Goodreads asked James L. Thane:

What mystery in your own life could be a plot for a book?

James L. Thane I was for a while a college professor. In one of my evening classes one semester I had a student who was in her late twenties and very attractive. She was a good student, and after class, she worked as a cocktail waitress at a club I occasionally frequented. One evening about two-thirds of the way through the semester, there was a knock on the door, interrupting what I'm sure was a scintillating lecture on something or other.

I went to the door and two policemen were there. One of them leaned into the classroom and said, "Does anyone in here own a grey T-Bird that's parked in the east lot""

My student, the cocktail waitress, raised her hand and said, "I do."

One of the policeman said, "Could you come with us for a moment, Miss?"

She gathered up her books, walked out of the classroom, and that was the last I ever saw of her, either in the classroom or in the club. I later asked one of the other waitresses at the club if they had any idea what had happened to Miss X. She said, "No. She didn't show up for her shift one night and we haven't seen or heard from her since."

I've often wondered what might have happened to her and what the police might have wanted with her. If I were to base a novel on the incident, I could take it in any number of directions, but I wonder if it would ever be as interesting, entertaining, or scary as what actually might have happened.

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