The Sanguine Seraph

Chapter Four - The Danger of Snapdragons

The phone rang, jolting Kat from her sleep.

She bumped her head against the end table, only then realizing she'd wedged herself next to the bed. The phone rang again. Her arms flailed out, searching for the source of the piercing persistence. She blinked several times before her hand clasped the phone's handset.

"H-hello," Kat groaned.

Her room remained shrouded in darkness with only a thin sliver of light beaming into the room. It took her a moment to remember her surroundings and everything that had passed from the previous night.

She had squeezed herself in between the bed and the nightstand in case her assailant decided to follow up from their skirmish. In her haste before sleep, she had drawn the curtains to both windows closed and had moved her sitting chair against the door along with her suitcase, angling it to fall and make noise should someone try to slip inside. The wardrobe had more resembled solid stone during her efforts to move it, and so, she had resorted to just using anything she could find.

Kat rubbed at her blurry eyes with her free hand, realizing she still held the receiver.

"Hello?" She repeated adjusting the phone against her ear.

"Miss Katharine. I apologize. It is almost evening, and I thought I would see if you wished to head into town today?"

"Dang it." Kat yawned and licked her dry lips. "No, thanks. I think I'll eat something and try to wake up the rest of the way. Did the guards report hearing or seeing anyone suspicious last night?"

"No. All was quiet on their end, but I will have them on alert today and this evening, if that will put you at ease?"

She sighed and considered dismissing the concerns, but not listening to her instinct was a lesson she already knew all too well. "Yes, thank you. I'm sorry for the trouble."

"Not at all, Miss Katharine. If you do not get restful sleep during your time here, then I will be failing in my duties."

She felt a small smile spread across her lips. "I've never thought you failed at anything. Thank you for caring for me so much."

"Of course. And you know, even if it weren't part of the job, I would still be happy to do it."

She chuckled and adjusted the phone. "I guess that's why they call it family."

"I believe so, Miss Katharine. I'll be back in a few hours. Ask the maids should you need anything. I will have my cellular phone, but I detest that contraption unless there is an emergency."

"I understand," she laughed. "I'm sure I'll be fine. I'll see you when you get back." She clicked the handset back on the base.

Kat found her spare clothes in her suitcase and dressed. She wore jeans and a deep crimson tank top. Her hair stuck out in all directions from her unusual sleeping position.

Just a simple braid, for now, she decided.

No one else would be arriving for a couple days still, so not much point in dressing up. Also, she could worry about settling in later.

Her stomach still swam with anxious knots but growled from the lack of food. Last night left an uneasiness inside, making it impossible to relax. Kat glanced around the room. She knew Walter had agreed to let her find her phone. However, he was not the most compliant man, despite his status as a butler. She bit her lip. Kat needed to find her phone and the perp.

The manor lost its looming tension in the late afternoon light. Shadowy corners now glistened with glazed moldings. A few of the maids she knew from childhood busied themselves cleaning and organizing for the week's events to come. She greeted them but excused herself to find the kitchen. After a few winding halls, she paused as the scent of cooked chicken wafted out from the stainless-steel room.