Ivy

1

IVY

   Prior to her disappearance, I didn't get to know Ivy too well, despite being her uncle. I was ten years younger than Darby, my brother and Ivy's dad, and had just moved to Baltom, having found the bustle of city life unappealing. I worked as a psychologist, and would just commute for my appointments.
I had moved to Baltom just over three months before that fateful New Years Day, and had barely gotten to see my niece, being so busy with school and paying off loans over the years.

I wish I has gotten to see her more.

   Ivy was a pretty girl. In fact, when I reflect on it, she was gorgeous. Golden hair glossy with health. Eyes the color of copper. It is almost painful to mention her beauty for fear of tainting her personality; the real Ivy was not a superficial girl at all, and was compassionate and truly cared for those around her, no matter who the be. I especially remember her saying this:
We were sitting t the table, Thanksgiving Day. As of on cue, Darby lifted up his champagne flute for a toast.
   "I am thankful for my job and my ability to successfully provide for my family." He rumbled.
   Maria lifted her glass next and smiled. " I am grateful to be the mother of a healthy, happy family.
   Taking the hint from the other two, I lifted my glass and said "I am thankful to be here with you tonight. Otherwise I'd be eating a TV dinner right now."
   Everyone laughed at this, except for Ivy. She was gazing thoughtfully in the distance.  Slowly she raised her glass of sparkling cider and said " I am grateful that no matter how bad they may be, I can always help my fellow man change for the better."
Oh Ivy.
 

According to my interview tapes, Ivy was the town's "Golden Girl." She was involved in a number of activities early on: Girl Scouts, youth softball, the school jazz band, etc...
Her nickname really started to catch on at the age of twelve, when she was baby sitting Nicole Rodrigez's twins and one of them started choking on a lego. Ivy promptly performed the CPR methods and the Heimlich Manuver she had learned at her babysitting classes, saving the child and becoming the town hero.
It wasn't that she wasn't loved before then. As a little girl, everyone in Baltom loved Ivy because she was a sweet little thing who never threw tantrums, and was known to give bread to pigeons and have tea parties with her toddler friends.  Like a little angel, with a golden halo of hair and a spark of gold in her eyes. The Golden Girl.

BALTOM

It is my belief that in order to truly understand what happened to Ivy, you must understand where she lived.
Baltom is a smallish town (with a population of about fifteen thousand). Everyone waved to each other when they saw each other out on public. When your fellow man was down, you helped him up, literally and figuratively.
Baltom can't really be considered a sleepy town. It's people were proud to have a Walmart and a Golden Corral within four miles of themselves.  (City luxuries, like shopping malls and such, were becoming increasingly common. The town was thriving with small businesses and professionals; economy was, and still is, booming. And, most importantly, there hadn't been a single recorded crime more serious than a car jacking in over fifty years. Of course, all of this has changed since Ivy's predicament. Suspicious looks are accompanied with a friendly wave. You help your fellow man in hope that he will later help you, not hurt you.
   Aside from town politics, the geography of Baltom is also important. It is cozily stuffed inside a river valley, with a forest surrounding on all sides.
   The town is most closely packed in the middle, centered around the beautiful architecture of Baltom's courthouse. Homes and a couple of businesses surround that. Farther out, you would find the larger retail shops, as well as Walmart and the supermarkets. Fancy subdivisions follow that, more spread out than other homes.
   Most importantly in the story of Ivy, is the school, located on the eastern outskirts of town just near the forest. The perfect, isolated place for a crime.