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Chapter 5
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Sam stepped out of the elevator first and marched directly to Martin's door and knocked. Danny came up behind her as they waited for Martin to answer. She knocked again, still hoping that this was just a big misunderstanding. That Martin was okay and just running late. After waiting for a few beats Danny reached over and rapped loudly on Martin's door but again there was no answer. He shot a glance at her so she reached into her pocket and pulled out her keys. She located Martin's and inserted it into the lock. After unlocking the deadbolt she turned the knob and began opening the door. "Martin?"
The apartment was silent.
She and Danny made their way in and she was relieved to see that Martin's apartment was clean and organized just as he used to keep it. This was a positive sign. Danny headed into the kitchen while she moved in the direction of the bedroom. She reached the doorway and peeked inside but there was no trace of Martin. The bed was made and nothing seemed out of place. Sam glanced at the bed and quickly an image of better times flashed in her mind.
Sam was under the sheets with Martin kissing and touching playfully. She kissed him, leaned back and in a throaty voice whispered, "Tell me something sexy…tell me about…the government-alien conspiracy…"
Martin smiled and rolled them over so he was on top. "You making fun of me?"
She got a very serious expression on her face and replied, "No, of course not." And then she grinned and said, "Admit it. You got a little thrill that Duncan thought you were the real Mulder."
Martin gave a sheepish smile and said, "Maybe." Then he grinned widely and disappeared beneath the sheets.
Suddenly feeling very confused she leaned up on her elbows and asked, "What are you doing?"
"I'm searching for alien implants. You can't be too careful." He replied; his voice muffled under the sheets. She laughed and fell back onto the bed. She felt Martin's fingers on her ankles before he started to slowly work his way up her leg. "So far so good," he commented as each caress was followed with a soft kiss that sent a tingling sensation up her leg.
Sam moaned in appreciation when she felt Martin's arousal brush against her leg. She grinned wickedly and said, "Is that an alien probe or are you just happy to see me?"
He laughed.
Sam went to check the bathroom and found her hands shaking at what she might find. She opened the door, clicked the light on and breathed a sigh of relief that while it was empty at least there was no sign of Martin taking pills again.
"He's not in here!" Danny shouted as he exited the kitchen.
She turned around and saw Danny searching the living room. She started towards him and said, "He's not in there either."
Danny nodded his head solemnly and stood next to Martin's answering machine and pressed a button. A digital voice came on and announced that he had seven new messages.
A woman's voice came on and in a soft seductive tone said, "Hi Martin, my name is Kristy. I was recently matched to your ad on I wanted to see if we could arrange a lunch or maybe get together for drinks. Call me. My number is 555-2890. Bye."
Sam felt a mixture of surprise and curiosity that Martin would be trying to find on a date on an internet dating service but she was also, not surprisingly, irritated.
The next three messages were basically the same; women telling him that they had been matched and wanting to arrange a date. She was about to tell Danny to turn the machine off when Gavin's voice came on and in an urgent and apologetic tone said, "Martin, this is Gavin. I've been trying to reach you on your cell but you're not answering. I'm sorry that I missed your call but Susan went into labor last night. I hope you were able to get to a meeting or find someone to talk to. Please call me when you get this message. I'll try you on your cell phone again. I have my phone with me now so please call me."
The next two messages were also Gavin apologizing and begging Martin to call. Once all the messages were played Danny looked at her and said, "Looking around his apartment, no dirty dishes in the sink, and the unchecked messages it seems like Martin didn't come home last night."
Sam nodded her head and glanced around as if searching for some miraculous clue about Martin's whereabouts. "You're right."
Danny met her eyes and softly said, "I think we need to talk to Jack."
Sam looked at him and wanted to tell him that they should do it on their own but he was right. Besides, she knew that Martin had already talked to Jack and told him about his problem. She gave a resolute sigh and breathed, "Yeah, I think you're right."
They did another cursory search of his apartment, trying to locate some clue about where he might have gone but finding no luck. Deciding to head to the office and talk to Jack so they could begin a more rigorous search they exited his apartment. Danny lingered in the hall as Sam started locking the deadbolt when they heard the elevator door open and the doorman exit. He walked down the hall and nodded at them before stopping a few doors from Martin's apartment and ringing the bell.
The door opened up and she immediately recognized Martin's neighbor, Conrad. He would always try to chat with her whenever she visited and Martin would joke that the elderly man had a crush on her.
"Thanks for coming up to help me with my bags, Mason." Conrad commented as he stepped aside, allowing the doorman to enter.
"It's no problem Mr. Heims." The doorman replied as disappeared inside.
"Hello Conrad." Sam greeted the elderly man as she moved down the hall.
Conrad looked over and squinted, trying to recognize the woman addressing him. Sam smiled as the look of recognition appeared on his face. "Samantha. It is lovely to see you again my dear."
Sam walked to his door and extended her hand. She greeted him and introduced Danny. "Conrad, this is Danny Taylor. He is another agent." With her eyes on Danny she added, "This is Conrad Heims."
The two men shook hands and Conrad asked, "I hope you found your missing person."
Sam tilted her head in confusion and asked, "Excuse me?"
"I assumed since Martin did not return with my prescription last night that he was called out on a case."
Danny and Sam exchanged a worried glance as she asked, "Martin said he would pick up a prescription for you?"
"Yes. He was on his way to the bodega and I asked him to stop by the pharmacy. My arthritis has been keeping my up all night so my doctor prescribed me some….oh, what was it called?" The elderly man's eyes looked up at the ceiling as he tried to recollect. "I remember it reminded me of that Mr. Spock. Voltan….Vulcan…."
"Was it Vicodin?" Danny offered.
"That's it!" Conrad replied. "He didn't come back home last night so I assumed he was called in to work. No worries though, I'll just stop by and pick it up on my way to the airport."
Sam saw Danny gearing up to ask Conrad more questions but feeling a need to protect Martin from having everyone know his business she quickly put her hand on Danny's forearm and said, "Thank you Conrad. Have a safe trip."
Danny looked at her questioningly but thankfully backed off.
"Goodbye Samantha. It was nice meeting you Agent Taylor." Conrad commented as Sam pulled Danny along, hurriedly ushering him to the elevator.
She stopped in front of the lift and pounded the call button. Her mind was racing. Martin had access to more painkillers. She thought he was making so much progress. If only Gavin had answered his fucking phone! She knew that it wasn't Gavin's fault, Martin had to take responsibility for his actions but why didn't he call her or Danny?
"Sam?" Danny's voice creaked.
She looked over and realized she was digging her nails into Danny's arm. She released her grip. "Sorry, I'm just worried about Martin."
"So am I, Sam," Danny replied as he pulled his arm to him and started rubbing the affected area.
"I think we should go to the pharmacy and see if Martin picked up the prescription." She said as she pressed the call button again – irrationally hoping that it would help speed up the elevator. "Maybe he never even made it there…"
"Sam, Martin's my friend too but I know some temptations are too strong for someone just coming out of an addiction." He said knowingly.
The elevator stopped on their floor and the doors opened. As Sam entered she couldn't ignore her gut feeling that there was more to the story, "It doesn't make sense Danny. Even if Martin took Conrad's prescription why wouldn't he come home?"
"Maybe he didn't want to run into Conrad," Danny theorized as he boarded the elevator next to Sam who shook her head. "Sam, you have to remember that Martin is an addict. He's capable of doing anything if it means getting a fix."
"He may be an addict but I know Martin," Sam said as the doors started to close. "And I just can't help but think that something else is going on."