Second Chances (34 page)

"Are you ready?"

She nodded and together they exited the car and went into the building. They got in line behind a short old man. A moment later, the old man got his meal and then they were at the register.
 

A cute teenage girl with electric blue hair stopped chewing her gum long enough to give them her long practiced plastic grin. "Welcome to McDonald's, what can I get for you?"

"I'm looking for Mike Tobin, is he here?"

The girl dropped her phony smile and blew a bubble until it popped and then tilted her head back towards the grill area. "Hey Mike, you got visitors," she yelled.

"Be right there," a voice called back.

The blue haired girl tilted her head, indicating they should wait off to the side and then said, "Next."

Nathan was reminded of the old man back in San Diego and smiled as he and Paige moved out of line and waited.

Mike turned out to be maybe a year or two older than the blue haired girl. He had short cut brown hair and a tattoo of a rose on the right side of his neck with the thorny stem wrapped completely around to the other side.

"Mike?" Nathan asked.

"Yep."

"You are supposed to have something for me."

The boy looked from Nathan to Paige and then back. "You are supposed to have a hundred bucks for me."

"It's fifty and that's if it is still sealed, otherwise it's nothing."

Mike grinned and Nathan saw he was missing a tooth. "Hey, I had to try, right?" He pulled an envelope out of his back pocket and held it up for Nathan to see. Along the back of the envelope were a series of animal stickers, it was clear the envelope hadn't been opened.

Nathan pulled out his wallet. "I'll make it a hundred if you can tell me what the woman who gave it to you looked like."

"Okay or how about fifty and you tell me what's in here," he said fanning the envelope.

"No deal. I can't tell you what I don't know."

The kid grinned again. "Far out. You don't even know. This is crazy cloak and dagger shit, isn't it?."

Nathan held two fifty dollar bills up. "So?"

"Oh, yeah sure. Umm, tall like maybe six feet or so. No clue how old she was, but definitely older."

"What does that mean? Older? Older than what?" Paige asked.

"I don't know, older then me. I don't know at least thirty, thirty-five. Like I said, I don't know, just definitely older."

"What else?" Nathan asked.

"She was cute as hell, blondish hair in a ponytail. She had glasses, which really worked for her. You know the whole naughty librarian look."

Nathan did his best not to shake his head. "Anything else? Was she with anyone?"

"Nah, she was alone. She was pretty intense though. I got the feeling she was hoping you wouldn't show up, like she didn't want to do this. Whatever this is. What exactly is this?"

Nathan didn't answer. He simply snagged the envelope out of the kid's hand and then gave him the money.

Mike stuffed the cash into his pocket. "Thanks, did you want fries with that?"

Both both laughed and then Nathan looked at Mike and said, "Yes."

A couple of minutes later they were back in the car. Nathan popped a straw into his shake and then popped a french fry into his mouth. "Do you want to?"

Paige shook her head. "No, you do it."

Nathan passed her the fry container and wiped his fingers on his pants before he pulled the envelope out. He opened it, ripping most of the animal stickers in two. There was a single sheet of paper. He opened it and read it. Then read it again.

"Well?"

He started to hand her the paper.

"Just tell me."

"Well it's not the secret of life. It's a web address, phone number and some instructions."

"What?"

He held the paper up. "See list of supplies below. Do not call until tomorrow. Before calling, check out the website listed below. This is a one time only phone number so be ready to listen."

"What the hell? Why would someone drive almost two hours just to go to a place that is on practically every corner?"

"Are you sure you didn't recognize anyone inside?" Linda asked.
 

They had arrived at the McDonald's just in time to see Paige and Nathan get back into their car and then drive off a few minutes later. Cameron had parked and rushed into the restaurant, quickly checking the patrons.

"No. I checked everywhere, even both restrooms. If they met someone there then they must have left before we arrived. I didn't see anyone alone, every person was there with at least one other person and none of them seemed the least bit suspicious."

Linda took the phone out of the small console shelf and dialed.

"Jimmy, has there been any activity on Mr. King's phone?"

"Negative, Linda, not since that call a few hours ago. Could you tell Mr. Kassar I am sorry again? I really don't know why I couldn't intercept any clear audio. Maybe it was a weak signal or some kind of interference. I'm trying to clean it up, but I'm not too hopeful of getting anything useful. They are on the move again though, I am tr..."

"We are following them. Keep us posted," she said coldly and hung up not waiting for a response.
 

Cameron gave her an approving nod. "He still having no luck with the audio?"

"No," she said with a shake of her head. "McDonald's? Do you suppose it may mean something to them? Or to him?"

"In what way?"

"I don't know. Maybe their first date was at the aquarium and they came to McDonald's after that. Or some stupid crap like that."

Cameron was quiet for a minute as he considered her words.

"No, I doubt it. It had something to do with that call. Jimmy said they immediately began moving after that call."

"You really think they met with someone?"

Cameron nodded.

"Julie and Jason?"

"No," he said without hesitation. "We were maybe ten minutes behind them at the most. If they had met up I don't imagine it would have been that short of a meeting. I also don't think they would have done it at a McDonald's. I don't know what the hell that was. All I know is that I don't like it. Not one bit."

"Do you think they know they are being followed?"

Cameron shook his head no. "They've made no erratic moves. They have not been speeding or ducking off the highway. No, I don't think they suspect they are being followed."

They lapsed into silence as they continued to trail Paige and Nathan. The trip back to Newport was uneventful. After they got off the Newport Bridge they followed them into a Walmart parking lot. Cameron debated following them into the store, but decide to hold tight. When five minutes stretched into ten he began to reconsider and was just getting ready to get out of the car when Linda spotted them exiting the store. Paige was holding a plastic bag in her left hand.

"What do you think is in the bag?"

