A/N: Thanks so much to Serataja, Mariel3, JJBird, Makemyday, Pealee and AgentSpade for the constant feedback and reviews. I hope to post a little quicker these next few days...I think it is gettng time for her to find him g>
Chapter 7 – Getting Closer?
Samantha drove hard up Route 37, stopping at every little town along the way. She showed his picture to everyone in all the logical spots like gas stations, diners, and convenience stores, but to no avail. Realizing the little towns were getting more sparse, she decided to stop for the night at the next little place. Checking her map, it looked like Pleasanton was about an hour up the road. She would rest for the night and continue early in the morning. She was never one for superstitions, but she had the weirdest sense that she was going the right direction…that Jack had recently been down this same road and that she would soon find him. As she pulled into the Motel 6 in Pleasanton, she let her mind wander to his reaction. She smiled confidently, knowing he would crush her in hugs and kisses and they could promise each other never to hurt again. She drifted in and out of sleep, feeling confident but nervous about tomorrow.
The next morning, Samantha went to a local diner for a quick bite to eat before hitting the road. She had her notes and map spread out on the table along with Jack's picture when the waitress brought her order. Samantha caught her staring at Jack's picture, so she asked, "Does he look familiar?" The waitress snapped her eyes to Samantha's and tried to determine if this gorgeous woman was the reason the good looking guy was running or if it was just her job to find him and cause him more grief that he didn't need.
When the waitress stumbled with her answer, Samantha knew she was on the right track and he had been here. Seems he was impacting everyone along his way, even though he was desperately trying to be invisible. Jack had total strangers from Queens to Pleasanton falling for his sad eyes,wounded charm, and lying to a federal officer to protect him. She smiled softly and understood how easily it was to fall for Jack Malone. She was pretty sure she started her fall the first day she walked inthe Missing Persons unit to interview.
Samantha said, "Miss, I care very much for this man, but I did something extremely foolish and hurt him. I'm trying to find him and apologize—trying to win him back—but I'm running out of time. If you know where he went, I would really appreciate your help." The waitress figured the FBI agent wasn't the only one who was good at reading faces. In her line of work, she saw plenty across her counter. And, this young woman's face told her she meant the good-looking man no harm. "I told him Lindseyton was a good place to get away from it all. Don't know if he went there, but he didn't have a plan until then." Then the waitress continued, saying, "It's none of my business, but that man doesn't need any more grief. I sure hope me telling you this doesn't cause him more." Samantha squeezed her hand and gathered her papers saying, "I promise I intend to do nothing but take his grief away," and she headed to Lindseyton.
Once in town, she wasted no time asking around if anyone had seen him. Everyone she talked to at the grocery store, realty office, re-sale shop and park all said no, but she sensed they weren't telling her the truth. Her years of reading faces and profiling told her that much; however, she also learned it is hard to make people talk if they didn't want to. Her frustrations were mounting because she knew she was close, but she was faced with a town that was protecting a total stranger. That thought caused her to pause. Total strangers seemed to be more in tune with Jack than she had been, and she was supposed to be his best friend and confidante. She pushed back feelings ofdefeat and felteven more desperate to find him.
She chided herself saying, "Okay, Samantha, think! Where would Jack go in this place at least more than once?" Her eyes scanned the main street and fell on a small sign that identified Lillie's Diner. Feeling like Sherlock Holmes, she said aloud with a smile, "Coffee!" and walked briskly toward the diner. An older woman regarded her with what Samantha thought looked like suspicious eyes, but then she figured she was letting her imagination run away with her. She settled into a booth and ordered the soup/sandwich combination and a diet Dr. Pepper.
When the waitress came back, she thought she would try a different tact and not show the picture but instead said, "Um…I was wondering if you could help me? I'm looking for a friend of mine who came up here for some time off, but he didn't tell me where he was staying. He has dark hair and dark eyes, a thick, muscular body, average height, clean-shaven and very quiet. He would have hit town a day or two ago." She tried to sound casual, but saw the defenses go up immediately with the waitress. The waitress's reply was also an attempt at sounding casual when she said, "No, doesn't sound familiar and I see most folks that come into town."
Samantha gave a conciliatory smile and looked down. She picked at her food but couldn't find an appetite. It was Friday at 1 pm and the clock seemed to be ticking faster with her running out of ideas and leads. Feeling her world closing in, she slipped his picture out of the folder and stared into his eyes.
She remembered the day when she went down with him to take the protocol head shots in HR. You would have thought he was going to have most of his teeth pulled out. She remembered how adorable he was as he feigned arrogance and asked her how his hair looked before he went in. She had told him it was sticking out a bit and jumped at the chance to run her fingers through it while pretending to smooth it out. She remembered how his dark eyes locked onto her as they stood close together, not knowing what to do next. He had slowly reached up and run his fingers through her hair and told her 'thank you' in a tone that made her knees buckle, her breath leave, and her heart stop.
A teardrop hit the picture and made her come to the present. She tried to dab the next tear dry before it fell, but they were suddenly falling too fast to stop. Feeling defeated and so alone, she gave up the fight, hung her head and just cried.
The waitress watched her closely the whole time, then slowly approached and said, "You must be the reason his eyes are so sad." Samantha looked up and tried to get a hold of herself and, confused at what the waitress had said, she asked, "Excuse me? I didn't understand you." The waitress pointed to Jack's picture and said, "John. You must be the reason his eyes are so sad and he is running away."
Flustered and confused Samantha said, "This is Jack…Jack Malone…not John…" and then the lights came on and she nodded her head in understanding, saying, "He called himself John. His full name is John Michael Malone. We all know him as Jack. I'm Samantha Spade and I work with him….no, I love him and I hurt him and I forced him away. I've been searching for him and I need so badly to find him to see if he will forgive me. Would you please tell me where he is staying?" The waitress studied the beauty with puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks and tried to decide what to do.
TBC