INM 5 Part 5

This area was known for its lively nightlife, but it was also a bustling place during the day. Brick buildings, cafes and the red gates of Chinatown gave it a bright, safe atmosphere created by sober, healthy people. But as night fell, it revealed its slightly dangerous side, known as a place to be cautious in Brisbane and its environs.

I arrived at Fortitude Valley station fifteen minutes before our meeting time and sat down on a western red cedar bench. As I tapped away at the keyboard, my companion soon appeared. 

“Hello, Luke.”

With a refreshing smile that never wavers, Kasim raised his hand slightly toward me. Perhaps mindful of our destination, he wore a black collared shirt and dark jeans today, though his upbringing was still quite evident.

“Kasim. Punctual as always.”

“The train was most convenient at this time. I didn’t expect you to arrive before me.”

“I was sure I’d be late, so I came early to work here.”

Pointing to the laptop on my knees, Kasim looked down curiously. This laptop was sold everywhere, so my work on it must have seemed novel to him.

“Thanks for taking the time. I didn’t expect you to be available so soon.”

“That’s okay. I’m the one who should thank you for Alan’s photo.”

“Were there any problems with the photo? It was from high school, so I thought it might look different than it does now.”

“No, it was helpful.”

In the photo, Alan looked much younger than the youth I knew. It was impressive how much kids that age can grow in a short time, yet I could still recognize his features.

The problem was in my head, I could not remember Alan’s face even after seeing the photo. I understood that it was Alan in the picture, but the memories of Alan didn’t come back.

“Well, if I need more photos, I’ll just have to threaten Sam and confiscate some.” 

“You mean Inspector Robinson?”

“Exactly. He owes me many favors… Oh, don’t go too far away from me. I’ve never seen anyone so conspicuous around here.”

“Stand out? That can’t be right. I often pass through this area, and there are many people dressed like me.”

Although he protested, the young man obediently walked closer, matching my pace. Soon we reached our destination. Despite its disastrous name, the bar had a sleek exterior, and once inside, it revealed an authentic and elegant atmosphere.

“Change the door sign to OPEN, please.”

Alexandra called from behind the counter, noticing our arrival. The young man responded quickly and reached for the sign, causing his eyes to widen in surprise.

“Luke, you finally got together with your first love after what felt like ten apocalypses of frustrating detours, and now you’re already cheating? Even I can’t keep up with you.”

The body blow of his words as we walked in made me trip over a nearby chair as I made my way to the counter. The stone tiles and thin wooden legs scraped loudly against each other. 

I managed to steady myself… thanks in part to the brown arm that grabbed and supported my upper arm from behind… and raised my voice.

“Why would you say that!”

Ignoring my outburst, Alexandra shook his head in exasperation.

“And with such an innocent-looking kid… I don’t want to know what happens next.”

“You know that’s not true! And how do you even know that I started dating him?”

“Brian contacted me directly. But seriously, even if the cheating part is a joke, what’s going on? You made a reservation before the restaurant opened and brought someone with you who doesn’t really fit in here.”

At Alexandra’s words, the young man standing quietly next to me shifted slightly. Stifling a laugh, I continued.

“Sorry about the time. I haven’t had much freedom to wander around lately.”

“Well, your cute detective filled me in on the situation… Nice to meet you. Welcome to my castle.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Kasim. I asked Luke to bring me here today.”

“Oh, is that so?” Alexandra’s mood immediately brightened as he smiled. “Welcome, Kasim.”

“Thank you. It’s an honor to meet you.”

With a smile that could win anyone over, Alexandra turned back to me.

“Where on earth did you find such a fine young man?”

“Actually, he found me.”

Correcting her firmly, I lightly slapped Kasim’s upper arm with my fist. 

“I met Kasim through a mutual friend. He’s a student at the University of Brisbane, and despite his mint-tablet-fresh looks, he’s pretty straightforward, or should I say stubborn.”

“You’re the only one who would describe me that way.”

Ignoring the young man’s strained smile, I turned to Alexandra.

“This is Alexandra. We are from the same town. He owns this place now, but when I was little, he taught me how to start a revolution at the university.”

“How many times do I have to tell you it was social movement research, you birdbrain?”

Alexandra said in a low voice, gracefully extending his right hand… or rather, left hand over the counter.

“Alexandra Roseblade. Call me Alexandra.”

Kasim, with his large blue eyes framed by fluttering eyelashes, stared in surprise at her large, bony left hand before shaking it gently with his smooth brown left hand.

“I’m Kasim. You noticed that I am left-handed.”

“I noticed too. When you had tea with Ethan at the university, you held your cup to the right.”

“I didn’t notice.”

“Still a young man lacking in observation skills… ouch!”

“Don’t get cocky when you can’t even introduce yourself properly, young man.”

Alexandra snapped his finger against my arm and made a face. It felt like a throwing star had struck deep.

“Take care of him, Kasim… And Luke, cherish the friends you’ve made.”

“Okay, Mom.” 

At my nonchalant reply, Alexandra snorted and straightened his chest with its fluttering lace. The way he folded his well-toned arms reminded me of a blue genie hovering over its master and saying, “Make your wish.”

“All right. So? I thought you were here to talk about Brian, but that’s not the case?”

