Title: Gone
Chapter: 9
Author: Evidence
Rating: PG-13
Author's Notes: A little bit longer chapter. Thanks again to everyone.
A ring of perspiration had formed on the counter space. Richie wiped it with the sleeve of his shirt. He had time for a quick soda break as he was now demoted to holding signs emblazed with the names of people who had preordered the shuttle service. He was no longer able to drive one since not being able to tell his employers what happened to the last van. He wondered how the blond woman was and if she had found the man and his family.
"I'll have a bagel with cream cheese and a cup of coffee, please. Black, two sugars."
Richie turned to see who was speaking. A man dressed in a tan suit with short brown hair sat two seats down from him. Richie dismissed him as some business type in town for a meeting.
"Hey."
Richie turned. The stranger was talking to him.
"I'm heading to Yellowstone, ever been there?"
Richie shook his head; he wasn't in the mood for idle conversation with someone he didn't know.
"No? Oh, darn I was going to ask you if saw any beautiful blonds lately."
He couldn't stop his head from spinning to face the other man.
"Oh, you have, haven't you?"
Richie got up, ready to depart. His gut was telling him to leave. He only walked a few inches when a hand was on his shoulder.
"Hey, Richie, don't go, Martin's not done questioning you."
"Help!" Richie yelled looking for a security officer.
"Richie, calm down, we are not here to hurt you." The man let go of his shoulder and positioned himself in front of him. "I'm Danny Taylor, I work with the Missing Persons Unit, part of the FBI. We need your help man."
FBI? Isn't that where Samantha said she worked?
"Come on, Richie, Vivian has a table for us," the one called Danny began walking.
Richie followed, a lump in his throat. They stopped at a table where a woman sat.
"Have a seat," she said pointing to the chair across from her.
Martin and Danny took seats on each side of Richie. He felt their eyes boring into him.
"Richie, I work with a woman named Samantha Spade. She's tall, blonde, walking with a limp right now. We tracked her to his airport. That's when the trail runs cold. You see, we think someone gave her a ride somewhere…"
"Yeah and we think it's you," Danny finished for Vivian.
"I…I…" Richie couldn't get any words out.
"We are not here to arrest you or anything Richie, we just want to know where you dropped her off." Vivian folded her hands together.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Richie somehow managed to croak out the words.
"Your boss says you lost one of the shuttle vans. Did you give it someone?" Martin was staring at him.
"No, I didn't."
"Look Rich, we are Samantha's friends man, help us find her." Danny said, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a small picture and handed it to Richie. "Here, see for yourself."
Richie scanned the photo. A Christmas photo; people standing around a tree. There was the woman sitting across from him, the dark haired man to his right and the one who ordered the bagel. Richie's eyes grew wider, towards the far side of the photo stood a man and woman as close together as two people could be without actually touching. The woman was Samantha and the man was Jack.
"You are their friends?" Richie asked, lifting his eyes from the photo.
"Their?' Martin exclaimed.
"Have you seen both the man and the woman in this photo?" Vivian spoke quickly.
This time Richie nodded yes.
Birds. Birds were singing. Birds were singing over her. Her eyelids flicked letting in bright light. She stayed motionless for several moments before finally trying to move her hands. One hand worked, then the next. She could raise both arms. Her toes curled. Her legs could move about. With great effort, Sam sat up. The world spun for a second but then she was fine.
"Jack," she said out loud although he was nowhere in sight.
Her leg ached bitterly. Her hands were shaking badly, and sweat was pouring down her face. She needed her pills. She carved them. But Addison had destroyed them. They were gone.
She slowly got up and began walking. She was unsure where she was and what purpose aimlessly walking would accomplish. She needed to keep moving, she knew that much. She felt fevered and as if her body was not her own.
After awhile Sam's eyes peered on a sight- a pill bottle lying on the ground. She tried to quickly get to it but her walking was hindered by the fevered feeling and the pain. She went to grasp it, once she had reached the bottle, but her hand held air and nothing else. It was gone, vanished.
She turned and saw it on a stone behind her. She moved to get it, again only air in her hand.
Her throat was dry, she felt like crying but one after another pill bottles appeared and she went for them. Only nothing was there.
"Jack!" she yelled seeing him approach. He held the pill bottle in his hand.
"Looking for these?"
"Yes, and you. Oh, Jack I knew I could count on you." As she went to put her arms around him, his body left and she hit the ground.
A sharp pain triggered in her good leg. Reaching down into her pocket she found the St. Jude medal. It glistened in the light. A memory burned brightly in her head. Jack in bed telling her about his leg. Jack telling her how it's hard when you stop talking heavy pain medication. His smile at saying that pain pills were addictive like any drug and when you went off of them, you went into withdrawn.
Samantha was never one for religion but she found herself clasping the chain around her neck. She trudged on ignoring the appearing pill bottles and the pain. She walked and walked until she smelt the ash of a dead fire. At first she was reluctant to go look believing it to be people camping. The medal was cold against her skin and the feel of it brought her to follow her nose.
If she hadn't she would have never seen her lying on the ground, strapped to a tree, a gag on her mouth. Samantha removed the gag, looking into the woman's eyes. "Marie…"
To be continued…
