Hidden Identities Chapters One and Two

Hidden Identities

Vanished

By Amanda Germaine

Chapter One

Katelyn had never been late for her job at R. J. Collections Agency, but this morning she had overslept. The night before she was up late working on a special case for the Jacobsons. She was meticulously studying all of the possible options to settle their debt. They were struggling, and she just had to find a way to fix it. It was one of the reasons she was okay with staying at this crummy job. Suddenly she had it! If the they pay $50 a month towards their debt for the next 12 months, that will buy them time to save up enough money to pay off half of the amount. Then we can forgive the rest! Katelyn was super happy that she had found the solution, but exhaustion finally started to take over. She set her work laptop aside and laid down in bed. She shut her eyes tight, but no matter what she did, sleep did not come to her. Pieces of the Jacobson case continued to flicker in and out of her mind. 

“Ugh!” she shouted to no one as she threw back the comforter. 

She grabbed her yoga mat from the corner and placed it next to her bed.  The case began to slip from her mind as she did one restful pose after another. 

Breathe out, hold downward dog for three breaths, concentrate on my breathing, she thought.  By 1 o’clock her mind was clear and sleep was no longer an obstacle. She laid back in bed, not even bothering to put her mat away, and drifted off to sleep.

“Oh my god!!” Katelyn sat straight up in bed gasping for air. “Oh buckets! I overslept.” “No shower today.” She threw open her closet and grabbed one of her standard work outfits.  It’s a good thing I don’t own zebra pants because in my rush, I’d throw those bad boys on without even realizing it’ she thought.  She ran out of her bedroom, grabbed her keys from the kitchen counter, opened the door to the garage and hit the garage door opener. 

She was sitting at the light on Wabasha and 6th. The lights seemed to take forever to change, but as soon as the lights turned from red to green she stomped her foot on the gas and maneuvered around three cars.  Katelyn thought of her mom.  “You’re a little bit of a lead foot.” her mom would say from the passenger seat.  She smiled at the memory, as she maneuvered her car down Wabasha to the R.J. Collections building.

Her mother had passed away three years prior. Sometimes memories could bring her to tears, but she tried to focus on the positive memories and the positive times they had spent together. Katelyn and her mom had been very close. She was her best friend. Her wheels squealed as she pulled into the parking lot. As she pushed the button on her key fob to lock the door, she thought about how her mother had always encouraged her to do what made her happy. Katelyn remembered how disappointed her mom was when she took this job at RJ Collections.

“Mom, it pays better than any other job I’ve had, plus there’s room for advancement.”  she had told her mom.

“But Kate, you said that about being a bartender, a waitress, a bank teller...

“Okay, okay mom I get it!  But I don’t want to go to college yet. I’m clueless about what I would major in...” Katelyn argued. 

“Alright, alright, calm down.  I don’t want you to do anything you don’t want to do.  I’m just worried you will end up in a dead end job. I just want you to be happy.”

The next day, her mom had a doctor’s appointment.  That evening she told Kate she had been diagnosed with stage four breast cancer.  In six months her mom was gone. 

Katelyn got off the elevator on the seventh floor just in time to punch the time clock at 8:02. 

Whew! she thought, only two minutes late.

“Nice job there on the Jacobson case Briggs!” Katelyn whirled around to see none other than the Large-and-in-Charge Mr. R.J. himself. 

Katelyn hated that her face flushed right away. 

“Uh, Thanks!” she replied, flustered at the unexpected run in with the big boss.

“You are batting a thousand on all your cases!  Keep up the good work!” boomed R.J. as he lumbered down the hall towards his office. 

“You are batting a thousand on all your cases,” came a mocking voice from the next cubicle over. Carlos and David snickered at Mallory’s snide comment. Kate rolled her eyes and walked right by them not giving them the satisfaction or even a look in their direction.

She walked into her cubicle to see her cube mate Millie already at work. 

