Читать книгу Together In Paradise - Travis Jr. Slone - Страница 7

The family was sound asleep, and all was set for their trip. Then suddenly, Thomas and Sarah were awakened by a buzz from somewhere in the room.

“What was that?” Thomas asked as he sat up slowly and looked around.

Then it buzzed again, and he knew exactly what it was.

Sarah looked embarrassed as she reached across to the dresser to grab the vibrating phone. She held the phone close to her eyes, and glanced at the incoming caller. Unknown, it said.

“Don’t you dare answer that phone,” Thomas reminded her. “We’re going on vacation in a few hours, and nothing is going to get in our way. I thought you turned that off last night.”

“Well, I was going to turn it off, but…”

“Don’t bother explaining honey,” he replied. “I know how much you enjoy your work. Just please turn it off now, and don’t answer that call. Whatever it is, someone else can handle it today.”

Sarah knew he was right, and decided to ignore the early morning call. It’s probably a wrong number anyways, she thought. She then made sure to turn the phone off for good, and watched the screen as it powered down…and went dark.

“I’m sorry,” she said after returning the phone to the dresser. “It’s just not as easy for me to let go, I guess.”

Thomas looked at the clock. 3:48 AM was an awfully early time for anyone to be calling about business.

“Any Idea who that was?” he asked as he lay back down for some more sleep.

“No clue,” replied Sarah. “It was an unknown number.”

“Huh... That’s strange,” answered Thomas. “Why would anyone be calling us so early?”

“I don’t know, but it won’t be happening again. I made sure to turn it off, for good this time.” Sarah snuggled up next to her husband, and both began drifting back off to sleep.

No sooner than the couple had fallen asleep, they were awakened by the sound of footsteps on the creaky wood floor. It was their little girl Janie, and she was unable to contain her excitement any longer.

“Daddy,” she said quietly. “Can I rest with you and mommy until morning? I can’t sleep anymore.”

“Sure kiddo,” replied her father. “Just climb on up here.”

Thomas scooted over towards the middle of the bed so that Janie could have room to go back to sleep, but no sooner did they lie back down, a frighteningly unexpected sound disturbed the peaceful silence of the room.

Buzzzz… The vibrating phone on the dresser caused both Sarah and Thomas to sit back up.

“I thought you turned that thing off,” he said in frustration. “Why would you lie to me about that?”

But she had turned it off. She was sure of it.

“I swear, I didn’t lie sweetheart,” replied his nervous spouse. “I watched the phone power off. This doesn’t make any sense at all.”

Buzzzz…

“Well, at least see who it is,” said Thomas.

Sarah reached over and picked up the vibrating device, but when she looked to see who the caller was, she was surprised by the fact that it wasn’t the same unknown number. Though a number did show up, it wasn’t one from her contact list, and she didn’t recognize it as any of her clients.

“So, who is it?” asked Thomas.

“I’m not sure,” replied Sarah. “I’m trying to think, but I don’t know anyone who has this number. It’s from London. Maybe you can recognize it.”

She held the phone over where Thomas could see, and he knew right away. He had called that number many times in the past. But how… he thought.

“That’s your number,” he explained. “The call is coming from your office.”

“It can’t be,” she replied. “Let me see that again.”

But when she looked a second time, she recognized it instantly. She tried to answer, but as she hit the button to accept the call, the phone suddenly went black.

“I think the battery just died or something,” said Sarah, unable to understand the mysterious phone calls that had disrupted their sleep. “Maybe I should run in to the office and see what’s going on. There’s still plenty of time to catch the flight.”

“Are you kidding me?” he asked. “Of all the days, why today?”

“I need to make sure everything is ok,” replied Sarah as she got up and started dressing in the dark. “I won’t be able to relax until I know everything is under control. Trust me, I’ll make it back before you leave.”

“Fine, but hurry,” replied Thomas. Maybe you should try calling your office with my phone before you go. It’s on the charger in the kitchen.”

Sarah moved quickly to the kitchen, and looked at her husband’s phone. Two missed calls, the screen read. Both unknown. She tried dialing the office, but got no answer. Something was going on, and she needed to find out before they left for their long awaited vacation.

After grabbing the car keys and a breakfast bar, she poked her head into the bedroom, where little Janie had already gone back to sleep.

“I tried your phone, but got no answer,” she whispered to Thomas. “I’ll be back in a few hours. Just have everything ready, and we’ll leave as soon as I return. I just want to make sure everything is ok.”

“If you must,” Thomas replied, “but please be careful. I’ll call the police, and have them meet you there, just in case.”

“Thank you sweetheart,” she replied. “That’s probably a good idea. See you soon.”

And just like that, Sarah headed out into the misty English morning. Little did she know, that one decision would change her family’s life... forever.