As he turned the corner, his headlights suddenly caught a man stepping right into the path of his car. He slammed on the brakes and swerved to the right, hitting a recycling bin as his car came to a stop on the curb. He jumped out of his vehicle and saw an older man with gray hair, wearing a wrinkled suit, standing in the middle of the street looking around in confusion.
Before he could take a step, another car pulled up, and a woman jumped out of the vehicle, her red hair catching his attention. He'd seen her before at Ocean Shores. She was one of his neighbors, the one who was always at the pool, the one with the stunning body and shockingly pretty face.
But she wasn't looking at him. She was running toward the man in the middle of the road.
"Mr. Cobb," she said. "It's me, Kaia Mercer. I saw you earlier today. The paramedic, remember? Let's go to the sidewalk." She tried to take his arm.
The old man shook her off. "What are you doing here?" the man asked in confusion.
"I'm getting you out of the street. It's not safe."
"I don't need your help."
"Mr. Cobb, please…"
As another car came down the street, he sprinted forward, not wanting to see another accident right in front of his face. "Let's get you both out of the street," he said.
Kaia turned her head in surprise, recognition flashing through her eyes. But she didn't say anything. She tried to grab the old man's wrist, but he was too quick, and she missed. Still, she pleaded, "Come with me, Mr. Cobb."
"I'm going the other way," the man said. "I have to find the red door. It's on this street somewhere."
Deciding it was better to go along than argue, he said, "Let us help you find the door."
"You know where it is?" the man asked as the approaching car leaned on its horn, making him jump.
"Come this way," he said, urging him toward the sidewalk.
"Oh, okay," the man said, shuffling his feet toward him. "I thought it might be on the other side."
As they escorted the man to the curb, he wondered how he was going to tell the guy that he had no idea where the red door was; he'd just wanted to get him out of the street.
"Are you feeling okay, Mr. Cobb?" Kaia asked the man when they reached the sidewalk. "Have you checked your blood sugar?"
"It's fine," the man said, an irritated look on his face. "Why are you always around anyway? Are you following me?"
"No. I keep getting called to your apartment because you keep falling down."
"Well, I didn't fall now. Leave me alone."
"You live a couple of miles away from here, Mr. Cobb," Kaia said, ignoring the man's request. "How did you get here?"
"I took a cab, and I'll take one back when I'm ready. I just need to find the red door." He turned to Jax. "You said you saw it."
"I'm not sure now that it was red. It might have been orange."
"The one I'm looking for is red," Walter said.
"Wherever you're going, it's probably closed. It's almost ten," he said. "Maybe you should wait until tomorrow. It will be easier to find the door in the light."
"It's that late?" the man asked.
"It is."
"Then I guess I'll call a cab. My granddaughter put the number in for me."
"I can take you home," Kaia offered.
"I don't need a ride from you. I can find my own way. I'm not a child." Walter punched in a number and then started talking with the cab company a moment later.
