“Hey, Raelyn, I just wanted to let you know that I’ve just been to speak to the police.”
“You have?” she gasps, all of a sudden, she sounds more awake. “Really?”
“Yes. My contact found out all I need to know and I’m not so worried about the perpetrator anymore. So, I did the right thing and I went to make a statement. I was clear, so I don’t think they’ll need one from you.”
“They probably will do at some point, won’t they? To agree with what you said.”
“Maybe, but I wouldn’t worry about that today. They aren’t going to need you right now.”
“Oh, wow that’s amazing. So, do you think it’s safe for me to just go outside now?”
“Yeah, I don’t think there’s anything to panic about anymore. It’ll be fine.”
“So, I can come out and meet you then?” She sounds adorably excited. “We can go for lunch?”
“How can I refuse an offer so wonderful?” My stomach growls at the mere thought. It seems like forever since I’ve been properly hungry. “Let’s do it. Where would you like to go?”
“Hold on, I’m just getting my jacket on. Why don’t you meet me at the bakery at the end of your road?”
“Ooh, sounds lovely. I’m just getting in the car now, so I won’t be long.”
“I’m heading there now.” I hear the sounds of the outside world whooshing around her. She sounds more human, like the intense weight has lifted off of her as well. “Do you want me to order for you?”
“I’ll tell you what, I’ll connect you to my car phone and keep you on the line, then you can let me know what they have in stock and I can make a decision from there.”
“Anyone would think that you want to keep an eye on me,” she teases playfully.
“I do! I’m not denying that, but it’s more because I want to hear your voice…” She doesn’t reply. In fact, it goes eerily silent on her end of the line. “Raelyn? Raelyn, are you still there?” I check the phone screen but it says the call is still connected. “Raelyn, I think your signal is playing up…”
Then there’s a sound, a terrible crashing noise that makes my heart stop dead. Instinct tells me that this is something bad.
“Raelyn,” I yell this time. “Raelyn, I’m coming. Just hold on… I won’t be long!”
I jump in my car and hit the gas pedal hard. I don’t know what this is, but I don’t like it one bit.
30
Raelyn
What the…? At first, when someone grabs me roughly around the waist, I fall willingly, thinking that it’s Carter playing a trick on me. A risky one, considering everything that’s happened, but since he’s just assured me that everything is safe, I don’t see why we can’t have a bit of cheeky fun here.
But then my phone is snatched violently from my hand, hurting my skin too much to be a cute prank, and I hear it smash loudly on the ground. The sound is so much it causes a shriek to fly out my mouth.
“Argh, what the hell?” I yell. “What is going on here? What are you trying to do to me?”
I still don’t fully get how potentially dangerous this is. Not until I’m pushed so hard again that I smack my head against the brick wall in front of me. It’s hard to believe that someone would hurt me in broad daylight like this, in a public place where anyone could see. I always think of crimes happening at night time in dark alleyways, just like the one that we saw the murder being committed in, but it seems that I’m wrong.
It seems like it can happen anywhere, and at any time. I just hope someone calls the cops.
“I don’t have anything,” I call out to the potential mugger. “Only a phone and you broke that.”
My hand flies up to my forehead and a red sticky liquid trickles over my fingers. Great, I’m injured too.
“I’m going to turn around now, then we can talk about this like adults.”
“I think that’s a good idea,” a darkly sinister voice replies, making my body jolt with shock.
I hold my hands up, trying to show surrender to get this over and done with as quickly as possible - hopefully before Carter gets here or he’ll never let me out of the house again - but they fall back down when I lock eyes with him. Him. The sinister dark eyes that I have seen once before. Twice before if I include the police station but I wasn’t close enough to him then to actually stare into his eyes like I am right now.