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  "Okay. Here's the skinny. The job pays $15.00/hour. Paydays are bi-weekly through our office after you present signed time sheets to us. I understand you don't have a social security number."

  "According to the police Samantha Goodrich isn't even my real name."

  "While you were testing, I spoke to Carole. She is getting you a Tax Identification Number that you can use until your memory comes back. Paychecks are based on the hours you work. How does this sound?"

  "Fine."

  "Okay, you will report to the Personnel Department as Robinson—Williams Publishing Company next Monday morning. Here's the time sheet, address and contact name in personnel. I wish you the best of luck and sincerely hope you regain your memory soon."

  Sam took the paperwork and thanked the counselor. Carole stood up, smiled and they left the office heading for the elevator.

  In the elevator, Carole turned to Samantha, "Sam you are not to worry. Robinson—Williams has had some of our clients work there in the past. They are a very compassionate company. As long as we're downtown, I think we should have your eyes checked out."

  "Why?"

  "Sam, you avoided the television in the hospital and at the house. When it is on, you squint at the picture."

  "Is it that noticeable?"

  They walked down Wabash until they were in the front entrance of Visionhouse. Two hours later Sam was wearing fashionable Prada eyeglasses.

  ***

  Tom arrived at the Kane County Coroner’s Office Thursday morning. Dr. Reynolds, Medical Examiner, greeted him.

  "Detective Cassell, welcome. Let's go right to the morgue. I have a lot on my workload today."

  They entered the cooler that housed rows of metal chambers for deceased persons. The examiner went to the drawer where the Route 60 woman was housed. She engaged the handle, and the body glided in front of Tom.

  "Is this your sister?"

  "No. Can you tell me anything about the victim?"

  "Well, let’s start with what we know. The unidentified victim is approximate 23-28 years of age. She was found nude with no visible signs of a struggle. Cause of death appears to be suffocation. We don't have the blood work up available yet. There was no evidence of rape."

  "No defensive DNA at all?"

  "That's the strange part. Her body was thoroughly cleaned before she was unceremoniously left along the highway. Any clues?"

  "Not now. I'm working on a case that has some similarities to this one. I'll get back to you if I find something out. Thank you.”

  ***

  On the drive to the precinct, Tom knew there was someone out there who was good, very good at hiding his identity. He was sure he would see more victims unceremoniously dumped along roadsides—the preps' modus operandi.

  When Tom reported to the precinct, he brought Steve on board of what the coroner had to say.

  "It looks as if we have someone out there that knows the system. The victim had red hair like Samantha's. This victim, too, had no visible signs of identification. Our perp has fine-tuned his action so he's not traceable. I have a feeling that there may be more victims of his out there. I'm glad that no one knows Samantha lived.

  "When she gets her memory back, we have to be careful. Let's examine some of closed missing reports. We might get lucky and get a lead there on our new victim.”

  "You do realize that this isn't our case?"

  "Yea, but I have a strong feeling the perp is in our backyard. We'll just have a use some of our personal time to do this investigation. Do you mind?"

  "I'll help, but keep my name out of this. Can’t afford any suspensions."

  "You got it."

  At the end of the second shift, Steve approached Tom with a Missing Person Report.

  MISSING PERSON REPORT

  January 6, 2012

  Hailey Morgan has been reported missing by her coworker, Nancy Hughes. She has tried contacting her at her cell number and there has been no answer. She has not reported to work at Robinson—Williams since November 12, 2011. She has failed to call in.

  Officer Jenkins, Badge No. 4516, went to Robinson—Williams on November 16, 2011 to interview Ms. Hughes at 0900.

  Office Jenkins interviewed Ms. Hughes. Ms. Hughes stated that Ms. Morgan had a new boyfriend. She felt that Ms. Morgan might have been dating a married man. Officer Jenkins procured Hailey Morgan's address from the Personnel Department. At 1300 Officer Jenkins made contact with the janitor/manager at Ms. Morgan's home address. Manager stated that Ms. Morgan failed to make rent payments for December and January. Her belongings have been placed into storage and mail has been returned to the Post Office with No Forwarding Address.

  Currently, the whereabouts of Ms. Morgan is UNK.

  No further action at this time.

  ***

  "Steve, I already have plans for tomorrow. How about early Monday morning we’ll go to talk to Ms. Hughes."

  "Sure, the plot thickens," he had a slight chuckle in his voice.

  ***

  On Monday morning Sam arrived at Robinson—Williams before 9:00 a.m. She stopped at the reception desk and waited as the reception settled in for her morning routine.

  "Hi. I'm Samantha Goodrich. I'm supposed to report to the Personnel Department."

  She picked up her headset and contacted the Personnel Department.

  "Mrs. Brown is on the third floor. She is expecting you."

