The Psychopath's Prisoner

Chapter 17

Cheyenne awoke and stared at the ceiling trying to collect her thoughts while wondering how she could've fallen asleep. Then she smiled. "What is that? Silence. I might actually be able to get something done. I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed." The words, although whispered, thundered in the newfound solitude.

She urged Finnegan off her lap, stood up and stretched before heading into the kitchen. "Better get something to eat since it's going to be a long night."

Cheyenne sat down at the table. She took the first bite as the phone rang. Cheyenne rolled her eyes. Go figure. When she tried to stand up, Finnegan ran in front of her, almost tripping her.

"Finnegan!" she yelled with a mouth full of food. He looked up at her and meowed. She swallowed her food and she reached down to scratch his ears. "At least you're cute." Her phone continued to ring. "I have to get that, bud." He meowed again.

She took a deep breath. "Hello?"

"Hey Cheyenne."

"Daniel?"

"Yeah. I wanted to check up on Fin. How is everything going?"

"Finnegan is a really great cat. A very sweet boy. I really like him."

"He's an affectionate cat."

"Sure is."

"How are you doing?"

"So far. So good. I've been busy." All sounds of Daniel disappeared. "Daniel? You still there?"

Daniel cleared his throat. His voice carried a tone of irritation. "Yeah. I'm still here. So, what's this I hear you're going on a date? Don't you think it's a little soon after your divorce?"

She didn't understand the irritation in his voice at first. How did he find out about my date? A shiver ran up her spine. She knew something wasn't right about him from the beginning, but had brushed it off. Now she was beginning to think differently. He would've been the last person she would've told anything personal to. "How did you know?"

"I heard it through the grapevine, so to speak. We are a close community in the apartments."

Cheyenne listened through Daniel's false bravado and felt Daniel didn't like the idea of her going on a date. She, however, didn't believe him because she didn't talk to her neighbors. No one would know about her date unless she told them herself. "Anything else you need?"

"Nope. Just checking on Finnegan." She listened as Daniel took a deep breath. "Well, I better go. Congratulations on your date, by the way."

"Uh...thanks. How's your... well... whatever you're doing going?" Cheyenne frowned at her loss for words.

"Good. I really have to go."

"All right. Bye."

Cheyenne hung up the phone and immediately bit her lip. She felt uneasy. There was something extremely odd about him. What could he be hiding? Maybe she should take Michael's offer and run Daniel's name through the police database. After all, Daniel did give her the creeps and then some.

Cheyenne shrugged and went back into the kitchen. She caught Finnegan on the table about to attack her plate. "No Finnegan! No!" He flew off the table. "That's right. You better run." She checked her food to see if he had eaten any of it. It didn't appear he had, but she threw it out and warmed up another plate.

"Sweet, but stupid cat."

Cheyenne scarfed down the meal then washed her glass and plate. Silence, she thought, sitting in front of her computer. "A couple hours of solitude will definitely be good," she uttered.