Chapter 1

Paul shoved a picture across the desk to the two detectives in front of him while they all sat in a room in the Missing Persons Unit. "That's her most recent one."

The woman detective studied it; it was a photo of a pretty brunette that was a little plump, standing outside of an arena that didn't look familiar to either of the detectives.

The male detective spoke up after glancing at the photo his partner held in her hand. "So tell me," he began, "why did it take you three days to report this lady missing?"

Paul bit his lip, having an indication what the detective was suspecting. "She has these…strange…states she goes into when she's stressed or fought with someone or whatever. There's been times she's gone out of the house and not come back, and then either I or one of her girlfriends will get a phone call that she's either in some hospital somewhere or she ended up someplace and didn't remember how she got there. I just thought that this time wouldn't be any different."

"Yet you waited three days," the woman detective stressed. "Anything could have happened to her by now."

"In any case," her partner added, "we'll keep this on file and enter it into the database. Kind of check with the hospitals around the area and see if they have anyone fitting her description that has been admitted the last few days, and maybe try to get some leads in the process. Here is my card; if the lady happens to show up or contact you in the meantime, get in touch with me or my partner here."

Paul nodded, taking the card. "Thanks. I might ask around a bit too. Surely someone's seen her."

Meanwhile, in another state:

"Dad, stop the car!" the man called from the back seat while traveling with his parents on their way home from a vacation in Florida. "There's something wrong with that woman!"

"Rick, she's probably on drugs and a typical hitchiker," the older man snorted.

"I don't think so, George," the woman beside him said. "I think Rick may be right; that girl could need some help."

He grunted. "All right, but if it turns out to be some kind of killer, don't say I didn't warn you two."

They pulled over, the three of them getting out of the car and heading cautiously toward the woman, who appeared to be disoriented. She was barefoot, hair askew, and appeared to have been wearing the same clothes for at least two to three days.

"Miss?" the older woman asked gently. "Are you all right?"

The younger woman jumped, appearing ready to bolt for her life, until Rick calmed her down, assuring her they were there to help

"I….I don't know where I am," the younger woman said softly.

"You're on the Interstate," George said, going from annoyed to concerned. "You could get hit by someone and get hurt, little lady."

"I need to go somewhere…."

"Home? Where do you live?" Rick asked.

"I don't know…..I can't remember."

"Well, what's your name? We can find someone that knows where you live that way."

"I'm sorry….I don't remember."

"She's in trouble, George," the woman muttered to her husband.

He nodded. "I know, Julie. She should get some kind of help. Let's get her in the car and find the nearest hospital. Perhaps someone there could get to the bottom of what is wrong. You two were right; this isn't a druggie."

A few hours later:

"I don't think either of those fucking detectives believed me," Paul sniffed. "The way they acted, they think I had something to do with Petra disappearing. Even the neighbors are giving me looks like I'm some kind of criminal."

"Paul, dude, you and I know better, and that's all that counts," Brian reassured him. "Wherever she is, someone has probably found her, took her somewhere, and she'll probably call from there once she's gotten her senses back. Always happened before whether it was a few hours or a day."

"Thing is, Spanky, she's never been gone this long without anyone hearing from or seeing her."

"Whoa, that is weird. Pet's got friends, and people she works with; you'd think someone would have seen her."

"Yeah, even her boss chewed my ass before I told him the situation. He's going to look for her too."

"Wow, you know this is major when her asshole boss is stepping in to help."

"Yeah, shocked the shit out of me too."

"For all it's worth, I can get word around that she's missing and have people call you or those two cops if she turns up."

"Thanks, Spanky; come to think of it, I could use all the help I could get."