  Samantha stepped out of the elevator and followed the signs directing her to the Personnel Department.

  "Ms. Goodrich. I'm glad you could make it. Sometimes temps fail to report for filing and data entry. Office Temps sent over your completed paperwork. So let's get you started."

  The two followed the corridor until they came to a bank of computer.

  "Alice, this is Samantha Goodrich. Would you be kind enough to show her the ropes?"

  "Sure."

  Alice took Sam to an empty computer station. She explained how the data entry had to be done. She then continued to discuss breaks and lunch times. Sam sat for a moment gathering her thoughts. 'Guess I gotta make the best of it. At least this job looks as if it doesn't require much thinking.'

  At 10:15 Alice interrupted Sam, "Time to take a break."

  Alice explained to Sam that everything of important happens in the lunchroom. If you keep your ears open, you'll know almost everything about anyone in the central office.

  "If you don't mind my asking, how did you become a temp?"

  Sam was unsure how to answer the question. Fortunately, before Sam could answer, a coworker came up to Alice.

  "Did you here? There are two detectives interviewing Nancy about Hailey."

  "Do you think they know what happened to her?"

  "Can't wait until they leave to get the scoop. Hey, who's your new buddy?"

  "Sam, Judy. Judy Sam. Sam is our new temp in the tombs."

  "Your poor dear. Not a very exciting job."

  "It's fine," Sam replied.

  Break time ended, and the entry clerks and junior editors returned to work. The rest of the day Sam entered data from the paperwork that was stacked in her IN Box. Quitting time couldn’t come soon enough. As stated by everyone, it was a boring job. At 4:30 Sam packed up her belongings and headed for the Red Line. She was going home, that is if Sam could call Carole's house home. It was a long day and she knew more would follow.

  When she arrived at Carole's house, her weariness showed on her face as she entered the house.

  "Sam are you okay?"

  "I'm really tired. Guess I'm not use to working.”

  "Why don't you take a nap before dinner? Incidentally, Tom Cassell is coming over for dinner. He has some things to discuss."

  Sam collapsed on the bed without even taking off her shoes. It just took a few minutes before she was in a deep sleep.

  Tom had arrived, and he and Carole were in the kitchen in conversation when they heard Sam screaming from the bedroom. Carole and Tom rushed in. Sam was sitting up in bed heaving deep sobs. Sh
e was in a cold sweat. Carole wrapped her arms around her trying to comfort her.

  "It's all right. You're safe now. We're not going to let anyone hurt you."

  Carole turned to Tom, “Will you get a cold towel from the bathroom?"

  He returned with the towel. Carole wiped Sam's face and neck.

  Sam finally stopped heaving and her breathing slowed down. After a few minutes she turned to face Carole.

  "I saw myself falling down a flight of stairs. I couldn't stop. I could feel my body hitting each step." Tom stood in the doorway listening.

  Carole and Tom went to the kitchen while Sam was refreshing herself. They agreed that Sam's memory was starting to return. Although they wanted to press her for more details, they felt that wouldn't best at this time. Ten minutes later Sam came into the dining room and the three sat down for dinner.

  "So, Tom, what have you been up to?" Carole asked.

  "Well, I was at Robinson– Williams today to investigate a missing person's report."

  Sam eyes widened. "Oh my gosh, you were there?"

  "Whoa, what do you mean? You were at Robinson?"

  "It's my new temp job. The lunch room was abuzz with the fact that some detectives were looking into a missing employee."

  "Yep that was me and my partner, Steve."

  Carole asked, "Did you find out anything?"

  We haven't received confirmation yet, but we're looking into the possibility that the victim in Kane County is Hailey Morgan."

  "Do you think there is a connection between her and Sam?" Carole asked.

  "There are several similarities. It's possible that we are looking at a meticulous serial killer."

  The two women jaws dropped open. Sam's body suddenly shook and shuddered. She had the feeling of someone walking over her grave. The color drained from Sam's face.

  "Sam are you okay?" Carole asked.

  "I have a feeling that some harsh truths are getting ready to show their ugly heads."

  "Sam, surely you don't believe that you were instrumental in the harm you endured."

  "I'm not sure."

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Although the calendar and the daylight savings time gave evidence that spring was around the corner, the weather took a sudden turn. The winds howled through the city streets. New snow caused traffic to slow down to a snail pace. Riders on the transit watched the cars trying to maneuver through the unplowed streets. Everyone in the city was exhausted even before they reported to work and Sam was no exception.

