Unexpected: Day 1

Word Count: 9,042

Summary of Events:

Meinwen was walking home from work when she encountered a telephone box whose telephone was ringing, but had no one to answer it. Answering it, she was told that a man named Dr. Stuart Stiles' life was in danger, and merely what hotel room he was staying in, not what hotel. Finding the room after some time, she left him a note saying what she'd heard, as he sounded to be busy with a friend inside, before heading home. Hilton was upset by the news that his grandfather had told his stepfather he was going to Ireland, which had led to his mum finding out and arranging with his intolerable aunt to have him stay at her house instead of his planned hotel; thus distracted, he turned without looking and nearly ran Meinwen over. Feeling terribly, he took her to the hospital where her wrist was put in a brace, as well as taking her to dinner before taking her home. Not satisfied that he'd done enough to make up for the pain he'd caused, he went the following morning to offer her a ride to work, which Meinwen only accepted because listening to him and her brother talk over his hired Aston Martin car left her with insufficient time to walk on her own. Along the way, Hilton turned on the news only because his grandfather insisted he keep himself abreast of the latest market numbers . . .

Excerpt of the Day:

“Police are investigating reports of a threat against the life of Dr. Stuart Stiles, an American academic who is to be giving a lecture at Cardiff University this evening,” the news anchor said. “Dr. Stiles reported a strange note stating his life was in danger appearing under his hotel room door, which is believed to be a taunting threat by the party involved.”

“That’s not a threat!” Meinwen exclaimed.

“What?” Mr. Sheahan-Carrington asked.

“I wasn’t threatening him!” Meinwen exclaimed. 

“Threatening whom?” Mr. Sheahan-Carrington asked.

“Dr. Stiles,” Meinwen replied.

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand,” Mr. Sheahan-Carrington said. “What are you talking about?”

“That note,” Meinwen replied. “I left that note, and I wasn’t threatening him, I was just telling him what that man on the telephone told me.”

“What telephone?” Mr. Sheahan-Carrington asked.

“I was on the way home from work and approaching a telephone box when the telephone inside started ringing,” Meinwen replied.

“You mean you can call telephone boxes?” Mr. Sheahan-Carrington asked.

“Apparently,” Meinwen replied. “I didn’t know either. Nonetheless, no one was in the box, so I answered it, and a man who sounded very panicked on the other end said that Dr. Stiles’ life was in danger, and told me what hotel room he was staying in — but not what hotel — before, presumably, being shot and killed. But I don’t know who he was or where he was calling from, or anything else. Nonetheless, I felt I ought to find Dr. Stiles and pass on the warning, and so I did. I would’ve told him personally, but he sounded to be… engaged, so I left the note under his hotel room door, once I finally found where he was staying.”
Mr. Sheahan-Carrington was silent for a long moment.

“I must confess that the whole thing sounds utterly preposterous,” he said. “Not an everyday sort of occurrence by any stretch of the imagination. Would you rather I take you to the police station so you can tell them what happened?”

Meinwen felt subtly confused, but then overwhelmingly alarmed. It did sound preposterous. Who was ever going to believe her?

“I’ll likely be arrested for it,” Meinwen said. “I’ll probably be labelled as insane. It is a horribly unbelievable story like you said.”

“But I believe it,” Mr. Sheahan-Carrington replied.

“What?” Meinwen asked. “But why?”

“You’re not the sort of person I would consider remotely insane,” Mr. Sheahan-Carrington replied. “I haven’t had any reason to question your sanity to this point, and I’ve only known you for a matter of hours.”

Meinwen felt mildly encouraged by that statement, but still felt utterly mortified to think of the ridiculous mess she’d gotten herself into.

“So, do you wish me to take you to the police station?” Mr. Sheahan-Carrington asked.

“No,” Meinwen replied. “I should get to work.”

“Alright,” Mr. Sheahan-Carrington replied.

Owing to Friday's status as a holiday, there will be no post. The novel will resume Saturday.