In the bustling heart of Manhattan, within the walls of Scorpio Investigations, the morning sun cast a warm glow over the office. Samantha Cassadine, a 24-year-old private investigator, stood gazing out the window, a cup of steaming coffee in her hands. Beside her, Caroline Benson and Damien Spinelli, her youthful and equally skilled colleagues, were immersed in their routine.
Carly, restless and eager, broke the silence. "Fuck, I am so dry! I feel like I haven't done dick in weeks," she groaned, her voice tinged with frustration.
Spinelli, ever the stickler for words, arched a brow. "Pardon me? The fuck?" he quipped, a playful smirk on his face.
Sam chuckled, shaking her head at their banter. "She means she hasn't had a case, Spinelli," she explained, amused.
Spinelli, adjusting his glasses, replied with a mock-serious tone, "Ah, the nuances of language. Context is key, Carly. Perhaps choose your words with a bit more... precision next time?"
Just then, Mac Scorpio, their boss, appeared at his office door, followed by a distinguished-looking woman. Sam's attention shifted to them immediately.
Carly leaned in, whispering, "Who's that with Mac?"
"That's Monica Quartermaine," Sam replied quietly, observing them. "her and my mother went to college together and her son, Jason and I went to high school together before he went missing."
As Monica left, Mac caught Sam's eye and gestured for her to come over.
"Is he looking at me?" Carly anxiously asked as Sam shook her head before walking over. "What was Mrs. Quartermaine doing here?" Sam asked him as he lead her into his office. "Did she find anything out about Jason?" Sam asked turning as Mac slowly shut the door.
Sam and Jason werent particularly close; they ran in the same circles but didn't really ever bond beyound the occasional empty wave at a party or football game. "She got a random phone call; and she thinks it was him.." Sam nodded grabbing a notepad from Mac's desk. "Did she give you the number? I can trace it and see if we can get a paper trail on it.."
Mac leaned against his desk, his expression a mix of concern and determination. "She did give me the number. It's been disconnected, but I thought you might be able to make something of it." He said handing her a piece of paper with a phone number written on it.
Sam scribbled down the number, her mind already racing with possibilities. "I'll see what I can dig up. Any other leads?"
Mac sighed, rubbing his temples. "Not much. He didn't even say anything to her. It could be nothing but it's been years and The Quartermaines are close friends of my family as you know; and we need to do all that we possibly can to help them."
Sam nodded, understanding the weight of the situation. "I'll start with the phone number. See where it leads."
Mac gave her a grateful nod. "Thanks, Cassadine. This means a lot to Monica... and to me."
"yes sir, I was going to ask; if this case happens to take me out of Manhattan; should I bring.." Mac cut her off before she even finished.
"no, I want you alone on this one..Cassadine, you know the town, and the people; and you understand the importance of the case; I have other things for Benson and Spinelli." She nodded before turning and opening the door causing Carly and Spinelli to fall on the ground having both been listening in.
Really, guys?" Sam said, raising an eyebrow at the duo sprawled on the ground.
Carly scrambled to her feet, brushing herself off, a sheepish grin on her face. "Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back," she quipped, trying to lighten the mood.
Spinelli, still on the floor, adjusted his glasses and muttered, "Information is the lifeblood of investigation, Sam."
Sam shook her head, a mix of amusement and annoyance in her expression. "Well, you two will have to find another lifeblood for now. Mac's got me on a solo mission."
Carly's curiosity piqued. "Solo? Is it something big?"
From behind, Mac's voice boomed, startling them. "Is there a problem here?"
Carly and Spinelli instantly straightened up, looking like two students caught by the principal.
"No, sir," Carly said quickly.
Spinelli added, "Just discussing... case strategies."
Mac eyed them skeptically but then turned his attention to Sam. "Cassadine, focus on the Quartermaine case. It's sensitive, and I trust you to handle it discreetly."
Sam nodded, understanding the implicit message - this was more than just another assignment; it was a test of her abilities and discretion.
"As for you two," Mac said, turning back to Carly and Spinelli, "there's plenty of work to be done. I expect you to focus on your current cases."
With a final nod, Sam stepped out of the office, leaving Carly and Spinelli to exchange a look of mild embarrassment.
As the day progressed; Sam remained at her desk flipping through and calling contacts for a lead. "Kiki, It's Sam...your cousin?" Kiki Jerome; a cop outside of Tulsa hadn't been back to her hometown in a few years. "Sam? wow, It's been ages. What's up?"
"Uh..it's only been a year but whose counting; I have a case that I need your help with; can you trace a number for me?"
