Leap into Faith  (Film Noire/Mystery )

Logline: Recently divorced detective Tony has just landed the case of a missing church girl which has shaken up the whole town and with the multiple suspects and never ending leads, Tony’s faith is pushed to its brink.

 
Six months after the disappearance of eighteen year old Melanie Jones, ex-cop turned private investigator Tony Marceau is hired to investigate the case. As a run down, 47 year old divorcee, he is trying to pick up the pieces of his faded life. He rarely sees his two kids due to a constant battle with his ex-wife, Marie. Tony takes on the case of the desperate, grief stricken parents after local police hit a dead end.  Tony concludes that Melanie is a quiet, religious, small town girl until he discovers her hidden diary, revealing a forbidden relationship with her dead sisters ex-boyfriend, Hennessey. Her coded diary entries only complicate the case.

Tony turns to John Henry, his old pal and police force connection. John runs a few names of the people she saw from her bible study class and he immediately discovers James Palmer, a young man who has also been reported missing. His car has been found close to the mountainous area of Muliers Peek where Tony uncovers a dangerous cult led by the sinister, Delagran. He is a wanted criminal for the possession of fire arms, drug trafficking, and statutory rape. Blood stains found in Hennessey's apartment lead to the confession that Melanie had left him the night before she disappeared. An argument had ended in a violent rage and ultimately it would be the last time she would be seen. Tony reaches out to Pastor Thomas, the elderly priest who led Melanie's bible group, but he reveals no knowledge of the cult recruiting member discovered in his class, one he had taught for many years. The Pastor is mystified that his students are missing.

False leads and a lack of substantial evidence have Tony doubting himself. He has lost his self-discipline to a daily diet of booze and cigarettes. After losing his home, he struggles to find a clean shirt to wear in his trailer full of old garbage and newspaper cuttings. Melanie's diary rests on a table next to the bed under an ashtray. He is convinced that in the pages of that fragile girl's book lie the clues to her whereabouts. Tony remembers the promise he made to Melanie's parents. He will find their little girl.