Page 19 of Fight
"Someone you should watch out for."The voice remained calm.
"Who is this?"I repeated, becoming more agitated.I was about to start pacing the short hallway when I sensed Devon behind me.
The device at my ear went quiet.I looked at the screen to see if they were still there, and saw that the call had been disconnected.Sliding the device into my pocket, I turned to face Devon.
"Who was that?"Devon asked, concerned.
"I don't know, the number was blocked."
His brow furrowed."They didn't identify themselves?"
"No."
"And you didn't know the voice?"He didn't sound happy.
I shook my head."It was muffled, disguised somehow,"
He reached out and rubbed his hands up and down my arms."He upset you.What did he say?"
I looked up, meeting Devon's eyes."He asked if I liked the flowers."
A glint of something flashed in his eyes."The roses you got at work the other day?"
I nodded."He said he sent them."
"But not who he was."He asked again.
"No."I shook my head.
"Did he give any clues?Say anything we might use to figure it out?"
"I don't know.I don't think so."
"What exactly did he say?"
I recounted the short conversation for him, as closely as I could recall, ending with the thought that had just popped into my head."Do you think it could be Brandon?"
"Do you?"He asked back."You know him, his voice, his speech patterns, better than I do."
"Not as well as I thought, obviously.I never would have guessed that the Brandon I knew would have done half the things he's done."
"All right, disregard what you think he would do, and don't think about the voice itself.Consider the way they spoke, the pacing, the pronunciation.Do you think it could be Brandon, or anyone else you know?"
I stood there, staring past him at the wall without really seeing it, as I replayed the conversation in my head."I'm not sure."I said after a moment."There was nothing to make me say for sure, yes, it's him.There's nothing to make me say it's not him either."I shook my head, uncertain.
"That's all right."He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me against him."You said he knew you were here."He spoke softly.
"I'm not sure it was a man, but yeah, he asked 'how's the family dinner?Do they know what you are?'"
"Who knows you do a big dinner here on Sundays?"
"Pretty much everyone who knows us.We've always done it."
"So, that wouldn't narrow it down to Brandon."
"No, besides, he's always called it Sunday dinner with the family, not family dinner."
"But he asked if they know what you are.That means he knows, so it's going to be one of the kindred."
