Second Chances(107)

"New phone number?"

"No. Did you see a Yankee Candle store?"

"Yeah, it was near where we came in."

Nathan held out his hand. "Shall we?"

Paige took his hand and they began to walk back down through the mall.

"What do you think this is all about?" she asked.

"I think that she is here."

"Here in the mall?"

"Yeah."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well I think she'd have to at least have been here recently to place these little notes. She couldn't have done that too long ago or there would be a chance that they would have accidentally been found or moved by someone else. I also think she wants to see for herself whether or not we are being followed. She is likely here and is watching us walk back and forth."

Paige looked around at the faces of the people around them.

"Don't bother. If she went through all this trouble, she has likely positioned herself some place we won't be able to see her."

"So what do we do?"

"I don't see that we have any choice. We play along."

He found the next note exactly where the last one said it would be, taped to the underside of a butter cream scented candle. From there they traveled back to the bath store and found another note under a display basket full of soaps, lotions and loofas.

"You aren't going to believe this."

"Back to the candle store?" Paige asked.

He smiled and nodded.

"My legs are getting tired."

"Would you like me to carry you?"

Paige smiled and seemed to consider the offer, but in the end she took his hand again and they began walking back to the candle store.

When they reached the store, Paige waited outside. She scanned the people walking around the mall. Could one of these women be the one who was leading them on this scavenger hunt? None of them seemed to be looking at her, but then she didn't suppose that the woman would be staring directly at her.

"Bingo," Nathan said as he rejoined her.

"What?"

"Phone number," he said, holding up a piece of paper.

She gave him a weak smile.

"I know how you feel," he said taking her hand. "I'm nervous too. Come on, let's go."

She nodded and continued to look at the people around them as they made their way out of the mall and back to the car.

Once in the car, Nathan pulled a phone from his bag and dialed the number on the paper.

"You were watching us, weren't you," he said as soon as he heard the phone connect.

"Had to be certain."

"So we passed then?"

"That last slip of paper wouldn't have had a phone number on it if you hadn't."

Nathan let out a sigh of relief. She was being honest, he was certain of that.

"So now what?"

The line went silent and for a minute he worried she'd hung up.

"I guess," she began and then sighed. "I guess it's time we meet up."

He could tell she wasn't happy about it. She sounded as if she had been hoping she could just have ended the situation and left them roaming the mall indefinitely.

"Where and when?"

The woman let loose a string of expletives before giving him instructions.

Nathan opened the window and tossed the phone out before turning to Paige. She started the car and asked, "Where to?"

"Back to Middletown, the Seaside Motel."

They rode back in silence, each of them lost in their own thoughts and fears of what they might find.

"I feel like I am going to throw up," Paige said as she turned into the parking lot of the motel. She drove around and parked toward the back.

"I know what you mean, but we'll be okay. I promise, we will make it through this. Room twenty-three," he said pointing.

She brought the car to a stop and they sat there for a moment. He reached over and gently rubbed her shoulder. "Come on."

They got out of the car and walked to the door. Nathan moved in front of Paige and then knocked.

The door swung open and a tall woman stood in the doorway. Nathan guessed she was several years older than himself, but that could have just been from the stress she was obviously under. She was attractive, but he had a hard time looking at anything other than the gun in her hand.

Paige wasn't looking at the woman or the gun, she was looking beyond her to the man sitting on the edge of the bed. She squinted at him, a puzzled look on her face. Her eyes went wide, she gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. She nudged Nathan aside, her eyes never wavering from the man.

"Dad?"





CHAPTER EIGHTY



Paige pushed past Julie, bumping the gun in her hand. Julie let out a startled gasp and quickly took her finger off the trigger and tumbled into Nathan.

Paige knelt on the floor in front of Jason, her eyes locked on his. She reached out and touched his face. He looked down into her eyes, tears glistening at the corners of his own.