Paige agreed and they made their way out to the front of the library. He rechecked the phone and saw he now had three bars.
"Better?"
"Yeah." he said and punched in the number.
The phone rang once before being picked up.
"You left your phone back at your hotel?"
"Yes. We did exactly as you asked."
"Is anyone following you?"
"Not that I have noticed."
"Have you been looking?"
Nathan decided it was best if he were honest and said, "No."
He heard the woman cursing on the other end.
"Do you think I am playing a game?"
"You didn't say anything about..."
"Are you kidding me? That website and me yelling at you about the phone wasn't enough to tell you how serious this is?"
Nathan was silent, his face red.
"Okay, we are going to do this the long way then. Are you ready? Because you get these directions only once."
"I'm ready."
He listened intently to the woman. When she finished talking the line went dead before he could say anything.
"Well?"
Nathan looked at Paige and sighed. He closed the phone, dropped it on the ground and then brought the heel of his foot down on it. Around them a few of the students looked and pointed. He ignored the stares and whispers, picked up most of the pieces and then walked over to the trashcan by the entrance and tossed the them in.
"She wanted to know if we were being followed. I told her I didn't think so, but I hadn't been watching. That seemed to piss her off. She says we are going to do this the long way and gave me another location."
"Of course she did."
"What?"
"She was going to give us another location no matter how you answered. Come on, she obviously is setting this up so she can see whether or not we are being followed."
"Obviously?"
"Sure. Don't you watch movies?"
"What?"
"You know, like in kidnapping movies. The guys demanding the ransom always make the people go through a series of phony drop areas to make sure they aren't being followed."
"And you think that is what this is?"
Paige nodded.
"And this was obvious to you?"
Paige laughed. "Of course. You did just smash a perfectly good phone, didn't you?"
"You know I did."
"Why do you think we had to pick up so many?"
Nathan blushed again.
"I think," she said, "that we are in for a long day."
"Well then let's get going."
He took Paige's hand and they walked back to the car.
"So where to now?" she asked when they were both buckled in.
"Second Beach."
"Really?"
Nathan nodded.
"Do you think she has been watching us since this all began? I mean the library and Second Beach, we've been to both already."
"Maybe or maybe they just knew Paige so well," he said as they pulled out of the library parking lot. "They know what she knew. So they kind of know what you know and might be picking places based on that."
"Maybe."
Nathan glanced into the rearview mirror.
"Keep your eyes peeled for anyone following us."
"Had someone told me that I'd actually be told to be worried about being followed a week ago, I'd have said they were crazy."
Nathan managed a weak smile, his eyes looking at the rearview mirror again.
Paige shivered as they pulled into the beach parking lot a short time later.
"Nathan, I just had an incredibly creepy thought."
"What is it?" he asked as he brought the car to a stop.
"What if that woman on the other end of the phone is Paige, or rather another Paige."
He sat in silence for a minute before saying, "Holy crap. I am not sure I can even get my mind around that."
"You don't think that it is possible?"
"At this point I have no clue what is or isn't possible. But you just blew my mind with that theory."
She got out of the car and walked around to his side. He got out and shook his head.
"I don't think it is another Paige."
"Why not?"
"Her voice. She doesn't sound like you."
He scanned the parking lot. No one was following them or watching them as far as he could tell.
"I hope you are right. I have to say I don't know how I would handle meeting another...me, I guess."
He looked around the parking lot once more, before taking her hand. They walked down the path to the beach. He stopped and looked to the far left. He pointed and counted to three.
"That one," he said pointing at the nearest lifeguard stand to their left.
They drudged through the sand until they reached the red painted wooden lifeguard stand.
"Look around and see if anyone is watching us," he said as he dropped to the ground and began digging in the sand beneath the stand.