Cameron shrugged. He wished he knew, but at this point he figured it was anyone's guess. Nothing was making sense.
 

"McDonald's? Walmart? What the hell are they up to?"

Linda knew he didn't really expect her to answer, but she racked her brain just the same looking for a solution.

The sun was low in the sky and dusk was upon them when they followed the couple from Walmart back to their hotel.

"Are you sure we shouldn't just go up to their room and take them out right now?"

He looked over at Linda. "I'll tell you, I am sorely tempted to do just that. I want this done with. However, today's little trip has me more convinced than ever that there are others involved in this whole mess. I need to know who those loose ends are so I can take care of them once and for all."

"Do you think they are in for the night?"

Cameron scratched under his nose, considering. "I just don't know."

She heard the uncertainty in his voice and resisted the urge to sigh. She knew exactly what his words meant. They were in for a very long night. All thought of another night in the luxurious bed back at the hotel drifted away. She settled back in her seat and turned up the heat as the sun set and the evening turned cold.
 

Paige left the bags she'd been carrying by the door, then dropped onto the bed and let out a loud sigh.

"Tired?" Nathan asked.

"So beyond tired. I feel drained all the way down to my toes. What has it been, only two days?"

Nathan picked up the bags she'd dropped and carried them over to his bed.

"No, seriously. How long has it been? It feels like we have been going nonstop for weeks. I really have completely lost all track of time. It's like being locked on a roller coaster that never ends. I just want the ride to stop and I want to get off."

Nathan sat down next to her. She sat up and leaned against him and he wrapped his arms around her.

"We are going to get through this."

"How do I have the memories of a dead woman? How did your wife have those same memories?"

"I don't have the answers, but hopefully we are about to find out."

"I'm afraid," she whispered.

"I know. So am I."

Nathan kissed her on the head and then got up. He picked up his laptop bag and pulled out his computer.
 

"C...can we wait, just a little while?"

He nodded and placed the computer on the nightstand.

"Do you want to get something to eat first?"

"Are you hungry?"

He shook his head no.

"Good, neither am I. In fact, I'm regretting those french fries."

"Okay, then we skip dinner. How about we get these set up," he said dumping the contents from the bags onto the bed.
 

She picked up one of the disposable cell phones and began working on opening the packaging. Nathan began working on another, but neither made any progress.
 

"I hate these things."

"Phones?"

Paige laughed. "No, this stupid plastic packaging. At home I'd use a nail file or something to puncture it."

Nathan picked up his laptop bag again and pulled out a couple of pens. He tossed one to Paige and used the other to stab at the plastic of the package he was working on. After a minute he managed to get the phone out of the box. He plugged it into the charger and then began work on the next one.

It took a few more minutes for them to open up and begin charging all four phones. Paige gathered the prepaid minute cards and read through the directions. Ten minutes later she had loaded time onto all the phones. She sat on the bed, looking over at the nightstand.

"We can wait a little longer, if you want."

She looked over at him and shook her head.

"This is stupid. I know we need to check out that website. I want to check it out, but..."

"But you are afraid?"

Paige nodded and dropped her head into her hands. Nathan came and sat with her again.

"It's natural, Paige. Hell, I would be worried if you weren't afraid. In the last few days your entire reality has been flipped. So has mine. We get a mystery call telling us to drive hours to pick up a set of instructions to check out a website and buy some disposable phones. How the heck could you not be afraid?"

"What if..."

"Is not knowing better?"

She shook her head no.

Nathan reached over and picked up his computer. He opened it and booted it up.

"Then let's get it over with, okay?"

"Okay," she said, getting up and walking over to the window. She stayed where she was and listened to Nathan tap away at the keys.

"Hmm."

"What is it?" she asked, unwilling to turn away from the outside.

"Well this first page is a scan of yo...Paige's obituary and an article on the fire."

"What's it say?"

"Umm, hold on a second, let me read it." Nathan leaned closer to the screen. "Seems to basically be what Daniel told us. The article talks about the fire breaking out in the early morning, quickly engulfing the house. One person, Paige, injured and in critical condition. The fire department was able to prevent the fire from spreading. There is a picture of the remains of the house. The obituary is rather simple. Paige was twenty-four. Survived by her father and fiancee. There is a picture of y...her"

"Why did they want us to see that?"

"I don't know. There are more pages. Let's check out the next one. Do you want to come see?"

She shook her head no and continued to look out the window.

"What the hell?"

Paige turned her head slightly towards Nathan. "What is it?"

"It's another scanned news clipping."

She could hear a slight stutter to his speech, as if he didn't want to tell her.

"What is it about? The fire again?"

"No."

"Then what?"

He remained quiet. She finally pulled herself away from the window and turned all the away around.

"Well?"

Nathan shook his head in disbelief. "It's...it's a story about a suicide. Paige's suicide."

"Your Paige?"

"No."

"What?"

"This article is from about three years or so after the fire. They identify the victim as one Paige Kendall."

"What? How?"

"Let me see," he said, reading the article.

"Three years after the fire? Another Paige?"

"Happened in a bed and breakfast in Bar Harbor Maine. It says she slit her wrists and was found in the bath tub by the owners."

"That's horrible."

Nathan nodded.

"H..how many more pages are there?"

"Not sure."

Paige leaned back against the wall and slowly slid to the floor.

"Should I..."

"Yeah," she said. "Check out the next."

Nathan could hear the fear in her voice, but he knew they couldn't stop now. He clicked on the next page and two more articles popped up. He quickly started to read through them, not bothering to ask Paige if she wanted to see."

"So?" she asked after a minute.

"T..two more suicides. A Paige Keller in Helena Montana and Paige Reese in Bismarck North Dakota. One hung herself, the other jumped from the roof of a building. One of the articles is from about two years after the first suicide article, other is from about three."