06: Can You See Me At All? (Nowhere Man)

Miranda Clyburne instinctively curled up against the radiator when she heard the footsteps. When she felt the hand against her head, she tried to turn away...but of course she couldn't go very far, tied up as she was. She felt the hand pull the blindfold away from her eyes.

Miranda kept her eyes closed--she'd heard the stories about what happens if a kidnapper sees your face.

"Not this again," a male voice said. "I'm not going to kill you. I don't even have a weapon."

Slowly, Miranda opened her eyes. Once they adjusted to the light, she saw a tall, blonde man wearing a sand-colored suit, black gloves, and a wolfish grin.

"Good news, Miss Clyburne," he said. "The ransom has come through already. The police should be here to pick you up soon."

A wave of relief washed over her, along with a spark of defiance. I can't let him get away with this, she thought. She made a point to study his features as much as she could.

He noticed her increased focus, but made no attempt to hide his face. In fact, he slowly turned to the side, to let her get a better look. "I'll even tell you my name, if you want. Not that it will help."

Miranda didn't understand what he meant by that, but she certainly didn't appreciate being toyed with. Not after all that she'd been through. "You bastard," she spat.

"I've been called worse. Now...just sit there and be good, and you'll be home in time for cocktails. Have a pleasant evening." He gave her a quick nod, and walked out the door.

Miranda went over the details in her mind. His blonde hair, parted to the left. The wicked glint in his brown eyes. His well-trimmed...wait, did he have facial hair? Not a full beard, not a mustache. Maybe he was clean-shaven.

She thought about his olive green suit and black gloves. No, that wasn't right. Brown? Brown suit, no gloves. But he must have been wearing gloves...the gloves were brown, and his hair was black. That must have been it. And his tie was...wait. Was he wearing a tie?

Miranda began to panic as more and more of the details slipped away. Did he smile? Did he touch her? What had he said about her parents? Frustration and despair set in as she tried to hold onto even one thing that would help her identify her kidnapper.

When the police came ten minutes later, Miranda Clyburne was in tears...and she didn't know why.