Running water gushed down the pipes in the house moments after Justin went up to his room. Paige stood, with her arms crossed over her chest, and stared out on the streets, thinking about what Justin had said.
“Want to go for a walk?”
“Were you eavesdropping?”
Andrew hesitated for a moment. “Didn’t mean to, was going to take a shower in your room when I heard you rejecting him.”
“I didn’t reject him.”
Pushing the door opened, he cocked his head to the side. “Come, let’s go for a walk. Doctor says it’s good for my leg.”
Paige trotted out behind him and didn’t say anything until they were out on the streets. “It’s a lot to think about, especially since we’ve only started dating. And there’s so much going on…”
“You seem happy.”
“It’s your fault, you know. You told him that I love New York. I think that’s what got him thinking about the whole thing.”
“Actually,” Andrew said. “I told him not to ask you to stay if he wasn’t staying. You told me what he did. He can’t stay here forever, and I don’t want you to stay only because of him. What will you do when he leaves? From what I see, you only have one friend your age, and even she might be leaving soon.”
She sighed softly. Now that she thought about it, Andrew was right.
She had enjoyed Pine Bluffs for the safety she felt here. Once they settled things with Cole, once Justin left, there would be no reason for her to remain in Pine Bluffs.
“What should I do?”
“You seem happy with him. You have that young school girl crush look when you’re with him. You can’t seem to stop smiling.”
“Are you saying I should go with him? I don’t believe in staying together. And work? I’ll need a job.”
“When you were studying, your scholarship didn’t allow you to get a job, but you found a way. If you set your mind to it, you always find a way.”
Paige stopped walking and turned to Andrew. “You really like him, don’t you? Is it because he’s like you?”
“Is he? I don’t see him ordering you around.”
“No. He’s nothing like you or anyone else I’ve met.” She pushed her fringe behind her ear, her fingers lingering in her hair for a moment as she thought about all those times when Justin did that.
“I like that you’re braver around him.”
“Thanks, Drew.” Paige looked down toward the floor, her gaze pausing on his leg. “Justin says I should rein in my concern. I know you can take care of yourself, but am I allowed to ask and get a serious answer for once? I promise I won’t ask again.”
“I am fine. It hurts a little when I jog, but I know not to push myself too hard. I’ve gotten injured many times, I know my body.”
“I know,” she said firmly. “I just needed to look you in your face when you say that. I needed to know you truly mean it, that you’re not being a superman because you think I need you to.”
“I know I’m not superman.”
“Good.” She nodded.
They turned back toward Justin’s house. She had a new answer for Justin. Andrew was right, there was always a way.
“Paige Watson?”
Paige looked over her shoulder, and her head tilted when she saw a young boy coming down the slope on his skateboard.
She frowned. “Yes?”
“This is for you.” The boy reached into his back pocket and handed her a crumpled cream colored envelope.
She froze. She couldn’t bring her hand up to take the letter.
“Ma’am?” The boy thrusted his hand forward.
Andrew pulled the letter from the boy’s hand and opened it while the boy gave another kick to continue skating down the slope. Andrew stretched his arm out, but the boy deftly dropped below his arm and skated on.
Paige’s hands turned clammy as she pressed the ring into her index finger. Clenching her jaws, she looked over at the letter.
It wasn’t a long letter this time.
No admiration. No admonishment. No poems. No photos.
Just a single piece of paper with the words ‘It’s time’ typed in the middle of it.
She swallowed hard and scanned the area. “It’s him.”
“Come on.” Andrew took off after the boy before she could stop him. She joined him in the chase, but the boy was on a skateboard and he’d made a turn. She paused for a moment even as Andrew pressed on despite not seeing the boy.
He ran down the road and turned into the nearest corner.
She sped up, but skidded to a stop almost immediately.
Justin’s mom stood at the end of the road, beckoning her.
This was such a bad timing. She thought Justin’s mom had left. Where did she spend the night?
Her head swiveled to where Andrew had turned into, then back at Justin’s mom. She should stay with Andrew. She would have to apologize to Justin’s mom another time.
But as she turned away, the corner of her eyes caught a sudden movement.
She looked over and found Justin’s mom doubling over, her face all crunched up as if she was in severe pain.
Paige ran over, placing her hand on Mrs. Doyle’s arm and elbow, trying to support her from collapsing to the floor. “Mrs. Doyle, are you all right?”
Justin’s mom straightened slowly, her arm remained over her abdomen. “Gastric, old ailment.”
“Do you want me to take you to the doctor?”
“No, no, darling.” Mrs. Doyle pulled her closer and wrapped her fingers around her arm. “I’m fine. I called you over because I want to know how my son is doing.”
Mrs. Doyle didn’t appear drunk. The pain she was suffering from seemed to have disappeared, and she seemed somewhat buzzed. Her eyes were wide, her brows raised, and her smile seemed forcefully plastered on her face.
Paige looked over her shoulder as Justin’s mom continued to drag her further away, pulling her down the street.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Doyle. Now isn’t a good time.”
