The first time Russ went into the bedroom, he missed the rose and the note. His back was to the bed when he stripped off his cothes and hung them in the closet. After that, he slipped into a warm-up suit and checked the cable guide to see what was on TV. When fifteen more minutes passed without Vicky, Russ went back into the bedroom to phone her best friend, who lived down the block. That was when he saw the note on the pillow on the immaculately made bed. There was a black rose lying across the plain white paper.

Written in a careful hand were the words "Gone, But Not Forgotten."