  It was 9:45 and the lobby entrance of Robinson–Williams was still welcoming a rush of late arrivals. Sam crowded into the elevator and maneuvered to the back of the car. She took a deep breath and shivered. Her eyes narrowed and her brow knitted. She recognized the familiar scent of a man's cologne. Her eyes searched the car to see whether she could see which man was the possessor of the scent. She was disappointed. There was only one man in the gaggle of women. He was the man standing next to her. It wasn't him. The scent lingered from a previous rider.

  The lunch break couldn't come soon enough for Sam. Alice joined her at the table as they unpacked their lunches.

  "See that man over there?” Alice gave her head a little nod right.

  "That's Paul Jacobs. He thinks he's mister perfect. He dated Hailey Morgan."

  "Is that the one the detective were asking about?"

  "Yes, she just stopped coming to work. No one heard from her.”

  “Do you think he had something to do with her missing?”

  “No, Paul couldn't hurt a flea. Now, if I would pick someone to be wary about it would be Mike Rizzo."

  "Who's he?"

  "He's the Senior Editor on the seventh floor. Let's just say he is a Sexual Harassment Suit waiting to happen."

  Alice eyes shifted to the doorway. "Speaking of the devil, he's trolling in now to search out a new prey. Don't look up."

  As Rizzo passed by their table, Sam again got a whiff of the familiar men's cologne. Her eyes shifted in his direction as he headed for a table with three young women. You could see from their expressions that they were thrilled that a Senior Editor was acknowledging them. Each had the feeling that this was their way up the corporate ladder.

  The end of the day couldn't come soon enough for Sam. The thought of the cold trip back to Carole's was only bearable because she wanted to share the information she learned with Tom. As she stepped into the lobby, she saw Tom's smiling at her.

  "Thought you'd like a ride home."

  "I dearly would love it. And, I got some things to tell you."

  On the ride to Carole's, Sam told him about the happenings in the lunchroom.

  "I'll check both men out. You have to promise me that when you go back to Robinson you stay out of their way."

  They pulled in front of Carole's house. Because the side streets still hadn't been plowed, Tom double-parked. He came around to help Sam navigate through to the snow packed sidewalk.

  "I have the third shift for the next two weeks. If you need me, my number is on this card. Remember, stay out of the way to those two men."

  He gave her a quick peck on the cheek—a move that both surprised Tom and Sam. He quickly returned to his car. Sam with a confused expression her face watched as he drove away before going in.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Early Saturday morning Sam arrived at Dr. Kalish's office.

  "Sam, I'm glad you could make it. I know the weather hasn’t been cooperating with everyone. Have a seat."

  Sam took the seat facing Dr. Kalish at his desk "I'm glad I could make it. It a relief to be able to talk to you."

  "Okay. I'm listening."

  "I'm starting to have flash backs. I’m scared."

  "You know this was going to happen. Why are you scared?"

  "What if I don't like my old life? Something was not right with it. I was nearly beaten to death."

  "Let me quote Buddha: 'Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.’ What you have to do Sam is to concentrate on getting healthy. Your body and your mind have experienced a lot of trauma in the past five months. The stronger you are, the more you will be able to accept the past and move forward.’ "

  "I know, I know. Everyone is very encouraging. When I look in the mirror I still don't know that person. Was I a bad person? What did I do to deserved to beaten to death?”

  "Let's go over what I see. When I look at you I see a captivating woman, approximately 34-37 years old, well attired and appears well composed."

  "You are seeing a lot more than I do. You should see me when I wake up screaming in the middle of the night."

  "When you wake up, what do you remember?"

  "Sometimes it’s confusing. Most times I'm falling down a flight of stairs. Sometimes I see myself lying dead on the floor...almost like one those out of body experiences you hear about."

  "Did you see how you fell?"

  "I know from the medical reports that I was struck on the back of the head, but I didn't see who did it. It was a man, but he’s still a shadow. I even hear myself scream when I started to fall.”

  "Have you experienced any other flashbacks?"

  "Well, at work I've been smelling a familiar men's cologne."

  "Have you seen who's been wearing it?"

  "I haven't the man that’s wearing it. He doesn't look familiar."

  "Do you think you had a flash back because of the cologne?"

  "I don't know. I think the shadow is wearing that cologne."

  "You're probably right. Have you given this information to the detective who is working with you and Carole?"

  "Yes, Detective Cassell told me to stay away from him."

  "Wise. Tell me about Detective Cassell? Are you close?"

  "He's been very helpful.”

  "That isn't exactly an answer."

  "Well, I'll admit that he's good looking. But, I'm not ready to meet anyone in that way. I DON'T KNOW WHO I AM!"

  "Let's
take it easy. Sometimes it’s good for a person to have a stable person to lean on. Carole is of great assistance with those womanly things, but sometimes you have to lean on brute strength. In your case, you need protection. I believe that Tom will be your protector. Don't be afraid to use him. Your life is in danger. He has the police department behind him. Okay?"