“I’ll tell you about that another time, but today is different. Kasim wanted to visit the place where I met my friend, so I brought him here.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well, Luke and I have a mutual friend, and I heard that Luke met that friend here. So I asked him to bring me.”

“Ah, I see…?”

Alexandra nodded skeptically at Kasim’s explanation. He understood the words, but perhaps not the overall context.

“Do I know this mutual friend of yours?”

“Maybe. You were there when I met that friend.”

“What’s his name?”

“Alan. Alan Maxwell.” Kasim interjected quickly. “He’s about my age, very thin, with black hair and eyes.”

“That’s an unfamiliar name.”

Saying this, Alexandra looked at me. Understanding the meaning of her look, I nodded firmly.

“I’ll have a gin fizz.”

“In this context, who do you think is taking orders, you idiot? I meant give me more details about this friend of yours.” 

As he said this, Alexandra made me a gin fizz. Then placed a lemonade in front of Kasim and started to make a seemingly low-alcohol kir for himself. As I watched the white wine slowly pour into the slim glass, I sighed.

“Do you remember the guy who rushed into the bar and sat down right away? It was about three months ago, so you may not remember, Alexandra.”

“Three months ago… Now that you mention it, that did happen.”

Alexandra’s eyes drifted up to the right, as if trying to jog his memory. Trying to help, I added.

“You asked me to talk to him, remember? That’s how we became friends.”

“Oh, yes, yes, yes, there was such a boy.” Alexandra gradually remembered, nodding slowly with a low hum. “I thought I might scare him if I went over there, so I asked you. It’s dizzying how my prescience has been vindicated, knowing that you’re still in touch.

“I am truly grateful.”

Alexandra, holding his kir, raised an eyebrow at my words.

“I still don’t quite get it. Your purpose is to check out my bar, right?”

“Yeah, that’s the plan. But…”

“If you could tell me more about Alan, I would appreciate it.”

“See? I knew it wouldn’t be that easy with you, you pesky lion.” 

The young man, who deliberately avoided eye contact with me while glaring at Alexandra, nevertheless expressed his displeasure with a twisted mouth.

Watching our exchange, Alexandra finally sighed and looked down at his glass.

“It was the day before yesterday. Brian also came to this bar to ask questions. He showed me a photo of a man whose face was obscured and asked if I recognized him.”

The photo of a man whose face couldn’t be seen was probably the one of the well-built guy in the baseball cap, the prime suspect for spiking my drink.

I was surprised that even Alexandra had been questioned. He continued.

“At that time, he also told me briefly about your situation. That you lost a friend.”

Kasim and I exchanged looks. Alexandra sighed when she noticed our obvious discomfort.

“So you’re here to talk about the boy, aren’t you?”

Unsure how to answer, Kasim and I both nodded solemnly. Alexandra furrowed his brow and lowered his artificial eyelashes.

“No matter how many times I go through it, losing young people always hits hard. The same age as you? That’s tragic. You came here to mourn him, didn’t you?”

“Something like that.”

“You’re not trying to get involved in something unpleasant, are you?”

“No way.”

“You’re not sniffing around for the truth about the incident, are you?”

“We are not, I swear. But I can’t speak for what he’s thinking.” 

The young man next to me, who had been quiet and somber, almost dropped his lemonade. Under Alexandra’s heavy gaze, he shook his head hastily.

“Me neither, I really didn’t do anything like that.”

“This may be a personal question, but was that boy your boyfriend?”

Still not completely convinced, Alexandra pressed on. Indeed, the only reason one would want to visit a place where friends met would be the whim of a jealous lover. Knowing Alan’s feelings made my heart skip and Kasim shook his head again.

“No, I was a classmate of Alan’s in high school.” The young man paused, lowered his thick eyelashes and smiled. “I regret not becoming friends with him.”

“I think you’re already friends. You’re so concerned and worried about him… And I think Alan would be happier if you considered yourselves friends. You can believe that.”

The young man bit his beige lips hard and Alexandra looked at me. I just swallowed the gin fizz in my mouth and shrugged.

“Alright then. I can’t tell you much, but feel free to ask anything.”

“Did Alan… did that person only come to this bar that one time?”

Here it comes. This is going to get complicated, I thought, and I was slow to react to Alexandra’s next answer.

“He came back after that. Twice, I think.”

“Really?”

A beat behind Kasim, I also knocked over my stool in shock.

“You’ve got to be kidding!” 

“It’s true. Why would I lie, you brat?”

“But, I mean…”

Alan himself had told me that he hadn’t been to any gay bars, including the Café Little Alexandra, since we met.

Seeing my surprise and confusion, Alexandra shook his head slightly and continued.

“He looked much more polished than the first time I saw him, but make no mistake. He was following a man with a troubled expression.”

“A companion!”

Kasim and I shouted in unison.

“He had a companion, Alexandra! We must tell the cop.”

“Cop? Why the cop?” Alexandra’s face stiffened in mid-sentence. “Oh dear, so the charming policeman was talking about that boy.”

“Did Oliver come to question you as well, Alexandra? Oh, I think I might have mentioned this bar to him… wait, didn’t you notice that the cop was asking about Alan? Even though you remembered that he came back twice?”

“The impression from the photo was completely different. In the photo the police showed me, he looked like a typical young man”.

“Alan had a bad disguise…”