A Fresh Start

by Grace, Trisha

  Justin broke into a grin. She’s fine.

  “Who reported it?”

  “A shop owner. Paige dropped in with a guy beside her. The guy was behaving quite strangely, then Paige secretly handed her the note. The shop owner called the cops and tried to keep them around in the store.”

  “Security footage?”

  “They don’t have that. My tech is looking at traffic cameras around the area. Maybe we’ll get lucky. I’ll get back to you when he gets something.”

  Andrew turned off the speaker. Almost instantly, a text message came in.

  Andrew took a glance at it and grinned, shaking his head.

  “What?” Justin shifted to peer over at the phone.

  “I used to be obsessed with spy books; codes and all. And I used to pass notes to Paige with all the different styles of codes I learned,” Andrew said. “Look at the dots under the letters. It spells out ‘I am fine’.”

  “So it’s definitely from her. And the directions. The game you guys used to play with your dad.”

  Andrew nodded.

  “There can’t be so many Scoops ice cream near a Walmart,” Justin commented, excited that they had something else to go on.

  “We’ll need more than that to pinpoint a location,” Detective Linden stated. “Anything other secret codes on the note?”

  Andrew shook his head.

  Justin raked his memories, thinking about the letters from the stalker. “He started talking about their future together around six months ago. Is it possible to crosscheck houses sold around that time with Paige’s description?”

  “And how are you going to do that?” Mr. Seymour asked.

  “Google map’s street view.” Justin noticed Mr. Seymour’s brows puckering, but he waved it off before Justin had to explain.

  Andrew pushed his phone over after reading another text on his phone. “The address of the shop. You go, I’ll stay and check the houses against Paige’s description. Leave me your map, I’ll eliminate those areas that didn’t fit our criteria.”

  Justin arched a brow. “Are you sure?”

  “I’m not superman. My prosthetic is giving me problem, I’m going to be more of a burden than help.”

  Justin took down the address and stood, pushing the map over to Andrew.

  “You didn’t get any sleep last night, I’m driving,” Mr. Seymour commanded as he stood along with him.

  He appreciated Mr. Seymour’s concern, but he also knew Mr. Seymour’s style of driving.

  “Mr. Sey—”

  “No arguing.”

  He shrugged. He was too exhausted to argue. Thank you, Jesus. Please keep her safe.

  He was just about to step out of the room when he heard the same voice from before. Why was he in her house? What was the point?

  He wasn’t sure. Right now, he was only concerned with heading over to the shop.

  They left the police department and got into Mr. Seymour’s car. Justin sighed softly, leaning his head lazily against the hand that he’d propped against the window.

  Once they turned out from his street, Justin heard the engine getting louder as Mr. Seymour slammed on the gas.

  Mr. Seymour turned to Justin with a quick flicker of his brows. “Celia nags the whole day if I drive anything above the speed limit. But I think we can make an exception this time.”

  Justin laughed, dropping his hand from the window. Though he had thought it was a terrible idea, he was glad he hadn’t argued with Mr. Seymour.

  He was tired.

  The moment he hit the headrest, his lids dropped halfway down his eyes. He straightened and looked out of the window, but his head always found a resting place and his eyelids would, again, get too heavy for him to control.

  Eventually, he gave in after shooting another prayer. Lord, please let us find her today.

  The whole ride back was filled with silence. Neither Paige nor Daniel spoke, neither tried to turn on the stereo.

  The silence didn’t frighten Paige. All the acting and the worry were really draining. Being silent meant she didn’t have to pretend.

  Her concern was with how rigid Daniel was sitting, how his jaws seemed clenched, and his eyes set determinedly on the road ahead.

  Paige sighed softly.

  He was probably mulling something in his head.

  The wise thing to do now would be to start guessing what it was and how to deal with it. She had fought him twice that morning, perhaps it was time for another tactic.

  Lord, give me ten seconds. Let me rest for ten seconds.

  She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath.

  Rest. I won’t let him hurt you.

  She couldn’t believe it. When she woke up, the car was slowing to a stop right outside her new prison. This isn’t good. She shouldn’t have closed her eyes.

  She unbuckled her seat belt and waved the brown bag in her hand. “Thanks for this. I love it,” she said, hoping it’d distract him long enough for her to figure out the best way to react to an outburst that was bound to explode once they got inside the jail.

  Daniel kept quiet, his eyes still staring out the windshield.

  “I’ll wash it once we get home so I can wear it after that. I love the shop’s concept. It’s created for people like me. Pure cotton, no chemical bleach or dyes. If I weren’t worried about the dust, I’d probably wear it now,” she chirped.

  Her smile remained despite Daniel’s refusal to speak.

  Turning to Daniel, she blinked and asked innocently, “Are you upset about something? You don’t like this top?”

  “You were awfully chatty with the saleslady. Were you hoping to escape with her help? Telling her that we drove a while to get there, not wanting to get into the car.”

