Free Head Over Heels by Gail Sattler

months.”
    â€œThat doesn’t make sense. The last time I talked to him, he was pushing to have it done ahead of schedule.”
    â€œWhether it makes sense or not, that’s the way it is. By the way, have you heard from Jessie? It isn’t like her to behave this way. The only reason I know that she’s not dead is that Tyler saw her downtown on the weekend. He said she waved at him as he was going up the escalator and she was going down, just like it was any normal day. He says he ran around and went back down, but by the time he got there, she was gone. Have you got any ideas? This all started the day of your accident.”
    Russ tried to think of a reason why Jessie might seemto be hiding, except at the same time, be in plain sight. “I haven’t got a clue. I still can’t remember what happened, much less why. But I have a question for you. Do you remember what Jessie or Brenda was wearing that day?”
    Grant crossed his arms over his chest. “You’re kidding me, right?”
    â€œI wish I was. Marielle said she saw a woman with dark hair and a yellow shirt poke her head out my window after I fell. She also said that she saw everyone from the office outside after the ambulance left, and that woman wasn’t in the crowd.”
    â€œBrenda was with me when the ambulance took you away. But now that you mention it, Jessie wasn’t with the rest of us. When we all got back up to the office, she wasn’t there, either. I just assumed she got so shaken up that she went home, and that she didn’t tell anyone because we were all outside.”
    â€œSo Jessie was in my office when I fell.” Russ tried to remember what they might have talked about that day, but all he recalled was working on their client’s project together, and getting frustrated with a glitch in his computer. He definitely couldn’t remember what he was doing at the window.
    The dizziness grew into a full-blown headache.
    He pressed his fingers to his temples. “I can’t remember what happened, but I just have a very strong feeling that this all has something to do with Jessie. And now that I know she was with me, at the very least she must have seen something. I really don’t know how it’s possible for me to just fall out the window. I go to thatwindow and stick my head out for a breath of fresh air all the time.” However, right now just the thought of sticking his head out the window brought on an almost dreamlike, terrifying sensation of falling, and with it, the headache pounded harder.
    â€œRuss? Are you okay?”
    â€œThat headache is coming back again. I just need a couple of minutes and it will pass.”
    Grant’s face tightened as he frowned. “I wasn’t sure before, but I’m sure now. Between the recurring side effects of the concussion and because you still can’t remember anything, I’m putting you on stress leave for a month. You work on all my most sensitive projects, so I need you to be at one hundred percent. You’re not coming back to work until you’ve had time to relax and the headaches have stopped.”
    The headache increased to migraine proportions. “I can’t be off for a month. I have so much to do!”
    â€œNo, you don’t. You don’t have anything important on your schedule because we’d cleared your calendar to allow you to work exclusively on Byron’s project, and now it’s cancelled.”
    â€œBut…” He’d never been off work for more than a week’s vacation. The concept of being off for a month was unthinkable.
    He’d been working extra hard to get Byron’s project done not one week, but two weeks ahead of schedule. He knew that Grant was looking to open up a new vice presidency, and Russ wanted the job. Completing one of the largest contracts in the history of the companyahead of a client’s rush schedule would make him a shoo-in for the