

I got to the eighth floor, found my room number, and when I walked in, it took my breath away. The desk clerk had given me a suite, a wonderful big beautiful room that was red, black, and white. It had a king-sized bed, a living room, and windows that surrounded the whole side of the room!

What a great room, I thought to myself, and I was very grateful for the clerk downstairs who had set up this room for me.

The view was awesome, and I stood there and looked for a while because there was so much to see out that window. The mountains were on one side, and I could see a little bit down the street out the other side. There were people walking here and there and what looked like a biker bar with motorcycles parked in front, on the street.

I was excited to go walking down Fremont Street to see all of the different types of things that were going on. There were showgirls, a guy dressed up like a baby (diaper included), an Elvis imitator, Spiderman, and playgirls—you know, guys with tight black pants and shirtless with bowties around their necks.

I wandered around looking at everything, and then I saw it. It was a zip line that extended over the top of Fremont Street. I had wanted to zip line for quite a while but had not had the opportunity.

It was getting toward evening, and I was getting ready to head back up to my room but wanted to take some dinner with me. I stopped at a taco place, grabbed some salsa, and headed back up to my room for the evening. I stayed in for the night and got some rest so that I could get up bright and early to do more sightseeing. I was also going to go on that zip line!

I learned that it was supposed to be very hot in the high nineties, so I went shopping for a couple of hours and then decided I would go to the zip line before it got much warmer.

There were quite a few people in line, and after climbing a lot of stairs, I reached the top platform and waited my turn. I talked to a nice couple for a bit, and then, before you knew it, it was our turn to get our gear on and zip on down that line! It was a great thrill as I zoomed over the crowd below, and as I got to the end, I slowed up a bit and then came to a quick stop.

It was a fun time for sure, and I even had my picture taken afterward. The wind in my face felt good, but now I could feel it was getting warmer and warmer, and I needed to get into some air-conditioning to cool off. I went into one of the casinos and played for about half an hour and then left and went back up to my room.

What a great time I had, and I was very grateful to the desk clerk that had set me up in such a wonderful room.

I checked out the next day, left Las Vegas, and headed for Dana’s, my sister’s place in Pendleton, Oregon.

The drive was good, and I stopped in LaGrande, which was about fifty miles from Pendleton, and visited the grave of a friend of mine who had been gone since 1984. There’s a story to tell about his death, and I had written about it several years earlier. It was his death that got me interested and looking into cold cases. There are thousands upon thousands of cold cases throughout the United States, which means that there are thousands upon thousands of people without closure in their hearts and lives. When this takes place, it changes people—some for the better, some for the worse—and it affects the way they proceed living their lives.

I felt my purpose for the next part of my life was to help research and investigate these cases, which could help bring closure to the victims’ families, and I was very serious about making it happen.

I left the cemetery and LaGrande and headed to Pendleton where I met up with my sister, Dana, and nephew, Dirk, for lunch.

I told them all about my trip and how by taking this trip, it had gotten rid of my fear of traveling alone. They were very supportive and were happy that I had made it safely through the past five weeks. I spent the night, and after showering and packing up my things, I got into my car and took off.

I left Pendleton and drove back through Spokane toward my destination of Priest Lake, Idaho. I wanted to visit my friend Lorraine that owned a bar there named the Moose Knuckle. It wasn’t just a bar. There was a little store with gas pumps, a restaurant, and behind the building, there were a few RV spaces that she would rent out. I rented one from her for the night, and after having a few beers with her, I went to my car, put in a DVD, and I soon fell asleep.

I awoke to bright sunshine and took my bag of essentials into the bar bathroom to get cleaned up. I said thank you and goodbye to Lorraine, then took off heading toward Sandpoint, Idaho.

I was going to visit another friend of mine before I went back to Spokane. I hadn’t seen Shelly and Chaz for a while. I told them that I was very happy that I had taken this trip because it had not only gotten rid of the fear of traveling by myself, but I had gotten to see a lot of different places that I never would have seen otherwise. I spent the night, and in the morning, I took off and headed back to Spokane.

I decided to go to Denise’s, my oldest sister’s place, because my niece, Jan, was there having her baby shower. It would be my sister’s first grandchild and my niece’s first child, so I really wanted to be there for the celebration. I wasn’t supposed to be back this soon; in fact, I came in a week earlier than I thought I would. I didn’t think I’d be able to go to the baby shower, but since I came home in time, I decided to go to the house and surprise them. They were surprised, and I was thrilled to be able to attend.

I went to my youngest sisters Danielle’s place next because, for the next two months, I would be living in her and Derek’s trailer. This would help me to determine if I could live in a smaller space than what I was used to.

The questions that I had been asking myself were little by little getting answered, and I was feeling pretty confident that I could handle living in a small space, especially coming off a trip where I had slept in my car at times.

I stayed in their trailer for two months and had no problem living in tighter quarters. It was getting to be mid-September, and I was feeling more confident than ever that I could make this idea work.

While talking with Danielle one night, and while going over some of the places I wanted to travel to, I received a phone call from my ex-father-in-law, Barry. I was surprised to hear from him and wondered what on earth this phone call was about. When he started talking about his friends (who were retired police officers), I was all ears and wanted to make sure I heard clearly what he was saying to me.

He started telling me that he had mentioned to his friends that his ex-daughter-in-law thought she knew who had abducted a woman over twenty-eight years earlier. He told them that I had mentioned the town that this guy—I call him a serial killer—lived in.

The retired police officers then told Barry that the name of the town I told him was correct and that they knew that this guy still lived there. They told Barry that this guy had filled in his patio area after they had suspected him, so they knew that he was hiding something from them.

When Barry got done telling me this, it made my skin crawl, and let me tell you why.

There were the three of us women, working as a team on this same case for about six months. One of the women I worked with had the gift of being psychic. She told us that this man had a house with secret rooms in the basement and that these rooms extended out underneath his patio. She also told us that the police did go into this suspect’s house but did not go into the basement. The basement is where, she believed, he had secret rooms that he kept at least two or three women locked up.

Then Barry blew me away by telling me the name of the man that his friends suspected. What? Yes! It was the same name that me and the other two women had come up with! I don’t have to tell you how shocked