The phone rang as they were cleaning up from lunch. Cheyenne and Michael looked at each other before Michael got up to answer it.
Cheyenne sat at the kitchen table and listened to see who it was. All she heard was, "Hello? Hello? Stop calling here if you're not going to talk. Be human, not a frigging animal. Animals don't make phone calls." He slammed down the phone and walked back into the kitchen with a roll of his eyes.
"Who was that?"
Michael shrugged. "I don't know because all they did was meow like a cat the whole time. It's weird."
"You mean like the call I answered with the barking dog?"
"Yeah." He sighed. "I don't know, Chey. I'm worried."
"Why?"
"Because, until you came here, I've never had anything like that happen."
"I shouldn't be here then. I'll pack up and go back to my apartment."
"Absolutely not. I'm not saying it's your fault. Just that someone is definitely stalking you."
"I just don't understand why, though. What did I do to piss someone off enough to have all these terrible things happen to me? I must've made somebody angry, somehow. Maybe a fan of my work?"
"You never know. People are nuts out in this world and it seems to be getting crazier by the day. One thing is for sure."
"What's that?"
"You're safe here."
Cheyenne forced a smile and nodded. If only he knew... He won't let me go home, but all I'm doing is upping the ante to his demise. I can't let him get die because of me. It wouldn't be right. Nor would it be fair to Mrs. Warner. Oh God! What have I gotten myself into? I don't want anyone else to die. Her gut told her that no matter where she went, this whacko would find her.
~
The phone rang and Michael answered. "Hello?" Michael bit his lip and tapped the toe of his shoe on the floor as he listened.
"What's wrong?"
Michael sighed. "That was Lawrence."
"What did he have to say? Did he find out anything?"
"They found fingerprints at the scene of Gaby's murder."
"Whose?" Cheyenne began to wrap a lock of hair around her finger, twirling it. "Michael, please tell me."
He shrugged. "Eric Sullivan. He's wanted by the FBI for the murder of two people."
"I've never heard of him."
"They've been searching, but he has been elusive."
Cheyenne's eyes widened. "Is he the one who's been terrorizing me?"
"We're not sure, but we believe he is. All we know is that a whacko is after you."
Oh my God! Will this nightmare ever end? "Michael, I'm frightened. What's going to happen next?"
Michael went to her and wrapped his arms around her. "Nothing if I can help it."
~
They sat on the couch to watch The Bodyguard. Half an hour into the movie, the phone rang. Cheyenne grunted and got up. "Hello?" Silence ensued. "Hello?" she repeated.
"I know where you're at Cheyenne." The muffled voice was a whisper. "You can't hide from me."
"Who is this? What do you want with me?" Cheyenne started to tremble. "Why are you doing this to me? Leave me alone!"
YOU ARE READING
The Psychopath's Prisoner
Mystery / ThrillerRecently divorced novelist, Cheyenne Harrington is trying to build a new life. But when her best friend is brutally murdered and her brand new apartment ransacked, she wonders if she can ever leave the past behind. After dealing with her peculiar ne...