Simon dropped onto the couch, filling the place Gail had vacated, and pinned me with a searching look.

“How are you doing, Ray?”

“Why do people keep asking me that?” I muttered, exasperated. “I’m fine. Everything is fine.”

“Well, you didn’t seem fine when I picked you up last night. But maybe you don’t remember that.”

“I remember. I also remember that I didn’t call you.”

“No, you didn’t. The bartender called me, because if someone didn’t pick you up, you were going to get arrested.”

“That was just a small misunderstanding.”

“You punched a guy in the face, how was that a misunderstanding?”

“Hey, he agreed to that.”

“He agreed to be punched in the face?” Simon raised an eyebrow.

“I told him if he touched my ass again, I was going to break his nose. He did. I don’t see where there could have been any confusion on his part.”

Simon pinched the bridge of his nose,

“If you keep doing shit like that, you are going to end up in prison, Ray.”

I shrugged,

“It’s not like I’ve got much else going on, anyway.”

“Seriously?”

“Relax, I’m joking. Really, the problem was that I went out to a bar, which I only did because I ran out of liquor here, and the stores were already closed for the night. I stocked up on my way home, today. Problem solved,” I jerked a thumb at the bag on the counter. “Speaking of, there’s beer in the fridge if you want one. I would offer to get it for you, but you are here often enough I think you can just make yourself at home.”

“I’ll pass, thanks,” Simon shook his head. “And I don’t think that addresses the underlying issue here, Ray.”

“Who said I wanted to address the underlying issue? If that is what you came here for, you can leave now.”

“Alright, fine. Let’s just move on. Look, I actually came here because I need your help with something. I stopped by earlier, around 7, but you weren’t home. I am surprised you were even awake that early.”

“I like to get to the gym before it gets crowded. I don’t sleep much these days, anyway.”

“Yeah, I recall Carter saying you’ve been there a lot, lately.”

“Carter gossips too much. Now, what do you need help with, exactly?”

“Right, well, I have a little problem, and I was hoping you would do me a favor and look into it. It shouldn’t take too long.”

I sighed,

“The fact that you are being purposefully vague, here, tells me this is something I am going to refuse to do, right? So why are we wasting each other’s time?”

“Why not? You don’t have anything else going on, right?”

I gave him a sour look, but relented.

“Fine, I’ll hear you out. But I am just going to refuse.”

“Oh, come on. Keep an open mind. This is nothing difficult. Really just putting someone’s mind at ease.”

“Who’s mind? At ease about what? Just get to the point, Simon,” I drummed my fingers on the side of my glass.

“Well, I have this friend, Carissa, and her roommate is missing. She hasn’t been home in 2 days and Cari says that isn’t like her at all. She’s concerned that something’s happened to her.”

“So, go to the police, report her missing,” I shrugged.

“We did. They took the report, but Cari says that they haven’t looked into it at all. Haven’t even come by their place. The detective in charge says that adults are allowed to leave anytime they want, and it isn’t the job of the police to enforce a curfew.”

“Well, maybe they are right. Two days isn’t that long. Maybe this roommate just went on an impromptu trip or had a family emergency.”

“Cari says Mia wouldn’t do that. They are close, she would have at least texted to let her know she would be away.”

“Have you talked to Gail about this?”

“Yeah, yesterday. She said she would love to help, but they don’t have the people to spare, and there is nothing about this that seems related to the ubarae, anyway.”

“I assume you have called the hospitals, confirmed she wasn’t in an accident?”

“Of course. Nothing.”

“I guess that’s all you can do, then. I am sure she will turn up, eventually.”

“I was hoping maybe you would look into it for me.”

“Why would I do that?”

“Well, this is sort of what you do, right? You investigate things like this all the time.”

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“Nope. I don’t investigate anything. Not anymore. Retired, remember?”

“Come on,” he wheedled. “This isn’t really work, just a favor for a friend. Just come by the house, take a quick look around, see if anything strikes you. 30 minutes, in and out.”

“Nope. Not doing it. I have plans.”

“I could pay you.”

“Not interested.”

“What exactly are you doing for money these days, anyway?”

“I have some savings,” I shrugged.

“Enough to retire in your thirties?” he sounded skeptical.

“That really depends on how long I live, doesn’t it?”

“Not funny, Ray.”

“No? I thought it was,” I leaned back. “The fact remains that my finances are none of your concern. And I am not getting involved in whatever drama you and your girlfriend have going on.”

“I didn’t say Cari was my…”

“I know. You didn’t have to,” I drained my glass. “Now, can we move on?”

“Please, Ray. You don’t have to get involved, not really, just take a quick look, and if you think it is nothing, we can move on, if not we will take whatever you find to the police. Either way, I will leave you alone for the rest of the day, if you agree.”

“The rest of the day?” I snorted. “Make it the rest of the week.”

“Deal. Alright, let’s go I will explain more in the car,” Simon jumped to his feet.

“What? No, I didn’t agree to this.”

“Sure, you did. Come on, the sooner you get it over with, the sooner I will leave you in peace, right?”

I sighed deeply; he obviously wasn’t going to let this go.

“Fine. 30 minutes, no more. Just let me take care of a few things, first.”

I headed to the kitchen and dropped my empty glass on the counter, then began emptying the bag into the cupboards or fridge, as the item required.

“Thank you, Ray. Seriously.”

“Yeah, yeah. Just to be clear though, I make no promises. I probably won’t find anything useful, and you’ll likely end today in the same place you started.”

