Sam; after making a quick trip to her apartment; throwing in a quick rundown with her roommate; Britt; and a three hour flight to Florida; and a 2 hour drive in her rental to Cedar Bay sat in a divy, seaside bar called The Rusty Pelican. She sat in a corner booth; a bottle of shiner placed in front of her as she dialed the agency.
"Hey Carly, yeah, I just got into town. It's quite a change from Manhattan," she said, sipping her Shiner.
Carly's voice buzzed with curiosity. "What's it like?"
Before Sam could answer, she cut in. "Carly, I need to speak to Mac," Sam insisted. A moment later, Mac's familiar, gruff voice came through.
"Cassadine, you made it. What's your plan?" Mac asked.
"I'm going to mingle with the locals, see if anyone's seen anything unusual around here. Keeping it low-key," Sam replied, her gaze scanning the bar's patrons.
"Good. Remember, no one there knows why you're really in town. Use that to your advantage," Mac reminded her.
"Understood. I'll start with the bartender, work my way around. I'll keep you posted," Sam assured him.
After ending the call, Sam finished her beer before standing up, making her way over to the bar where a young man stood behind the counter; a sleeve of tattoos on display as he refilled the ice bins. "Hi, I am Lily." She smiled seductively while leaning forward against the bar, her breasts propped up. "What's your name, honey?" She asked him
He glanced up, a hint of surprise in his eyes at her forward approach. He wiped his hands on a cloth. "Name's Jake," he replied with a casual smile, his gaze briefly flicking to her swollen bossoms. "Jake.." She said his name breathlessly while seductively touching his chin, bringing his eyes back to hers. "I could really use another beer."
Jake's expression shifted to a mix of amusement and intrigue. "Sure thing," he said, his tone friendly yet professional. He reached for another bottle of Shiner, expertly popping the cap and placing it in front of her.
"So, Lily, what brings you to Cedar Bay?" Jake asked, leaning slightly on the bar, his interest apparent. Sam smiled taking a sip from the bottle before slowly placing it in front of her, glancing up at him before licking her lips. "I am actually looking for a friend; maybe you've seen him?" His smile soon dropped. "a boyfriend of yours?" He asked as she chuckled.
"No, he's not a boyfriend," Sam replied with a small, wistful smile. She leaned in a bit closer, as if sharing a secret. "Actually, he's the father of my son. Left us when the baby was just a few months old. I'm not here for a reunion, though," she added quickly while taking another drink. "I'm just trying to find him to settle some legal stuff. Parental rights, you know? But the guy's like a ghost."
Jake's demeanor changed, his amusement replaced by a hint of sympathy. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. That must be tough. What's his name? Maybe someone around here has seen him." Sam nodded; her expression turning. "Jason? Jason Quartermaine? He may have changed his name so I brought a photo." She said handing it to Jake. "Yea, that's John.." Sam's glance quirked up, excitement building in her. "I haven't seen him in a few weeks though." Sam nodded with a dramatic sigh.
"John, huh?" Sam echoed, masking her growing intrigue with a carefully controlled expression. "Yeah, that sounds like him. Always changing names. So, you've seen him around here?" Jake nodded, handing back the photo.
"Yeah, he came in a few times. Seemed like a decent guy, kept to himself mostly. But like I said, it's been a few weeks since I last saw him." Sam's mind raced with this new information. It was a lead, the first real, tangible connection to Jason since his disappearance six years earlier.
"Thanks, Jake. If you happen to see him again, could you let me know? I really need to find him." Sam pulled a napkin from the bar and a pen, writing her phone number down handing it to him before leaning in and seductively kissing him on the cheek before walking away with her beer.
She spoke to a few other locals; mostly men but they all pretty much had the same thing to say about Jason, that he pretty much stayed too himself and that he hadn't been seen in almost two weeks.
It was around ten o'clock before she got to her B a small cabin on the outskirts of town. It was comfortable; and peaceful with a swing on the porch and a hottub on the side of the house.
She was tired; exhausted really but she was also so exhillerated with the flight and the information she'd managed to get out of Jake. "Eat your heart out, Carly." She said to herself when sending a quick update to Mac; a cigarette nestled between her finger tips. Sam wasn't really a smoker except when she was on a big case; it helped mellow her out, weed was better but she really wasn't interested in taking illegal contraband on a flight.
She took a drag before flicking the ash against the night breeze while rocking back and forth on the swing; she was soon leaning against the hard wood taking a deep, calm breath as the serenity of the cabin just engulfed her. Sam had always been a city girl; and Florida was by no means a 'country road' but the Cabin was quiet and quaint; it had jasmine and honeysuckle growing wild around the porch, their sweet scents mingling with the salty air, creating a soothing, almost hypnotic atmosphere.
She took another drag from her cigarette when her phone pinged; she quickly pulled it up from where it laid beside her. It was a text message from an unknown number with a small message "who are you?" Sam swallowed hard, was it Jason? She'd given Jake her number, maybe he knew more about the situation than she'd initially picked up.