Near Miss

Chapter Twenty-One: Ring

Rhiannon was just coming out of the bathroom when the pounding started.

Used to the quiet emptiness that she usually woke to, Rhiannon didn't realize what the noise was at first. By the time she realized what she was hearing, she already had half a dozen theories: someone throwing something at the wall? Someone falling down the stairs? It couldn't possibly be mice again? But no, the noise she was hearing was, at its core, a steady beat.

Rhiannon looked around her nervously, grabbed the nearest broom, and banged it once against the frame of the ceiling, hard. "Tristan... shut... up..." she muttered under her breath, knowing that yelling would do nothing to help.

Across the room, Theodore started. Nearly falling out of bed, he sputtered: "Wh- what's happening?"

Rhiannon didn't know how to respond. When Theodore blinked his eyes properly open, she was still standing nervously in the bathroom doorway, wearing a nightgown and clutching the handle of her broom.

"What are you doing up?" Theodore slurred. "It must be-"

Rhiannon stepped over to the bed to rest a hand on his shoulder. "Theodore. It's eight o'clock. It's not even that early."

Theodore's gaze flitted vaguely towards the ceiling. "Michael?"

"The music? Yes. Michael and Tristan," Rhiannon said darkly, to the beat of the pounding bass.

"It's eight in the morning!" Theodore protested.

Rhiannon slumped to a seat on the bed. "I know."

Rubbing his eyes, Theodore pushed himself up against the headboard. "Why were you in the bathroom?" he yawned.

"I brushed my teeth," Rhiannon answered.

"Why? It's-"

"Eight in the morning, I know," Rhiannon finished. "On Saturday. I did tell you I'd sleep in, didn't I?"

"You also told me you were getting up early," Theodore pointed out. "I didn't know what to think."

"Well, I did get up early," Rhiannon retorted. taking hold of one of the pillows and pulling it into her lap. "I'm going to call them."

"Call who?"

"Lucia," Rhiannon explained. "And Fiona."

"I thought you didn't have Fiona's number," Theodore said in confusion.

Rhiannon held up her phone. "Yeah, well, Eirie sent it to me at three A.M. this morning. I have it now."

"Three o'clock?" Theodore said, suddenly alarmed. "What was Eirie doing up?"

"Who knows," Rhiannon dismissed. "Anyway, I had better get to it." She seized her phone and started dialing.

"Wait," Theodore protested. "Will you just- will you wait just a second?"

"What?" Rhiannon answered, puzzled. "Why?"

"I- I mean-" Theodore fumbled for a reason. "I- you just woke up."

Rhiannon's shoulders slumped. "Just get to the point, Theodore. What's wrong?"

"I just think-" he stammered nervously- "I think you should take another look at what you have."

In the ensuing silence, the pillow in Rhiannon's lap slumped depressedly until it was nearly horizontal.

"What's wrong with just gathering more evidence?" Rhiannon said finally. "Am I doing something wrong?"

Theodore spread his hands. Then, he thought better of it and moved them back to his eyes, where he continued his constant rubbing. "I'm saying, Rhiannon, that if you keep trying to search for more evidence instead of thinking about the case, you won't get anywhere."