Later, as they sat idling in the middle of a traffic jam, Temple said, “Next time we take my jet. My body’s stiff as a board and I’m sick of breathing in gas fumes and wasting time.”
“Must be nice to be a billionaire,” muttered Nash.
“It should be. But I’m not there yet.” A few moments later, he exclaimed, “Hey, I just got an idea about finding Nash.”
“What?” said Nash.
“The woman who was with Nash’s dad at the end? What was her name again?”
“Rose Parker? What about her?”
“When we went to her house she was acting funny. I didn’t believe what she said. I think she knows more than she told us.”
Nash felt the acid building in his gut. “I didn’t see it that way. She seemed clueless.”
“Not to me. And what other lead do we have? And like you said before, we need to show Steers we’re trying.”
“So what do you want to do?”
“Let’s go see her.”
“What, now?”
“Yeah, now. What else do you have to do?” Temple shot him a suspicious look.
Nash had no choice but to say, “Okay, but when we come up with zilch, Iwilltell you I told you so.”
Later, as darkness fell they pulled into Nash’s old neighborhood.
The house looked the same, but the neighborhood was perhaps a little grungier. Nash spied a VW bug parked in the driveway and thought that either Parker had a visitor or she had used some of her inheritance from his father to buy a car.
He pulled to a stop and they got out.
Temple knocked on the door while Nash stood behind him and off to the right.
When Parker opened the door, she glanced at Temple with a startled look and then saw Nash, who mouthed one word:Sorry.
“Yes?” she said to Temple.
“You remember us?”
“You were here asking about Walter Nash. I still have no idea where he is. Apparently nobody does.”
“Look, we’re sorry to bother you again, but could we come in and ask you some questions? You might remember something and it’s really important.”
Nash glanced over Parker’s shoulder and was relieved to see that the picture of his father and Shock had been removed.
Parker looked at Nash, who nodded, and then said, “Well, all right. But I have to head out soon to meet someone.”
“Sure, sure it won’t take long. Hey, is that your car?” Temple added, pointing at the VW.
“Yes, it is.”
“Fun set of wheels.”
She led them into the small front room, where they sat down.
Temple glanced around the space. “So this is where Walter Nash grew up. Who’d ’a thunk?”