Prologue Continued

It was an hour later when the Detective finally jumped into the back of the ambulance where she had been put to keep warm. Rick and Lisa took that as an indication to head for the hospital and it wasn't long before they were on their way.
"I told you that I would have questions for you to answer," he said earnestly, leaning over her beside to look her in the face, "I am Detective James Cameron. Can you tell me your name?"
Phoebe stared into his beautiful eyes and made herself answer, her voice sounding raspy as she responded, "Phoebe Banks."
He smiled at her and jotted some notes in his notepad as he asked another question, "What were you doing in the alley at this time of night, Mrs. Banks?"
"Its Miss, sir." she corrected instantly, "I was on my home to the apartment complex nearby. My shift eneded at midnight and I was cutting through the alley."
James nodded and ran a hand through his unruly curls, "Alright, did you get a look at the man who killed the boy?"
Tears immediately came to her eyes as she recalled the fear in Keagen's eyes, "Yes his name is Mikey, he had bright carret red hair and a tattoo of a snake on his neck. The victim, Keagen, was selling drugs from him and spent the money on other drugs which he used."
"That's a lot of good information, ma'am. I am sorry you had to go through that." He looked at her with concern in his eyes, "Did anything seem strange to you about it all?"
Phoebe nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes, "As a matter of fact, there was something that still feels weird. Keagen pleaded for his life, saying that he would do anything if he could just be saved from death. Mikey had stepped back and I almost thought he was being sincere. But then all of a sudden he turned and said that he didn't know if he could trust him anymore. That was when he turned and shot him three times."
Silence enveloped the small space as James jotted down the information. Suddenly his expression turned to anger and he slmmed his fist down hard on the counter beside him, "He's at it again; the imbicile."
Frowning, Phoebe tried to sit up but a sudden dizziness caused her to lay back down, "What do you mean?"
He turned to her and smiled weakly, showing her his deep dimples near his mouth, "Don't worry, we'll catch him. The important thing is he didn't get a look at you, at least you will be safe."
Although she knew that was not true, Phoebe just nodded and said nothing about the criminal getting a very clear picture of her face. She did not need some police escorts following her around everywhere she went. The last thing she needed was to feel suffocated in the little life she led.
Once they reached Vancouver General Hospital, James walked alongside her stretcher as they brought her into the ER. He immediately commanded attention to her, letting them now she was a victim who had witnessed a terrifying crime. It wasn't long before she was tucked in a warm bed on the Psychiatry ward. Altough she did not feel like she belonged in such a place, Phoebe was happy to finally be in a comfortable warm bed with room to herself. It took a few hours of tossing and turning and then a wild panic attack for the nurse to give her a sedative so she could sleep. Within a half hour she was sleeping so tight that a trumpet blown directly in her ear could not have awoken her.

New Novel

Hello Readers! I have great news for you all, I have decided to write a novel on my blog where you, as a follower and reader, can join in with ideas and any insight you might have. Today, I will start off with the prologue. ENJOY!

PROLOGUE

Phoebe Banks shut the back door to Snappy's Buffet Resteraunt and checked to see if it was locked securely. She glanced at her watch and sighed as its digits read five minutes after midnight. After her regular eight hour shift, Phoebe had taken over for her friend, Rosie Sorguoy. In total, she had worked a sixteen hour day and she could hear her bed calling her.

She only lived three blocks away, but the time seemed to stretch as she walked down the dark streets. The area she lived in was considered to be one of the slums in her city, Vancouver of British Columbia. Her parents despised that she lived in such a bad area, but she needed to be near the Vancouver Community College where she was taking some Art classes. Phoebe had grown up in a small town in the Fraser Valley called Rosedale. Her parents and three brothers still lived there and urgently requested that she join them when her semester was finished.

The sudden chill of the night air, made Phoebe gather her jacket close to her body in an endeaver to keep the warmth inside. Above her a streetlight blinked eerily, and she shivered in nervousness as she drew near the alley which she often used as a shortcut to her apartment complex. At the sight of the familiar building, Phoebe breathed a sigh of relief, allowing all tension to flow from her rigid body.

As she was walking midway the alley she overheard forceful voices in the shadows ahead. One voice seemed to be pleading, whereas the other was just viciously angry. Phoebe did not know whether to turn and take the long way around, or push aside her fear and face those ahead.

After a wild debate with herself in her mind, Phoebe could not shake the need to crawl into her bed and fall fast asleep. So, although a voice in her head told her to be careful, Phoebe moved slowly foreward. The voices became clearer as she came closer and her heart seemed to beat wildly within her.

"Please don't kill me, man. I'll do anything to pay you back, I swear!" a pleading voice said thorugh sobs, "Just don't ...don't kill me."

Phoebe stopped in her tracks, panic instantly making her ease toward the wall of the building to the left. What was going on?

A deeper voice responded an instant later, "Well, you should have thought about that before you used up all my money! When you sold my merchandise, you were told to bring the money to me. I didn't tell you to buy drugs for yourself, did I?"

Phoebe heard a whimper come from the other man, and then waited for what would happen next. Her breath caught in her throat as he moved ahead and hid behind a garbage bin. She gasped at the sight which she beheld. A tall caucasian man with bright red hair and the tattoo of a snake on his neck held a gun to the temple of a young teenager who was weeping.