“Hey Mills,” Kate said as she took off her jacket.  “Did you hear Mallory?”

“Ya, she’s a jerk, just ignore her.” 

“Ya, I do. At least I try.  Hey, did you look into that night class I was telling you about?  You know, the HTML course?”

“I did!  I start on Tuesday night,” Millie said as she wrinkled her nose to push up her glasses.  Millie’s eyes always seemed ‘bug like’ behind her thick lenses. 

“Good! I think you'll be good at it!”

“I never would have done it, if you hadn't pushed me”

“Yeah, but you’re the one that took the steps, and that's what matters” Kate said as she sat down and adjusted her chair.

While she sat waiting for her computer to load, Kate got angry at the fact that Mallory, Carlos and David were so mean. She did her best to ignore them, but it didn't mean it had no effect on her. Shortly after her computer loaded, she saw an instant message pop up from her boss, asking for her to come into her office for a second. Katelyn’s muscles tensed. Her boss rarely asked her into her office. What could this be about? Better get it over with. She thought to herself as she quickly walked over to Jen’s office.

“Katelyn, I need to talk to you.  H.R. has told me that there have been some complaints about you.” Jen’s face wrinkled in concern.

“What kind of complaints?

“Well, there have been some rumors being spread around that Carlos and David are a gay couple. I know it sounds silly, but this has been very hurtful to the two of them. I received an anonymous letter that stated that they thought that you were behind these rumors.”

“But….”

Jen put her hand up to stop her.

“Before you tell me your side of the story, I also want to make you aware that I have also received a few complaints about how you deal with your payers. I’m told that you have been losing your cool and yelling at them. You do realize that yelling has never helped our case, right?”

“Jen, you have to know, these simply just aren’t true. I would never spread rumors about David and Carlos. And, you KNOW I’ve never yelled at a customer. Not even once.”

“I know, Katelyn, however, I have to take these claims seriously. You have the best numbers in the office and you are my best agent. I need you to stay on. I also got an email from R.J.. He is very impressed by your numbers as well. We are on your side, but as you know, things can get sticky with HR complaints and issues, and I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to protect you.” Jen said, concerned that she might lose her best employee.

“Understood. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.”

“Sure thing!  It’s great to have you back in. We missed you on Friday. I’m glad you are feeling better.” Jen said, smiling.

“Thanks” Kate said as she stood up and walked out of the office, a big tornado of anxiety twisting around in her stomach. Well, I suppose I will have to start bringing in some bagels and doughnuts to try and win the favor of these jerks. Kate thought to herself as she wandered back to her desk. I can’t have them turning in anymore false complaints. The anger and anxiety started to crash together in her brain, making her feel ill.

“Are you okay? You look like you’re going to yak!” Millie said, sounding concerned.

“Yeah, keeping my food down so far.”

“What happened?”

“I’ll tell you later. These cubicle walls have ears you know.” She said, mustering a smile.

She was sick of not being liked here. Maybe she needed to get to know Mallory, maybe there was a reason she was always so mean to her. She decided to make a point of trying to get to know her. She knew if she had Mallory on her side, that Carlos and David would follow suit.

She occasionally tried to explain to her co-workers that there were those that she couldn’t convince to start a payment plan and she had actually gotten hate mail from them and even a couple of threats. Her words didn’t seem to change the minds of those she shared space with and the rest, she could care less about. She didn’t quite understand it. Yes, she was good at her job, but she was a nice person and even though her fellow collections agents were mean to her, she was never once mean to them, not even for a second. Someday she’d reach her full-potential.

“Kate?” Mille said.

“Hmm?”

“Are you still thinking about those assholes?”

“Heh, why do you say that?”

“Because I can hear you grumbling beneath your breath.”

Katelyn Laughed. “oh….. yeah, maybe a little.”

“Well, stop. They don’t deserve one more second of your brain power.”

