At a young age, Jeanette always wanted to be part of "the boy's club," the exclusive group of friends her older brother Joel had made at school. When Joel would order mint chocolate chip ice cream, she would do the same (and struggle to finish the abhorrent concoction of flavor profiles mint and chocolate provided). When Joel got really into the Hardy Boys, Jeanette followed suit and delved into the novel series, before eventually splintering off into Nancy Drew, who became an idol to her (still only second to Joel). When Joel & Co. would play pretend and act out their mystery solving adventures, she would follow after them and beg to join, but Joel, being a young boy, was worried about the "gentle-hearted" perception his peers might have about him, should he reveal his soft spot for his little sister. Therefore, he often teased her until she'd stop persisting, though this ended up in an accident earning Jeanette her nickname "Jellybean," in which she refused to share her jelly beans with him unless he let her into the Hardy Boys treehouse club, and to prove her point she shoved the whole bag of beans in her mouth at once and nearly choked to death (thankfully being saved by Joel's interference). Despite doing so, however, Joel was the one chastised for the accident and made to accommodate his little sister into the club.
At first the boys were peeved by the forced intrusion into their group, but over time, she grew on them. She liked running around and getting messy with them, rolling around in the dirt searching for "clues," and could keep up with them with many physically demanding tasks. They'd journey to the neighborhood creek and pretend they were chasing down a serial killer, their favorite pastime. And for Joel's 12th birthday, Jeanette plans something really big in secret. She plants a fake skull and other pieces of "evidence" around the shrubbery and creek, using red paint for blood splatters and dragging her feet along the dirt to create treadmarks. Joel and the boys get excited about it, following all traces of the crime until they lead him up the creek where they get jumpscared by Jeanette in a fake moustache. Surprise, she's the killer and he caught her!!!
From that point onwards, Jeanette was a mainstay of the crew.
This interest in the crimes and unsolved mysteries of their world is not grown out of by the siblings. Still unsure of where they would be headed in the future, especially with Joel graduating highschool soon, they discuss possible avenues to remain involved in their shared interest. The pair are jogging together, and Jeanette, who prefers to listen to podcasts while out for a run, suddenly suggests to Joel that they should start one themselves. The rest is history. Within a few years, the unique dynamic between the two earned them a steadily increasing following for their true crime show, to the point of working with local law enforcement. It was around this time that Joel started seriously considering a career as a detective.
Although Jeanette would ultimately support her brother's decision, she was a bit wary, if not outright skeptical, knowing from their years of research that the capabilities of police to "protect and serve" their communities were often overstated. Joel, while not naive or idealistic, argued for the point of pragmatism: the funding police departments receive, as well as the legitimacy the title provides, would give him the opportunity to make a greater impact and save lives. And with that, the podcast became a one-woman show with only guest appearances from Joel [and others who could provide their expertise for special episodes].
There was a mutual benefit to arise from this development, that being the networking Joel had within the precinct. Jeanette would never refuse the opportunity to visit Joel at work, often overstaying her welcome despite simply "dropping off a coffee" or bringing him his "forgotten lunch." Joel introduces her to his fellow officers, and it is during his second week of patrols that Jeanette is introduced to her brother's shadowing superior, Dean.
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