Kiki's voice carried a hint of surprise and interest. "Trace a number? That's a bit outside my usual beat, but I'm intrigued. What's the case?"
Sam sighed; Kiki was known for being a bit of a gossip especially with her mother; Ava who was an even bigger gossip. "It's just a small, cheating spouse situation. The wife found a number on her husband's call log and is suspicious." Kiki's tone lightened, a touch of excitement in her voice. "Cheating spouse, huh? Sounds juicy. Send me the number, I'll see what I can do."
Sam quickly texted the number to Kiki, her fingers dancing over the phone's keyboard. "Thanks, Kiki. I really appreciate it."
"No problem, Sam. I'll get back to you as soon as I have something. And hey, don't be a stranger, okay? Visit sometime."
"I'd love that; we'll have to set something up; I know that Mom has been dying to visit you, it's all she and your mom talk about but yea, just call me once you figure out where the call came from." She said before hanging up as Carly walked in a one piece corset and stripper heels.
"What happened to you?" Carly winced before putting her hand up to avoid talking about it. "How's the case going?" She groaned out while taking off the shoes. "I've been trying to figure out where the number is from; my cousin is a cop and said she'd.." Sam watched as Carly fought trying to pull the second heel off. "Are you okay?" Sam asked standing up and helping Carly sit down before pulling the heel off for her. "I am just going to say that you are so lucky that you aren't following cheating spouses and gold-digging wives.."
Carly winced out. "I have spent two hours shaking my ass in heels that are a size to small at a seedy strip club..who the fuck goes to strip club at noon?" Sam grimaced at the swelling on her feet. "We should put some ice on that." Sam said walking into the small office kitchen, pulling open the freezer and taking out an ice tray. "Sam, about the Quartermaine case? What was Jason like? I mean, you grew up here; the two of you went to school together, what was he like?" Carly asked from across the office.
Sam paused for a moment, her mind casting back to the times she saw Jason at school. She returned from the kitchen with the ice tray, carefully wrapping a few cubes in a towel and handing it to Carly.
"Jason, huh?" Sam pondered, leaning against her desk. "We weren't close, but he was one of those guys everyone knew. Star of the football team, good grades, popular. The kind of guy who seemed to have everything going for him. But he was... different, you know? More reserved than you'd expect from someone in his crowd."
Carly, applying the ice to her swollen feet, listened intently. "Reserved? In what way?"
"He wasn't a show-off, didn't bask in the limelight like others did. Seemed like he had a lot on his mind, even back then. He wasn't rude or anything, just... distant, I guess." Sam's voice trailed off as she reflected.
"I think his parents were really hard on him. He was the golden child. Aj was the family fuck-up. He was the one who was the first to make a mistake; get drunk or land himself in jail and Jason spent a lot of time cleaning up after his brother. Monica and Alan just expected so much more out of him than AJ; and I think it weighed heavily on him." Sam explained peeling back the towel to peek at the swelling before applying it back.
"So, what happened to him?" Carly asked, looking up at Sam.
"That's the million-dollar question," Sam replied, her gaze drifting back to the window. "He just disappeared one day. No warning, no note, nothing. It was a big deal in the town, search parties, police investigations. But they never found a trace of him. The Quartermaines even issued a million dollar reward for any information but nothing ever came of it"
Carly shook her head in disbelief. "And now his mom thinks he called her out of the blue, after all these years?"
"It could be empty hope; I don't know, I don't think Jason would have called her after all these years but maybe; the call might give me a lead of where to start searching for him."
As a few more hours passed and the afternoon light began to wane; Carly, Sam and Spinelli were all hard at work at their desks, Carly and Spinelli both working on cases while Sam scanned through area codes when the phone rang; breaking the busy silence. "Scorpio Investigations, Samantha Cassadine speaking."
It was Kiki on the other end. "Sam, I've got some news for you. I traced that number you sent me. It was last active in a small town in Florida called Cedar Bay; it's a little seaside town with 1,200 residents so it's pretty damn small but I tried to get a specific pinpoint and I couldn't..." Sam shook her head.
"Kiki, this is plenty! thank you so much; I'll be on the first flight out there." Sam said hanging up. "I got a lead! The call came from somewhere in Florida.." Sam said standing up and walking into Mac's office. It wasn't long before she was walking back out, followed by Mac. "I'm gonna give you a week, Cassadine! If the lead runs cold; just come back and we'll try from another angle." Mac explained as Sam gathered her things while Carly and Spinelli watched. "I will call once I land in Florida." Sam explained before walking out of the agency.