Second Chances(89)

"What happened?" she begged.

He stared at Paige.

"You aren't going to let this go, are you?"

She knelt down next to his chair.

"Please, Daniel. I know you don't know what is going on and the truth is I don't either. Please tell me what happened to your Paige."

He looked away from her for a minute and then put his head in his hands.

"It was my fault."

"What was?"

"The fire."





CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE



"Yeah, it's spiraling out of control. He is so frazzled he smashed his own phone," Jimmy reported.

A chuckle echoed through the phone, but there was very little humor in the laugh.

"I can understand that. I am looking at a report of a shooting at Ocean View."

"Yeah, I think that might have been what pushed him over the edge."

"So Dr. Merrick actually did spring Jason?"

"So it would seem," Jimmy said.

"How wonderful. I'm impressed. What is he doing now?"

"He's still following Paige."

"He's actually going to just let Merrick and Kendall go?"

"He's asked me to try and track them. Which is why I called you."

"Can you do it?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure."

"Now Jimmy you aren't just trying to be modest..."

"No, seriously. Camera coverage here isn't like it is in a big city and I have to say it looks like Dr. Merrick is more than just book smart."

"What do you mean?"

"I have a fix on her car, of course, but it hasn't moved."

"Abandoned?"

"That would be my guess. However, with assistance options being as limited as they are, that is only a guess. I've pinged all the trackers that he's placed on her and other than the car, they are all still at her home or her office."

Another chuckle sounded through the phone.

"So like I said, I don't know if I can find them, never mind track them. Given the restrictions, I can't use the main computer systems and have to just piggyback on other outside systems, which likely means if I do manage to get some hits, they won't be real-time."

"Do you think that these two incidents are connected?"

Jimmy frowned. He wasn't used to being asked his opinion on these types of matters. He was the tech support, field analysis wasn't his specialty. He thought about it for a moment.

"It seems awful strange for it to be a coincidence and yet I don't think they are connected. Not directly anyway."

"And you said he still has you tracking Paige?"

"Of course. You want me to tell him I lost them? Maybe say the connection went dead again?"

The phone was silent for a moment.

"No. I don't think so. However, before you share any further information with him, try and run it by me first. I'll decide exactly what he needs to know. Also if anything unusual pops up on any of the police bands, notify me immediately. I already have a clean up team on continuous standby at the naval base for when things get really out of control."

The line went dead and Jimmy shivered.





CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX



"The f..fire?" Paige's voice trembled and she stumbled backwards. Nathan quickly went to her side, but she waved him off and sat down on the porch.

Daniel nodded. "I always forgot to turn off that damn coffee maker. Paige was the one who always turned it off behind me. She joked that one day I'd burn the house down. I had gotten up early, a couple of us heading to Boston for the day, over to Fenway for the Sox-Yankees game. She slept late. By the time the...by the time the fire alarm woke her, it was everywhere."

Paige covered her mouth with both hands.

"They got her out of the house, but the burns and smoke inhalation..." He shook his head before continuing. "Her father was an incredible doctor and he did everything he could, but it was beyond him. He called in favors from specialists, but even they couldn't help. She was put in a burn ward, but it was too late. Infection ran through her. The pain was so intense that they had to induce a coma. When they decided there was nothing more they could do, they let us hold her left hand. It was one of the few parts not covered with burns. Even though they had sedated her, I swear she knew we were there. I swear she would cry when I held her hand, it was her only way to say goodbye."

Tears were rolling freely down Paige's face, her hands trembling in her lap. Nathan was wiping at his own. He heard the pain in the man's voice and understood it all too well.

"So you see, there is no way you can convince me that you are Paige. I don't know what kind of sick bastards you are or what kind of game you are playing, but.."

"When was the fire?"

Daniel turned and looked at Paige. "What?"

"When...when did the fire happen?"