  “Daniel, I don’t want to fight with you. But everything I do seemed to be wrong in your eyes. I was chatty because she seemed suspicious of us, especially after you checked the clothes when I tried handing it to her. I was trying to smooth things over. As for escaping, you checked the clothes. You should’ve checked it the second time, too. Then I don’t have to listen to your accusations.”

  “Then why the delay by the door? You clearly didn’t want to leave.”

  “I was looking around to see if there’s anything else we need to get. I didn’t want you to have to drive all the way home then drive out all the way out there again because I suddenly remember that I need something.”

  Daniel fell silent again, but the taunt line in his cheeks disappeared.

  She didn’t know how the words came to her. Thank you, Jesus. It could only be Him.

  Daniel smiled and took the bag from her even as he reached into the side compartment for his gun. But he merely slot it behind him instead of pointing it at Paige.

  You aced it, Lord.

  Paige didn’t wait for him to open her side of the door. She got out along with him and moved toward him, circling her arm around his.

  “I’ll wash this for you. Do you want to get some rest?”

  She shook her head. “Why don’t you put it to wash while I choose a movie for us to watch? Or is there anything you need to do?”

  “No, my time is all yours.”

  She forced a smile while she played with the ring on her finger. She strolled into the house alongside Daniel as if it was truly her home and settled on the couch. “We should’ve bought ice cream.”

  “Do you want some?”

  “Nah, it’s fine. I have to take the medicine anyway. Shouldn’t mix junk food with medicine.” She reached for the remote control and was about to turn on the TV when she felt the unrest.

  She didn’t know what was wrong, but she didn’t feel comfortable with switching on the television around Daniel. She stared at the black TV screen and realized what he was watching that morning.

  Daniel wasn’t interested in the news. He was checking if there were any news about her, or them.

  Now that Sandra had called the police, there was a chance that the press had gotten hold of the news.
With her thumb hovering above the power button, she flashed Daniel the sweetest smile she could conjure. “Would you get a glass of water for me? So that I can take the medicine?”

  “Of course.”

  As Daniel headed into the kitchen, she switched on the TV while her thumb feverishly attacked the volume down button, then scanned to a channel showing some reality program. She doubted news would be shown on such channels.

  At ease, she continued to look for a movie she could watch. She skipped all the romance films and horror flicks, eventually picking the Inception movie.

  When Daniel returned, she took the medicine while he placed the clothes into the washing machine.

  Though he’d left her alone on the couch without the handcuffs or any warning, she didn’t dare to relax her facade. Maybe she was being paranoid, but she couldn’t help thinking that he was constantly turning over to look at her.

  Her paranoid kept her from putting the note in the top as she handed it to the Sandra and that had saved her from Daniel’s unfathomable reaction.

  Pulling her legs up on the couch, her eyes wondered over to the rest of the house and landed on the photo frames on the various shelves. Immediately, she directed her eyes back onto the TV, reading the short synopsis of the movie over and over again until Daniel came back in.

  She flashed him a toothy grin and played the movie, even forcing herself to lean on his shoulder.

  She detest his smell. His clothes smelled somewhat like hers, but whatever he was putting on him simply disgusted her. Closing her eyes, she thought about Justin, thought about being in his arms while they watched a movie in his house.

  She would go home that day, she told herself.

  She watched the rest of the movie quietly, occasionally tilting her head to the side to get some fresh air. She was careful about her movement, shifting only slightly as if she was adjusting her position to get more comfortable.

  She had recently watched the movie with Justin, so she tuned out and did some simple calculations in her head.

  The time taken to drive to and fro, the time spent at the doc, the time spent shopping, and the time the movie would take. If it took Daniel eight hours to drive here, Justin and Andrew would need more time; they still had to figure out where she was.

  She needed to buy more time.

  So after the movie, they discussed at length, each trying to debate and prove each other’s point on how the ending should be interpreted.

  The uncanny part of the discussion was how normal he behaved. He was able to state his points and back it up with evidence; nothing like the derange man she’d seen during his outbursts.

  After that, Paige told him how much fun she was having and suggested watching another movie.

  She had spent much of the Inception movie thinking about movies they could watch.

  It had to be long, nothing romantic or scary.

  Then she remembered the movie she’d watched with Drew and her mom. The three hour long movie with three parts to it. “Let’s have a Lord of the Rings marathon.” She could barely contain her excitement. She wasn’t excited to watch the movie, but she was thrilled with the time it would buy her.

  Her enthusiasm got to him.

  “Sure.”

  Chapter Twenty Seven

  Why was he in her house? What was the point?

  Justin opened his eyes as he felt the car slowing. He was tired and had dozed off a couple of times, but each time the car slowed or stopped for a red light, his eyes would open to see if they had reached.

  Mr. Seymour had stopped beside another car and was moving his car into a parking spot.

  “We’re here,” Mr. Seymour announced.

  Justin glanced out at the row of shops and got out of the car even before it came to a complete stop. He walked over to the row of shops, scanning the shops’ names.

  Why was he in her house? What was the point?

  He stopped outside a store with large glass windows. The door was made of a large glass panel framed by wooden panels, giving it a sense of homely comfort amid the modern style.