Chapter Two

She had a hard time focusing on work tasks. As she thought of the grumbly morning, she felt herself getting frustrated all over again. I really need to settle myself down or I’ll never be able to focus on my work. She decided to think on something else for a minute, and her mind settled easily on Donovan. She smiled at the thought of his name “Donovan,” she whispered it with a smile and a quiet sigh. She thought back to Thursday night the week before. To be honest, she couldn’t stop thinking about it.

She had gotten off of work late that gloomy day.  It was about 11pm by the time she left, which was late for her, she normally left work by no later than 5pm, but the boss asked her to stay late so she obliged.  She was exhausted and wasn’t really paying attention to her surroundings. She mindlessly wandered around the few cars that were left in the dark parking lot. Only two street lights shown on the street down the road, causing an eerie glow to shine onto the paved concrete. Exhausted from her long day, she walked slowly out to her little blue Honda, adoring the look of her car as it shined in the moonlight. She could feel the coolness of the Minnesota fall bite her bare skin and she wished she hadn’t forgotten her coat in the car that morning.  She hated when the Minnesota seasons changed. You never knew what to wear or how to prepare. It was either warm and sunny, or rainy and freezing. Her feet ached from running around the office that morning in high heels. She was forced to park near the end of the lot since she had been running late. “Man, what a day, I can’t wait to get home to my comfy couch and a cup of hot tea.” Katelyn said aloud to herself as she arrived at her car and started to fumble in her purse to find her keys. Suddenly, a masked man, dressed in black, came out from behind a black van with a gun. 

“Give me your purse!” he said with a gruff voice, pointing the gun at her. 

Shaking Katelyn handed over her purse, automatically pulling her sleeve down to hide the charm bracelet her mother had given her right before she died. It wasn’t expensive, but could be a target to a robber, and it was the one item she couldn’t stand to lose. The man started fumbling through the purse seeming to look for something specific. He looked up at her and shouted;

“Take of your necklace!”

Oh no! Kate thought to herself, I forgot about the necklace. It was a ruby red heart that her mother had given her for her birthday one year, it was a symbol of her love for her and of hope that Katlyn would eventually find love.  Kate lifted her hands behind her neck to undo the clasp, but she hesitated, not wanting to let go of this connection to her mother. 

“GIVE ME THE NECKLACE NOW OR I’LL SHOOT, I SWEAR.”

This startled Katelyn, she jumped and noticed the man’s hands shaking. She fumbled with the clasp, her hands shaking as well, and once the necklace was unclasped, her necklace fell to the ground.  The man moved forward, keeping the gun pointed at her and he grabbed her necklace, still holding her purse in hand.  As he continued to search for valuables in her purse, gun still pointed at Kate, she looked down at the ground, and tried not to move, worried that she would startle this nervous man. Suddenly, she heard something drop to the ground. She looked up and saw that the man’s hands were empty – replaced with frantic movements. He was being held by someone and struggling under the hold. She couldn’t see very well in the dark of the parking lot, but she could see that whoever was holding him must have moved in quickly and nearly silently – she had only heard the gun drop to know someone else had arrived. As the thug tried to get free of the hold, she heard a man’s voice say,

  “Are you okay, Miss?”

“Uh, yes, I’m fine I think” Katelyn replied with a shaky voice. She struggled to make sense of the situation.

“Can you call 911?” The man said kicking her purse over to her as the robber continued to struggle, though he was obviously caught. “Yes, of course.” Katelyn said, her voice shaking. She bent down to dig out her phone as quickly as she could. She pulled out the phone and dropped it before she could get the 3 numbers dialed. “I….I’m sorry” She said as she bent over to pick it up.

“That’s okay, miss. I need you to listen to me, you are safe now.  I just need you to focus on calling the police.”  His voice was strong, calming and gave Katelyn a feeling of relief. She took in a deep breath.

“Okay.” She picked up the phone and dialed the numbers carefully and pressed send. She sunk to the ground and sat there cross-legged as she told dispatch that a man tried to mug her and he is currently being held. She gave them the address and hung up even though the woman on the other end had urged her to stay on the line, very adamantly. 

