Beyond the Screams ✔

Chapter Eleven

It was early, the sun had only just shown itself on the horizon. Coating the sky in soft pinks and blues. Alice wasn't awake yet, nor was mother. I could hear her earth-shattering snores from the kitchen. I was leaning against the kitchen benches, a scalding hot mug trapped beneath my freezing fingers. I was watching the phone on the other side of the room, I knew I would have to ring Bryce eventually, telling him not to bother picking me up this morning and I'll meet him around 10:30-11: 00 am at MacPherson Music. What would my answers be to his pressing questions? I sighed. I took one last sip of the scalding water before setting it down on the bench, walking over to where the phone intently stared me down.

I shakily pulled the rings, dialling in the number and then picking up the receiver and holding it to my ear,

"Good Morning, this is Bryce Redfield, how can I help?" His voice sounded tired and worn as if he was extremely annoyed about having to pick up the phone.

"It's Rosemary, sorry, am I calling at a bad time?"

"Of course not! I was just about to leave to come and pick you up, Is something the matter?" Bryce asked quickly, His voice immediately changed, he became more chipper, concerned.

I pursed my lips, biting back the temptation to question him, "I just wanted to let you know I'll be coming into work late, I have a few errands I need to run this morning so I won't be around until 10:30, 11:00 at the latest. I just wanted to let you know that you won't need to pick up up this morning,"

I didn't hear anything for a few seconds, so long, in fact, that I pulled the receiver away to check the connection, "Hello?"

"Yeah, I'm still here. How about I drive you? I can come to pick you up and take you where ever you need to go. I'll even stay in the car if you want..." He offered anxiously.

"I wouldn't worry about it. But thank you for the offer." I rejected, cringing at the sharp intake of breath I heard from his side.

"Are you sure? I mean, the point of my job is to make sure you have someone on you the entire time, to make sure that you're never in a position of danger!" Bryce exclaimed, desperately trying to change my mind.

I bit my cheek and took a deep breath, "I'm heading to an unreasonably public area, Bryce, If the murderer decides to strike today, then at least there will be half a million witnesses."

Bryce sighed, I could almost guarantee that if he was here right now he would be shaking his head, either in annoyance or disappointment. "Alright then, do you want me to pick you up afterwards? Or shall I meet you at the building?"

"I'll meet you at the building, I'll try to get it done as quickly as possible," I assured him,

"What are you doing anyway?" Bryce asked, "If you just need to do some shopping, I'll go out and do some for you, save you time."

"Bryce I don't need any help. I'll see you soon, alright?" 

He sighed, "Alright, I'll be waiting outside the door. Goodbye."

Our conversation was cut off, A loud beeping began blaring in my ear. I placed the receiver back on its ledge. Apart of me felt guilty, guilty for lying to Bryce, guilty for breaking the one promise my sister asked me. But another part of me saw that if I went to meet this person, and he handed over real, valuable information? Then catching this murderer will instantaneously become easier, we may even have an edge on them, putting us a foot ahead depending on the information. I let my mind wander, would he tell me the next place to become a murder scene? Or perhaps the name of the next victim? While the small hope still lingered, I highly doubted that our murderer would be revealed. Regardless, I straightened out my blouse and evened out the pleats of my skirt, having already gotten changed. I took one last fleeting glance at Alice's bedroom door, before shoving down any remaining feelings of guilt and walking down the hallway and out of the door.