"Can you do this?" He reached over and took Paige's hand.
She refused to look at him. "I guess I don't have much of a choice, do I?"
"Not if you still want answers. As I see it, it's our only lead."
She squeezed his hand and sighed. "Okay. Let's get this over with. Back to Portsmouth we go."
The trip only took twenty minutes. They pulled the car into the driveway in front of a blue two story Cape Cod style home with a white front door and shutters and a small front porch.
Nathan got out of the car and came around and opened Paige's door. She looked up at him and frowned. He reached out his hand.
"Come on."
She got out of the car and followed him up the steps to the front door, keeping a few paces behind. Nathan rang the doorbell and they waited. A moment later the door opened. The man at the door was an inch or so shorter and many years older than Nathan. He had thinning black hair and was dressed in tan pants and a blue shirt sporting several stains. In his right arm was a little girl of three or four in a pink dress and the obvious source of the stains. Both he and the little girl were laughing.
"Yes can I..." He stopped talking when Paige moved out from behind Nathan. His eyes went wide and his face went white.
"Holy shit."
The little girl put both of her hands over her mouth and giggled.
The man shook his head, wobbled on his feet for a moment and then fell back crashing onto his bottom, the little girl in his arms still laughing. "Paige? H...how?"
CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
"Slow down," Jason said for the third time.
He understood that time was of the essence, but driving erratically would surely get them noticed. They had yet to hear any sirens and he took that as a good sign. She had a death-grip on the steering wheel and he knew she was barely keeping it together. He would have offered to drive, but he knew that he couldn't manage such a feat in his current condition.
"Julie, it's okay. You need to try and calm down. Come on, sweetheart, please try."
She started to look over at him but the car began to swerve.
"Eyes on the road."
She returned her focus to the road and brought the car back into their lane. She glanced in the rearview mirror, but she didn't see the road behind her. All she could see were the flecks of blood on her face. Sarah's blood. She began to raise a hand to wipe it off and again the car got out of control and she immediately gripped the wheel again. The blood would have to wait. Jason continued to speak softly to her and she began to slow a little until she was only barely breaking the speed limit.
They drove for another few minutes until they arrived in the parking lot of a grocery store. She drove to the far end and pulled up next to a five year old white Toyota Camry.
"Okay, give me a minute."
Julie exited the car and went to the trunk. She slammed her hand against it and returned to the open driver's side door. She bent down, reached in and turned the car off, pulling the keys free of the ignition. She dropped them and cursed again.
"Julie. You are doing great, just keep it together. One step at a time."
She looked over at Jason and he gave her a reassuring nod.
"You can do this, we can do this."
Julie looked at him for a minute more and then snatched the keys from the floor. She returned to the trunk and opened it. She removed two small suitcases from the trunk and placed them next to the Camry.
She shook her head, cursed herself again and then once more returned to the open door. She pulled her purse out and started to dig through it until she removed a second set of keys and then dropped the purse onto the seat once more.
"You are doing fine," Jason assured her.
She used the second set of keys to pop the trunk on the Camry and then loaded the suitcases. She opened the passenger door and returned to Jason. Trying not to hurry him too much, she assisted him out of the vehicle. She could see his grimaces of pain, but not once did he complain. He simply continued to tell her that she was doing a wonderful job. He was flushed, breathing heavy and was sweating by the time she managed to get him into the Camry.
She went around and got in the car, jamming the key into the ignition.
"Wait. Wait, Julie. Your purse."
She slapped her forehead and got out of the car. She ran around to the other car and got her purse.
"Leave the keys in the car," he called to her.
She looked over at him and then nodded and dropped the keys on the front seat before rushing back to the Camry.
"Okay, let's get the hell out of here," she said as she slid behind the wheel.
"Paige?"
She looked over at Jason, the pleading in his eyes was undeniable.
"I...I don't know where she is Jason. I'm sorry."