"It's time to say goodbye, but I think goodbyes are sad, and I'd much rather say hello. Hello to a new adventure."
Ernie Harwell

"I called Benson and told him what happened. He said to take all of the time that you need." Sam hands me a cup of coffee.

"Thank you."

Sam had come running when he heard me scream his name. It had taken me some time to calm down, and now I'm pissed. My instincts kick in: who the hell wrote this note? I need to know, and I need to know now.

Sam rubs my shoulders as I drink my coffee. "I have to get to work, Sam."

"I know. Just take a minute, then I'll drive you,"

"Sam, you don't have to drive me."

"Like hell, I don't. Cindy, someone sent you a threatening note. I'm driving you, and I'm not taking no for an answer."

The concern on Sam's face is overwhelming. "Okay," I concede.

"I'm going to get dressed, and then we can leave." Sam kisses my forehead and leaves me.

He returns a moment later. I place my coffee cup in the sink, and we get into Sam's vehicle. Twenty-five minutes later, we're at my office. Sam parks and starts to get out of the car.

"Sam, Love, it's unnecessary for you to escort me to my office."

He takes my hand. "Yes, Babe, it is. I need to know that you're safe. Please let me do this."

His pleading eyes convince me to let him have his way. We enter Easton Real Estate's building and take the elevator to my floor. As we enter the lobby, Liza greets me.

"Cindy!"

"I'm fine," I say before Liza gets emotional.

Sam gives Liza a look, and I pretend not to notice. I have no intention of letting people pity me. That's not who I am.

I turn towards Sam. "I'm good, Sam. You can go now."

I don't mean to sound so harsh; I'm just not used to being protected.

Sam ignores my harshness. "You promised to have lunch with me; I'll be here at 12:30."

He wiggles his eyebrows, and it brings a smile to my face. "I'll be ready."

He kisses and hugs me tightly before leaving me to work for the day. I get settled into my office. Since it's later than our usual meeting, I buzzed Benson and asked if he's good with meeting now or prefers to meet later. He's ready now, so I grab what I need and head directly to his office.

I knock and enter Benson's office. As soon as he sees me, he gets up from his chair and walks around his desk to pull me into a hug. Right now, we'revBenson and Cindy, good friends who care about each other.

"Are you okay? You didn't need to come in today."

"Yes, I did. First, no one will intimidate me; secondly, I have a job to do. You have to decide, and you need my research to make a good decision.

Benson chuckles as he releases me and returns to his desk. "I would expect nothing less from you, Cindy. I want you to know that you're more important to me than any client."

"Thank you, Benson; I know and appreciate that."

After having our moment, I begin to reveal to Benson my findings.

"I'll start with Greg Wallace, the missing employee from Holland's Construction Group. I found that both of his ex-wives had restraining orders against him, and in several jobs, they cited him for sexual harassment. He bounced from job to job and would quit before any companies he worked for had a chance to fire him.

By the time they reported Wallace missing, a few days went by. His credit cards haven't been used since he went missing. They repossessed his home and vehicle for non-payment. His house and everything in it went up for auction. The car puzzled me because they found it abandoned at the construction site where they last saw him.

I was confused that Holland even considered hiring this man until I discovered he was Holland's cousin. The case is now cold."

I pause, and Benson waits for me to continue.

"The body of a male, age 30-40, was found at a site where Big Dog Contracting had just filled the building's footers. The police thought someone inside must have known the schedule for pouring the footers. They believed that the murderer had planned to bury the body in the wet cement of the footer. Because it had already set, they panicked, dropped the body, and fled.

The victim was shot execution-style in the back of the head. Since there was no blood at the worksite, it wasn't the crime's location, which led to a few clues. They had checked video surveillance in and around the site and came up empty. The victim's fingertips and teeth were missing, leaving his identity a mystery. Sam was the lead detective on this case. It also went cold."

I finish my report and hand my findings to Benson.

Benson sighs, "I plan on hiring Big Dog Contracting. I feel that they're the better choice. That Holland would hire his cousin and keep him employed with so many accusations and complaint reports against him tells me that Holland lacks the decision-making skills I look for in a business."

Benson stops and takes a sip of his coffee.

"There's no evidence that the body found on Big Dog's construction site had anything to do with Big Dog. There's only speculation that an insider is involved, no proof."

Benson stands, which tells me that our meeting is over.

"Thank you, Cindy. Please stop investigating these murders. I don't want anything to happen to you because of your position at Easton Real Estate."

I smile at Beson. "You know I can't do that."

"Unfortunately, I do, but it didn't hurt to ask. Please be careful."

I get up and go to my office, looking forward to my lunch with Sam. I'm pleasantly surprised to see him in my office. That is until I see the look on his face.

My smile drops to a frown. "Sam, are you okay?"

"I have to leave town, Cindy. My investigation is leading me to Los Angeles. I need to be there for a few days."

I'm confused. "Okay, that isn't unusual, so why are you so upset about it?"

Sam looks at me, and I see a flicker of fear in his eyes. "Because I don't want to leave you when there's a crazy-ass lunatic writing you threatening letters."

I go over to where Sam is sitting and straddle his lap, not caring that my office door is wide open.

"Babe, I'll be okay. Would it make you feel better if I asked to stay with Millie and Pete while you're away, or better yet, my dad?"

Sam hides his face in the crook of my neck. His breath tickles my skin.

Sam whines, "I should be the one protecting you."

"You protect me by ensuring I'm safe with someone you trust. Pete and my dad are police officers. I'll be safe with them. Go."

Sam pulls away from my neck, places his hands on my cheek, and our eyes connect.

"I love you so much, Cindy. I could never live with myself if something happened to you. However, you're right. I trust your dad and Pete with my life. So there's no reason not to trust them with yours. I'll go."

I tenderly kiss his lips. "I love you too, Sam; I promise to be careful. Don't you worry about me."

He smirks, "Impossible."