By mid morning Ryder turned the car into the parking lot of a small convenience store. He let the car idle its way through the parking lot and come to rest in a spot near the bank of pay phones close to the front door. He sat lost in thought only for a moment then stepped out of the car.

Absently he prodded through the store, bought a candy bar and a can of soda. As he walked back to his car he paused at the phones.

"What the hell," he thought "It can’t hurt to ask."

The change dropped in the phone, and he dialed. Sipping at the cold soda as the phone rang. It was Dominic that answered. They talked for several minutes, and even when he questioned him, Dominic had no answers to who this woman might have been.

"I have a picture' Ryder added "It might jog your memory"

"Bring it by," his friend stated. "Maybe I will recognize her."

Ryder laid the phone in its cradle and walked to the car. He would be at Dominic’s in less than 10 minutes. Maybe then he could get enough of an answer to let this puzzle rest for a day. Dominic was great with faces and names, close by, and would surely be able to provide some needed answers.

Before he placed the key in the ignition, he reached out to the dash and grabbed the picture. It was warm enough to drive with the window down, and he wasn't about to chance loosing the picture. He tucked it into his breast pocket; and idled his way to the edge of the parking lot.

As he waited for traffic to clear, he again reached to the picture. Maybe in an attempt to verify what had actually transpired. He looked at the traffic, still time. He lifted the picture out of his pocket and looked at it. A field of solid white met his gaze. His heart rate increased when he flipped it over to see exactly the same thing. That small 3 by 5 inch square of photo paper, blank on both sides, took away every ounce of strength he had left.

The horn, persistent in its shill yell, went unnoticed as he pulled into the oncoming traffic.