The call
The day after the graduation, I stayed at home and searched for tickets to London. I decide it was time for me to find professor Crossfield and hopefully solve the mystery around the attack in the alley. At the same time, I contemplated of how I was going to approach him. After all I couldn't just pop up from nowhere and demand to see him.
Therefore I sent an email where I assumed the role of a history fanatic who was interested in his articles. I might be a few years too late, but I could only blame that my parents didn't conceive me earlier. Hopefully, the professor was a gentle and understanding soul.
I also needed to think of my future. Now that I had graduated from high school I wanted to continue my studies, but I was torn over which educational program that would be appropriate for me. My grades were high enough for me to choose freely among the schools, which was a relief. At least all the sleep deprived days during high school paid off.
Still, I wasn't that keen to start immediately at collage. I was a bit tired of studying, so maybe I would just take a break for a year. If so, I would have to find a job to buy groceries and pay off the bills. Luckily, I didn't need to worry about rent, because Patrick and I lived in a small house which had been left behind by our parents.
Suddenly, my phone started to ring. Without even bothering looking who was calling, I answered the call as I continued to have my eyes on the computer screen.
"Hello! Who is calling?"
When I got no answer, I pulled the smartphone from my ear and looked at the display. A picture of a smiling blond girl was shown.
"Sasha, I know it's you." I said in annoyance when the phone was back against my ear.
"Sasha?"
When I still got nothing but silence as a response, I frowned and focused on the background sounds. Either I was hallucinating, or I truly heard water dripping. However, when I turned my head to the window in my room, I saw the afternoon sun shining brightly with no apparent clouds as far as I could see. If it didn't rain around my neighborhood, it probably wouldn't do that at her place. She only lived a few kilometers away from me.
"Sasha? Has something happened?"
The line was abruptly shut down, which startled me. I was also a bit worried now, since she usually wouldn't play pranks like this on me.
I tried to call back, but didn't succeed. Then I decided to test my luck on her parents, but they also didn't pick up. My last resort was to call the parents' workplace. Her mother Anna was a nurse and her father James was a doctor. Both of them worked at the same hospital and even in the same department.
"Hi, this is nurse Louise of the Intensive Care Department." A female, older voice sounded out.
"Hello, my name is Melinda Clover. I am searching for doctor James Madison. It is concerning his daughter, Sasha Madison."
"I am sorry, Ms Clover. Doctor Madison isn't working today."
Damn it!
"Oh, then how about nurse Anna Madison?"
"Hm... I remember that she was also having a day off today."
Double damn it!
"That's too bad. Thanks for your help."
After a few more attempts to reach Sasha or her parents, I gave up. I lent back against my chair's backrest and huffed in frustration.
Should I keep trying or just dismiss it? Maybe she was just joking with me?
I glanced at the date and saw that it was far from April the 1st. Maybe not a prank then. I sighed deeply as I rised up from the chair. It was better safe than sorry.
As I walked to the hall and grabbed my black leather jacket, I had a gut feeling that I was going to regret my decision. At the same time it also told me that something was truly wrong. Thus I had no other choice to make a trip to Sasha's home. As a precaution, I brought with me my newly purchased pepper spray, which I kept in my jacket's pocket.
Since I had no car, I took the bus towards her house. Unfortunately, it didn't go all the way so I had to walk for 10 minutes before reaching the vicinity of her garden. I saw nothing unusual as I reached her door. However when I knocked on it, it flew open.