Case File #002

Every summer, Maplewood gathers along the riverbanks to watch the Great River Race.

The boats arrive before sunrise.
The crowds follow shortly after.

By afternoon, the whole town feels alive.

But this year, something feels wrong.

Captain Harlene notices things other people miss. The quiet details. The odd pauses. The clues hidden inside ordinary afternoons. With her notebook in one pocket and her loyal golden retriever Bud beside her, she follows mysteries the way other people follow sidewalks — patiently, carefully, and one question at a time.

What begins as a simple river tradition quickly becomes something more:

A missing map.
A damaged boat no one admits touching.
Strange arguments drifting through the docks after dark.
And whispers about a race that may have been decided long before it ever began.

As the clues deepen, Harlene begins to uncover something her Grandfather once tried to teach her long ago:

Some people protect traditions.

Others protect the truth.

Set along the glowing riverbanks of 1970s Maplewood, The Great River Race is a warm and atmospheric mystery about fairness, memory, quiet courage, and the people brave enough to keep asking questions when everyone else would rather look away.

Some mysteries drift quietly.

This one moves with the current.

Welcome back to Maplewood.