“We can always make time, darling.”
Paige sighed softly, she didn’t want to waste time playing games with her. Andrew would be worried sick if he noticed she wasn’t right behind him. “I didn’t bring my wallet out.”
Justin’s mom waved it off. “Oh, don’t worry, I got that covered.”
Paige tilted her head to the side and took a good look at Mrs. Doyle’s face. Gently, she placed her hand over Mrs. Doyle’s arm. “Justin loves you very much and he’s willing to do anything for you to get well.”
Mrs. Doyle’s eyes turned hard and flinty. “Who says I’m unwell? I’m perfectly fine.” She tightened her boney fingers over Paige’s upper arm. “I’m his mother, I gave birth to him. Is it too much for him to spare me a little money?” Her grip tightened further.
Paige winced and tried pulling her arm from the grip. “Mrs. Doyle, you’re hurting me.”
“Mrs. Doyle, you’re hurting me,” she mimicked in a sickening high-pitch tone.
“Please, Mrs. Doyle.” Paige reached over and tried to pry Mrs. Doyle’s finger from her arm.
Mrs. Doyle dug her fingers deeper into Paige’s arm, refusing to let go. Then, without any warning, she gave Paige a rough shove and pushed her onto the road.
Paige crashed onto the floor, slamming her arm against the road.
She cradled her arm still in a daze on what had happened. She tried to get up into a sitting position, but someone jerked her head back and before she knew it, she was pressed back against the floor.
Amid the sun’s glare, she had to squint to take a better look of the dark shadow above her. Her eyes widened as she recognized the familiar face and felt his hand cupped over her mouth and nose.
She forgot all about the pain in her arm and starting flailing her hands around, trying to cause some form of damage on her attacker.
The same boney fingers that clung onto her arm now bounded her wrist against the floor. She wrung her body, twisting every which
way, trying to pry herself free.
But she found herself getting distracted by a roll of nauseousness as a revoltingly sweet odor infiltrated her nose and lungs.
She coughed, but ended up breathing in more of the disgusting scent.
The already quiet street seemed to go still, and a numbing sensation took over her arms.
“Come on, we need to go.”
“My money.”
The voice sounded so far away.
Her vision swirled and she knew she was moving. She didn’t know how; she couldn’t really think, she couldn’t really see, and she definitely couldn’t move her limbs.
Some more murmurings went on, but she could no longer make out the words.
A weird sensation whirled in her head. It was as if her brain was spinning.
Then she felt herself falling again, but she didn’t hit the hard ground. Maybe she did, she wasn’t sure.
“Paige!”
Drew.
She exhaled and drew in a deep breath through her nose, trying to concentrate. That was when she heard the sickening sound of metal twisting. “Andrew,” she whispered, right before the numbing sensation took over.
Chapter Twenty Two
Paige turned her head, her mind filled with the low droning in the background. She blinked, trying to keep her eyes open, but they were so dry and uncomfortable. Shutting them, she tried to concentrate on the simple act breathing.
She couldn’t remember what was going on. Her mind was swirling, something was terribly wrong with her.
She tried reaching for her forehead, but she couldn’t even move her fingers.
She drew in a deep breath and moaned softly as she felt a disgusting film over the inner layers of her throat. She swallowed and that brought about a gag reflex, propelling her body forward.
Then, it was as if her brain finally woke.
The memories came rushing back to her in a jumbled mess. Clearly her brain wasn’t functioning as well as it was supposed to.
Paige pulled out the images that appeared important.
The hotel. The letters in the drawers.
“Cole…” she mumbled. “You—”
“Shh, it’s okay. Here, drink this.”
She was pushed back against the chair, and she felt something at her lips. She tried to move, to turn her head, but she was so tired.
“Here.”
A trickle of water entered her mouth, cooling her parched tongue and quickly making its way down to her throat. She choked and coughed as it went down the wrong pipe, but the water kept on coming.
She tried fighting it, tried refusing to swallow whatever was being poured into her mouth, and the liquid soon overflowed.
A strong tug on her hair constricted her throat and she gagged on the continuous gush of water streaming into her mouth. She coughed, splattering the water, but without a moment of reprieve, the water flooding her mouth again.
Eventually, her body reflexes caved and she swallowed whatever the liquid was.
“There you go. This will make you feel better. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you like I always have.”
Almost immediately, the swirling in her head got worse. She panted, struggling to overcome the strange sensation overtaking her.
“Shh…Get some rest.”
Her head fell to the side as her lids got heavier.
She couldn’t move, couldn’t fight the darkness.
“It’s okay now. Everything will be perfect from now on.”
Another wave of nausea hit her, but this time, it wasn’t from whatever she’d inhaled or drank.
Justin rubbed the towel against his hair and hung it over his neck.
“Breaking news.”
He turned to the television he’d left on.
“A brutal murder had occurred in Cheyenne.”
He froze, his hand still holding on to the ends of the towel.
Crimes happened all the time, he wasn’t surprise to hear that, but that news immediately made his stomach turn.
