His phone rang and he slowly reached over, keeping his head somehow glued to the pillow at the same time.

"Thomas? Thomas?" his friend said from the other end as the receiver was on its way to his ear.

"Yeah?" He muffled, now yawning.

"You got a client remember? He's here waiting for ya!"

Thomas Magnum lifted his head slightly from the pillow to gaze at the clock. "What time is it?" Asking seemed easier than squinting his eyes to figure out the time.

"Few minutes past noon. This guy looks like high class Thomas, if you know what I mean…I don't think you want to let this one get away." He looked over at his friends client who stared right back in his direction causing Rick to turn around quickly. "Get over here Thomas; I don't know how long I can keep him here."

Magnum yawned once more. "I'm on my way." He rolled out of bed before closing the phone.

"You're welcome" Rick said from the other end before closing the phone himself.

--

Magnum arrived unshaved and dressed comfortably. After all he didn't want to be any later than he already was. He glanced over at Rick and his friend pointed in the direction of his clients table.

Magnum approached quickly. "Hi there, I'm Thomas Magnum, I apologize for being late, I had car trouble."

The tall thinner man took his hand and shook it. "Good to meet you…Benjamin Pierce, what was the trouble with your car?"

Magnum bit his lip nervously. Of course, he's probably a mechanic. Nice lie. "My tires were pretty low on air, just had to stop and put some air in…ya know…cant be too careful about your tires."

"You're right; it's good to make sure they are full of it." He smiled and sat back down.

Magnum nodded and smiled slightly. "Now how is it that I can help you?"

The thinner man straightened up his jacket. "My daughter has been missing for over three months now…I received a note from her in the mail a couple days ago, there was no return address but it was post marked." He handed the envelope to Magnum who opened it slowly.

"Do you have any idea why she would run away?"

"I never said she ran away!" He got defensive. "I said she was missing."

Magnum gave him a calming look. "Yes sir, but she mentions here that she has started a new life and wanted you to know she was okay…maybe that's all this is."

"Do you think that I would travel from Maine to Hawaii if I thought that's all this is? Look I'm only hiring you because I'm a doctor not a detective, I know the nature of the human condition and I know my daughter. She would not just run away. Trust me."

He said those last two words with a plea in his voice and Magnum knew he had to trust him.

"I trust you."

The two men spoke for a while longer.

"I'd be more than happy to give you a lift to your hotel." Magnum offered.

"Well thanks, but I'm not gonna take a chance on those tires of yours." He laughed a little. "Plus I have transportation, I'm staying at a friends place, they are sending a car for me."

Magnum shrugged. "Oh alright, who's your friend, anyone your daughter would know you had relationship with?"

Pierce smiled. "She does, but she hates his novels…"

Magnum's eyes widened. "Novels?"

"Robin Masters. He's an old friend of mine. I'm staying at his Estate, that's where you will be able to reach me."

Magnum smiled. "That's where you'll be able to reach me too."

Pierce looked at him confused.

Magnum opened his passenger car door. "I'll explain on the way."