"I'm sorry, Mikey, " the boy said, his voice trembling, "It was wrong of me to steal your money, I'll do anything to make it up to you."

Mikey, as the boy had called him, took the gun away from his temple and stepped back, "Alright, I'll think of something."

Phoebe could see the boy nearly collapse in relief, and she found that she had been holding her breath in anticapation. Quickly, she breathed normally for a while as she watched Mikey walk close to where she was standing, his back to the boy, "Well, Keagen, I've thought about it and I cannot let there be a chance of you deceiving me again."

The next few seconds seemed to drage on forever. Mikey turned in sudden quickness and pulled the trigger to his gun three times. Phoebe gasped loudly as she watched Keagen fall back against the wall behind him and then slide down to the ground.

Instantly, she saw Mikey turn to face her and she crouched down behind some crates, hoping he had not spotted her. However it was too late, he had seen her face. Phoebe shut her eyes tightly as she waited for him to walk up to her, she heard him take some steps to her but then the loud honk of a car horn disturbed the night and he walked away.

Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed for the young boy and for nearly losing her own life. It was about fifteen minutes later when she heard sirens growing louder as they drew near. Someone in the surrounding buildings must have called the authorities. Phoebe wanted to move but her body would not let her, she felt like a stone; unmovable on its own. She could only stare ahead in stunned silence, beating herself up inwardly for not walking the other way home.

She was still staring at the wall before her when a gently hand patted her on the arm. At the instant of the touch, Phoebe jumped back in fear, looking into the face of a handsome man around the age of thirty. His blonde hair was gently tousled and warmth seemed to spring forth from his green eyes. Even though she had been through quite an ordeal, Phoebe still had sense to enjoy the physique of such a handome and strong speciman.

"Are you alright, ma'am?" he asked, calmly sitting down beside her on the hard concrete. Phoebe could not get her tongue to form the words she wanted to say. Instead her eyes filled with tears and she erupted into a blubbery mess on his shoulder.

He soothed her with calm words and said that she was safe now. As hard as she tried, she could not make her mind believe the words he spoke. After a while, the man stood up and helped her to her feet but as soon as she stood her legs got all rubbery and she fell right back to a sitting position on the cold concrete. Without another word, he picked her up in his muscular arms as if she weighed nothing at all and carried her down the alley towards the lights of the emergency vehicles. As she pressed against hi hard chest, she leaned her head against his shoulder and breathed in teh scent of his spicy aftershave and coll men's cologne. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach, but she dismissed them as a result of what she had just witnessed.

The strong amrs gently deposited her on a stretcher and she felt a sudden chill creep over her.

"I found this young woman in the alley. I presume she witnessed teh shooting," he said with a voice of authority, flipping open a notebook, "I am going to take a look at the other victim. Do what you can to make her comfortable and check her over. Wait until I am done here before you head back to the hospital. I will want to go with you."

Phoebe felt her heart clench within her, why did this man make her feel so sensual? He was just a man; a man who had been the first to comfort her after a scary incident. Yes, obviously it was just because he had a hero complex.

"Count it taken care of, Detective Cameron," the young female paramedic said cheerfully, spreading a warm blanket over Phoebe's shivering body.

The Detective nodded her way and then glanced in Phoebe's direction, "You're going to be okay, ma'am. but I will have to talk to you later so I want you to think about talking soon."

She said nothing but just watched him walk down the alley, o how this man was driving her senseless!

The paramedic introduced herself as Lisa and her partner Rick soon came out of the ambulance to assist. They were a good team, talking and laughing as if she were a part of the group and soon she felt the tension drift away. It wasn't too long before the entire alley was flooded with peopleand lights. A coroner came to look after teh body and determine the obvious truth. Within minutes tehy had the body on a stretcher in a black bag and in the back of another ambulance.

Are you interested in hearing more? Leave me a message and I will continue!!

The Inspiring Authors Club

Hello Readers,

The Inpiring Authors Club is a wonderful group of people who come together to learn about:

1. Local Authors
2. New writing techniques
3. Writers and their lifestyles; both recent and far back in History
4. Creative writing
5. Building story lines
6. The Publishing System
7. Editing
8. Finding your niche in life!!!

To learn more go to: www.inspiringauthorsclub.com

Have a great day everyone!!!

All about Rosedale

For the past year, I have been researching up on Rosedale, a small town located in the Fraser Valley. This town has a lovely combination of History and Modern Life. As one passes through along Yale Rd, certain aspects of the once simpler life can be spotted amidst the new age buildings and lifestyles. Suddenly, all the troubles of the world disappear and one is able to see hints of life in the early 1900s.

I have started a series called, "The Wild Rose County", taking place in Rosedale at the turn of the century when a large smallpox outbreak penetrated the valley. The first novel is called "Caleb's Quest" where a young medical doctor from England travels to Canada to help out at his uncle's practice. But when he arrives and finds his uncle dead along with a disasterous disease threatening to wipe out every able body in sight, he has a choice to make. Either he can return to his fatherland or stay and fight along with the rest.