  The moment Justin gave the door a slight push, the bell on the vintage bronze handle rang and a lady jumped from her seat, snapping her head over. A man followed, then moved to stand in front of her.

  Justin stepped in while the couple continued staring at him, seemingly gauging his true purpose of entering the store. “Sandra Millen?”

  Her brows drew together as she shifted stiffly behind the counter.

  “And you are?” The man crossed his arms, blocking the entry toward the counter.

  “Justin Doyle. I’m Paige’s boyfriend.”

  Sandra Millen’s frown grew more prominent.

  Justin turned the screen of his phone over toward Sandra Millen, showing her a picture of them together; a picture they’d taken on their day trip to Lion’s park.

  Sandra Millen nodded slowly, then placed her hand on the man. “It’s all right, dear,” she said. “This is my husband. He came over after I told him what happened.”

  “How is she?” Justin asked, moving forward just as the lady walked out from behind the counter.

  “She seemed fine. I don’t know, she seemed to be holding it together. The only time she showed any sign of freaking out was when she handed me the note.”

  “Was she hurt? Did she have any visible wounds or—”

  “She seemed fine,” Sandra assured. “She was wearing a cardigan, but she didn’t look like she was hurt.”

  “Did she say anything about where she is?”

  Paige had tried memorizing the way toward where she was, she could have left some more clues.

  “I told the police everything. The only thing she mentioned was that they drove a while to get here.”

  “She was in the changing room, right? Has anyone else been in there? Can I take a look?”

  Sandra strode toward a wooden door, saying, “The police checked it, but they didn’t find anything.” Pushing the door aside, she stepped away so that Justin could take a look. “I tried getting her to stay, but maybe I was being too obvious.”

  He looked around for any note, checking even the edge of the mirror to make sure he didn’t missed anything. He stepped out of the changing room and his eyes swept through the store.

  He moved over to a poster with information about the store’s product and couldn’t help his lips from curling. “She’ll love the things in your store. She’s sensitive skin and love all these natural products.”

  He closed his eyes and ran his hand through his hair.

  “Really? I thought she was acting.” Sandra Millen went over to a rack and lifted up a light yellow top. “She bought this, and a white cardigan.”

  “Seems like something she’d wear.”

  She cracked a small smile. “I asked her if she wanted it in green, you should’ve seen her reaction.”

  “That’s the only other color you have?”

  “No, there’s white and light pink.”

  “Wrap them up, along with the yellow she bought.”

  “Do you want to choose some other designs?”

  “No.” He sighed and smiled at Paige’s quirkiness. “She buys things like that. She’s an extremely efficient shopper.”

  Sandra’s husband walked over to her and held her in his arms.

  “She was so brave. Really. She was composed, and she looked like someone with a plan.”

  “Thanks,” he said before paying for the clothes and left.

  He got back into the car and sat quietly. Mr. Seymour had wound the window down, allowing some of the wind to get in. The weather was warmer than usual and the breeze didn’t help in alleviating the heat, but he needed it.

  Having the rush of breeze against his face reminded him to breathe instead of getting weighed down by the heaviness in his heart.

  Justin didn’t know what they could do now.

  “Why don’t you get some more rest?”

  Though he’d gone in and out of sleep, he was
wide awake now. He closed his eyes as another breeze went by. It was so warm that day, why was Paige wearing a cardigan? “Her skin, she set off her rashes on purpose. In order to get us that note.”

  “It worked.”

  Why was he in her house? What was the point?

  He groaned, then shook his head when he caught Mr. Seymour observing him with his raised brows.

  Those two questions kept surfacing in his mind. I don’t know, Lord. Tell me.

  He wants to prepare a house for her. He wants her to like it.

  Then the light bulbs went off.

  He leaned forward, one hand on his knee while the other reached into his pocket for his phone. He called Andrew and said once the call went through, “Back in New York, did she use to record down her expenses and all?”

  “Yeah, she’s been doing that since she started receiving her allowance on a monthly basis.”

  “I once saw her transferring those records onto her computer.”

  “She did that, too.”

  Justin laughed. “Pottery Barn. She said she bought some furniture for her house from Pottery Barn. He’ll want her to like the house, that’s why he broke in.”

  “What?”

  “To see what she has inside her house and buy the same items for the new house,” Detective Linden said, equally thrilled.

  “With Paige’s receipts, you’ll know what she bought for her house. There’s no way he’s buying and delivering the furniture on his own.”

  “We just need to match it to an address that bought all that stuff,” Andrew concluded. “We’ll get back to you.”

  He rubbed his palms together and steepled his fingers.

  “You seem confident.”

  “It’s a God-sent clue, can’t go wrong.”

  He couldn’t stay seated. He got out of the car, pacing.

  When his phone finally rang, he answered it, already knowing there was a match.

  “We got it, the police are on their way. I’ll text you the address.”

  Justin grinned as his fist curled, pumping into the air. This whole fiasco would be over soon and Paige would be back with them. He got back into the car and gave Mr. Seymour the address.