In the days after she gets promoted to detective in April 2011, Julia Bowman takes a

selfie.

Lavender sweater, sensible black slacks, a shiny Laguna Beach PD badge on her belt, and a Glock 9mm

on her hip.

It's the kind of snapshot you take just for yourself, when you'd be embarrassed if your colleagues knew how psyched you are to be where you are.

To have this gig. She's pumped because she enjoys solving riddles.

And this missing person case she was was just assigned. The disappearance of a rich young guy named Chris Smith

it's quite a puzzle. That spring, Detective Bowman's been flying back and forth to Michigan to help her sister

care for her dad, who was diagnosed with cancer.

Police work typically runs in families, but not in Bowmans.

Her dad is a religion professor.

He and her mother begged her not to go into law enforcement.

And I think maybe it was a lot that she was just really worried

and for my safety.

And then my dad sent me a like six page typed letter of all the reasons I shouldn't be a police officer and that

really struck me because he was like my hero. Well things have changed. Her dad has

spent much of his life deciphering ancient texts like the Dead Sea Scrolls.

But these days he wants to know every detail of his daughter's investigation into the disappearance of this Chris Smith.

And so I vividly remember having this case and then going back to Michigan and being

in the car and telling them about this case and then them both being very sure that this was suspicious and that Ed had killed Chris.

And then every time I would go back, I would add a new little wrinkle to it, you know,

and my dad was so interested.

...