Right Next Door

Chapter 17

Maggie

Her cell phone chimed at 2:33 am and the jarring sound startled Maggie awake. It kept chiming, indicating someone trying to call her rather than a text. The local number wasn't programmed into her phone so she wasn't sure who would be calling in the middle of the night. Usually she let unknown numbers go to voicemail, but a phone call this late was quite out of the ordinary so she decided to answer.

"Hello?"

She heard a quick inhalation and what sounded like leaves being crushed under foot.

"Hello, who is this?" Maggie quickly became alarmed when the person on the other hand did not respond. All she could hear was sniffling and heavy panting like the other person was running.

"Whoever this is, I'm going to hang up if it's a prank," Maggie yelled.

"Maggie?" The voice that broke through the line wasn't louder than a whisper but it was laced with fear. "Oh God, please don't hang up on me."

Maggie was out of the bed in an instant. "Courtney? Oh my God. What's wrong?"

"Please..." she panted. "I don't know what to do. I ran outside. I think my arm is broken." Courtney started to cry but it sounded muffled, like she was covering her mouth with her fingers.

"I am coming for you, Courtney. Stay hidden. Put your cell phone on silent and I will call you when I am close, OK? What is your address?"

Courtney rattled off her address and they quickly hung up with each other. Her house was in West Queen Anne. It would take Maggie at least 20 minutes to get there, but what about Aaron?

"Shit, shit, SHIT!" Maggie cursed. She promised Courtney that she wouldn't involve Brandon, but she needed help. Without any time to waste she called the only person qualified to help in a situation like this. She just prayed that Courtney would forgive her later.

The line rand three times before the person on the other end picked up.

"Maggie? What's wrong?"

Robert

"I need your help, please tell me you can help me!" Maggie pleaded. He could hear her voice was thick with tears.

"Jesus, is Aaron hurt? Did Brandon do something to you?" Robert yelled into the phone.

"NO! But it involves his younger sister, Courtney. Robert, she's hurt. She just called me."

"What happened?" Robert was trying to piece together the purpose for Maggie calling. Why doesn't she just call Brandon? he thought to himself.

"She swore me to secrecy." Maggie was panting. Robert could hear her tearing up her bedroom, probably searching for clothes to wear out. He was sure Brandon's sister woke her up and Maggie sounded frantic to help the woman.

"Maggie, slow down. I don't understand."

"Her husband beats her, Robert. She called me tonight running through the woods, we need to get to her." Maggie was sobbing into the phone now.

"Damn, where is she?" Robert was reaching for his pants and a t-shirt, dressing in a matter of seconds. "Take a breath, Maggie. Give me an address and I will go to her."

"I'm coming, but I don't want to leave Aaron," she insisted.

"NO! Maggie, you called me. I'm a cop. Let. Me. Handle. This." He enunciated each word through clenched teeth. "I will call for backup, but you need to stay there with Aaron. I will keep you posted but you will not do anyone any good by trekking out in the middle of the night to help her. What is her name?"