“I still appreciate you trying.”

“Let me be clear on a few things: First, this is a one time only favor, understood?”

Simon nodded enthusiastically,

“Of course, of course, and like I said, I can pay…”

I held up a hand to stop him,

“You couldn’t afford me, Simon. Don’t worry about money, just let me finish. Second condition, when I say we are leaving, we leave, immediately. Agreed?”

“Sure.”

“Finally,” I grabbed my coat from the peg by the door. “You are driving, obviously, so I hope you brought your car.”

“I’m parked out front, let’s go.”

As Simon pulled out of the parking lot, I turned to him,

“Alright, so, how long have you known this woman?” I closed my eyes and leaned back against the headrest.

“I’ve been seeing Carissa for a couple of months, now. She’s a nurse; we met during a patient transfer.”

“And does she know? About you?”

Simon hesitated for a moment,

“Yeah, I told her.”

I let out a low whistle,

“Living dangerously, eh Simon? I know the whole secrecy thing has changed, but it isn’t really safe for you to tell people you barely know.”

“I thought it was best to be honest with her. Besides, I know Cari, and I trust her. I am a pretty good judge of character, you know.”

“Oh, I know,” I shook my head. “I remember your last group of close friends. Plenty of people still trying to clean up the mess they created.”

“That’s not fair, that was a completely different situation.”

“Uh huh. Does the missing roommate know?”

“I didn’t specifically tell her, but I suspect Cari might have let it slip.”

“Oh yeah, you were completely right to trust her.”

“I told you, they are close, they share things like this. I understand why she told her.”

“Well, I hope you still understand when you are facing down a pitchfork wielding mob.”

“Come on, it won’t come to that.”

“You hope.”

“Moving on,” Simon took the next turn harder than was strictly necessary, apparently that hit a nerve. “The point is, she knows. Does it matter?”

“Well, it changes what I can say to her, at least. I wouldn’t want to accidentally expose any secrets. On a related note, does she know who I am and why you are asking me to do this?”

Simon nodded,

“I’ve told her about you before. I am actually glad you’ll get to meet, finally. I think you’ll really like her.”

“I’m not your mother, Simon, I don’t need to meet your girlfriends,” I pulled the flask from my jacket pocket and took a swig.

“Seriously, Ray?”

“What? I said I would do you a favor, but there is no reason I need to cancel all my plans for the day,” I took another sip and closed the flask, but kept it in my hand. “After all, this isn’t work, right? But I will take it easy, I promise.”

“I’ll take what I can get, I suppose,” Simon grumbled.

“Now, what can you tell me about the roommate. Mia, was it?”

“Yeah. Her, I don’t actually know too well. She seemed friendly enough. She and Carissa had been roommates in nursing school, and cost of living being what it is they’ve stuck together. Close as sisters.”

“But you don’t know her well?”

Simon coughed and rubbed the back of his neck,

“Well, admittedly when I am with Cari I can sometimes be a bit… distracted. You know how it is with new love. How you can get caught up in each other.”

“Nope. Not something I am familiar with.”

“Oh right, sorry, I wasn’t thinking.”

“Relax, I am just giving you a hard time. I don’t know what you mean, personally, but I am familiar with the concept. So, I guess for any questions about her habits, changes in her personality, that sort of thing, I would need to ask your girlfriend, eh?”

“Yeah, she should be able to help with that when we arrive. In fact, we’re almost there.”

Simon pulled into a driveway of a small townhouse. Before the car had even come to a complete stop, the front door was flung open and a petite blonde with a smattering of freckles across her nose ran down the steps and straight into Simon’s arms, burying her face in his chest.

“Where have you been? You were supposed to be back hours ago,” her voice was slightly muffled.

“I’m sorry, Cari. It took me a bit longer than I expected to work things out. I should have called.”

“Never mind that,” she leaned her head back to look him in the eyes. “Did you bring her?”

I circled the car in time for Simon to nod towards me.

“Oh!” the blonde stepped back and turned to me, grabbing my hand between both of hers in something between a handshake and a hug. “You must be Ray. Thank you so much for coming. I have hardly been able to sleep for days. Mia is in trouble, I just know it, and no one will listen. Simon said you would know what to do. He promised you would be able to help us.”

I glared at Simon over her shoulder, he just smiled sheepishly.

“Look, I can’t promise anything. This isn’t the type of thing I usually do, but I will see if I can find anything useful. Maybe I could start by asking you a few questions about your friend?”

“Of course! Anything I can do to help,” she released my hand. “Please, come inside. We can talk over tea.”

“That really isn’t necessary…” I started.

“No, no, please, it’s no trouble, I already brewed a pot. I find tea very comforting in difficult times, don’t you?”

Carissa hurried ahead, opening the door, and waving us into the townhouse. I fell back beside Simon.

“You promised her I could help?” I hissed. “What on earth possessed you to do that?”

“That isn’t exactly what I said,” he replied quietly. “I said I knew someone who might be able to help. She’s just worried for Mia, so she is grasping at anything. She knows there are no guarantees, here.”

“She’d better,” I muttered.

“Come on, let’s just have some tea and you can ask your questions. We’ll deal with what comes next when we get there, alright?”

I nodded, grudgingly. Simon smiled and then jogged to catch up with Carissa, waving for me to follow. I took a deep breath and ran my thumb along the edge of my flask. It was going to be a long afternoon.