Katelyn just stared at the ground in a daze the exhaustion from the whole day setting in. Suddenly, the robber fell to the ground unconscious. Katelyn just stared at the man on the ground. She still felt like she was in shock. Nothing seemed to make any sense to her at the moment.

“Is he…… dead?” She asked, her voice shaking slightly.

“No, he’s just out, he’ll wake up sometime tomorrow with a headache. However, it’s probably not a great idea to hang around here and wait for the cops. They sometimes take a while in this area. What are you doing out so late anyways?”

“Well, I work here and my Boss, Jen, asked me to stay late, and I did, for her, and I’m so tired and it has been a long night and….” Kate continued to mumble in what she thought were full sentences as she handed the man her car keys, and her manager’s business card, and her necklace.

He looked at the random items he’d just been handed and then to the the mess of a girl in front of him.

“I think you need to sit down somewhere.” He said, concerned.

“I need to be at home, on my couch” She said as she fumbled with her purse and tried to stand up. Her legs wobbled under her as she tried to open her car door with her cell phone.

“Well, from the looks of it, I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to drive right now. Do…. you want me to grab you a cab? Or do you…. maybe want me to give you…. a ride?”

“Um…..yeah, that probably makes sense”

He came closer to her and Katelyn looked up and noticed that he was dressed in a white pinstriped shirt, dark jeans and black dress shoes. He had dirty blonde scruffy hair and a handsome face. His sexy dark colored glasses accented his big dark brown eyes. She looked up at him wide eyed, unable to look away.

“Um…...I think you might be in shock, I’m going to take you home and make sure that you are taken care of, okay?”

“Uh huh” Katelyn said in a dazed voice.

He walked her over to his black jeep which was really close to the edge of the parking lot. She didn’t even know what was going on at the time.  Anyone could have taken advantage of her in that state, but she felt like she could trust him - I mean he did just save her from a robber. He opened the passenger seat door for her and helped her in the car. She didn’t say much on the drive to her house except reciting her address for him to put into the GPS.

Once they got there, he helped her wobble over to her couch. She collapsed onto her red love seat, feeling the soft cushion covers her Mom had made her as she lay with her head on the arm of the couch. She always felt as if her mother was holding her when she laid on this couch. It made her feel safe. She sleepily watched the strange man in front of her that she barely knew search through her cupboards and her fridge. Without even asking her, Katelyn watched him grab her tea kettle from the stove and filled it with water. He made her a cup of chamomile tea and after it was in her hands and she was sipping on it, he maneuvered his way around the kitchen to find everything needed for a turkey sandwich. Still not asking Katelyn for any help or to even ask her what she might want, he made a turkey sandwich on wheat bread with lettuce, swiss cheese, and mayo.

He sat next to her with the sandwich on a plate and handed it to her. She grabbed it and smiled at him. “How did you know what to put on the sandwich?” she asked quietly, eyes half shut. “There wasn’t anything else in the fridge. You need to eat” He said softly and quietly. He helped her  to take a bite by putting the sandwich to her mouth. One bite of the sandwich and Katelyn’s mouth started to water. She realized how hungry she was and she quickly consumed the remainder.

After finishing the sandwich, she picked up the cup of tea that was still steaming hot, and she smiled at him and said sleepily;

“You’re nice.”

“No, actually, I’m Donovan.” He said with a goofy but oh so sexy grin.

“Katelyn” She said with a yawn.

She sipped her tea once more and almost spilled it all over herself before she leaned back and exhaustion overtook her.  Donovan caught the tea before she could spill it and placed it quietly on the glass coffee table in front of the couch, and beyond that there was nothing but silent sleep. 

What do you think so far? Want to keep reading? Check out the link below and reserve your copy of the book! 
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1304829922/hidden-identities-by-amanda-germaine