“The victim’s face had been smashed in, and the body was dumped behind Plain’s Hotel. Neither the police nor the hotel management had confirmed if the victim was a guest in the hotel.”
A coincidence.
Still, no harm checking it out. They had to head down to the police department anyway.
He pulled the towel from his neck and hung it up. He put on a T-shirt and went over to Paige’s room. Her bed was made, her handbag and phone still on the small desk, but she wasn’t inside.
“Andrew?” He looked up and waited for a reply, but there wasn’t a single sound coming from the attic.
Frowning, he jogged down the stairs and strode through the living room and into the kitchen. Neither Paige nor Andrew was in the house.
He went out the front door and onto the streets, wondering where they had gone.
“Justin!”
Justin turned and saw Andrew limping over. “What happened to you?” Justin asked, sprinting over.
“Cole got her. Your mom helped.”
“What?” His head swiveled left and right, scanning the area for any sign of Paige or foul play. It can’t be. He was just speaking to her.
“She’s gone.” Andrew dropped to the ground and pulled off his mangled prosthetic.
Justin couldn’t speak. His words, whatever they were, got choked off in his throat. He could barely breathe.
Snap out of it, he told himself. “What happened?”
He threw Andrew's arm over his shoulders and helped him back into the house while Andrew told him about the boy and the letter.
“What happened to your leg?”
“That bastard reversed the car into me when I tried going after her. He went over my prosthetic.” Once in the house, Andrew pointed up the stairs. “I left my phone in the attic. Call Shawn. I saw the license plate. Ask him to run it. With any luck, we might get him before he changes his plate.”
Justin did as he was told. By the time he got back downstairs, he was done talking to Shawn. “He says he’ll run a check and get back to us. You all right here?” He shifted the car keys in his hand. “You need me to get someone?”
“Where are you going?”
“After her.”
“How? The car is gone, no point driving around aimlessly.”
Justin ran his hand through his hair. “We can’t just sit here and wait.”
“Find your mom. She was with him just now, but he drove off without her.”
“Cole? You saw him with your own eyes.”
“He was already in the car, I didn’t actually see him. Why?”
The gnawing feeling over the news report remained. “Someone was murdered, body dumped behind the hotel Cole was staying in. It seems too much of a coincidence,” he said. “The car you saw, was it the rented black sedan?”
“No.”
Justin nodded and headed out.
“Where are you going?”
“Find my mom. If she’s still in town, I know where she is.” Justin jogged out to his car and pulled out of his house while calling Mr. Seymour. He didn’t bother explaining. He merely told Mr. Seymour to drop by and began his search for his mom.
A fifteen minutes drive toward the other end of town got him in front of an old house with dullish gray-blue paint that had only turned darker after years of neglect.
He hopped out of his car and crossed the lawn overgrown with grass.
Pounding on the moss green door, he hollered, “Mom!” His fist continued hammering the door. “Mom!” If he had to knock it down, he would. “Mom! Open up, I know you’re in there. Mom!”
Justin looked down at the lock on the door. It was an old-school, extremely easy to break kind of lock. He took a step back, raised his feet, and gave it a good kick, aiming as close to the knob as possible.
He could hear the sound of wood cracking, but the door remained in place. He raised his leg again and gave it another two kicks. On the third kick, the wood splintered and the door flew back.
Empty beer bottles and cans took up all the space on the coffee table and around the couch. Beyond the area of the man’s reach, clothes that seemed like they hadn’t been washed for months lay scattered across the whole place, explaining the foul, stale air trapped within the house.
Justin cast a quick glance over at the man, his lower jaw twisting to the side.
The old drunk could hardly get his brain together to sit upright.
Ignoring the drunk, Justin strode right into the kitchen, then up the stairs. “Mom!”
He was halfway up the stairs when he saw his mom stepping out of a room with a dirty brown duffle bag.
The moment she saw him, she skidded to a stop and ran back into the bedroom.
Justin sprinted up the steps and shoved against the door that his mother was about to slam in his face. He easily pushing the door and his mom back.
“Where is she?” he demanded, grabbing his mother’s wrist.
“Let me go!” she screamed and kicked.
Her feet themselves didn’t cause much impact, but the heels she had on was sending sharp jolts of pain up his leg.
“Stop it.” He tightened his grip and jerked her roughly. “Where is she?”
Again, she pounded and kicked at him, screaming at the top of her lungs.
He didn’t have time or the patience to entertain her.
Clenching his jaws, he subdued her thrashing hands and spun her around. He pressed his palm on her back, right between her shoulders, keeping her face and body up against the wall. Using one of his legs, he pinned down her calves and asked again, “Where is she?”
His mom tried pushing herself off the wall, but he wasn’t going to let her go until she gave him the answer he needed.
“Where is she?” he raised his voice, increasing the pressure on her back.
“I am your mom! Women come and go, why do you care?”
He took in a deep breath. “Where is she?”
“I don’t know! I don’t know! He paid me my money and I ran when I saw her brother.”
“Who is that guy?”
A Fresh Start Page 27
