INM 5 Part 6

When I first met him in that bar, and every time we met after that, he always had a disguise. When Sam and Oliver first visited my office, the photo they showed me was of such an ordinary young man that even I was a bit surprised. I recognized him immediately because, unlike Alexandra, I had met him several times.

Alexandra nervously finished his glass and began to make a second kir.

“I accidentally said I didn’t remember. Should I contact the police?”

“Yes, I think that would be best… Hey, Alexandra. By the way, when did this happen?”

“The next time he came was quite soon after his first visit. About two months ago, I think. There was a little gap before his third visit.”

This means that Alan’s claim not to have visited Café Little Alexandra since our meeting was a deliberate lie. Why did he hide his visits to this place from me?

While I was lost in thought, Kasim continued with more questions.

“By the way, can you tell me more about the man who was with him?”

“Well… He was taller than this Alan kid. Very well built. I remember thinking they were quite the opposite couple.”

“Was he about the same age as Alan and I?”

“I think so. Though he could have been a little older and it wouldn’t have seemed strange.”

“Do you remember anything about his clothes or the color of his hair?”

“I don’t remember his hair color. He probably wore a cap…”

“Is there anything distinctive about him that might help identify him? Any notable characteristics or behavior?” 

“He had an air of confidence, like he was used to the place.”

“So does that mean he…”

“Wait a minute, young man.”

Alexandra gracefully raised his strong hand to stop Kasim’s barrage of questions. He calmly met the frustrated young man’s gaze and continued.

“You know something, don’t you?”

Kasim finally fell silent. I watched them both, gripping my glass tightly with my left hand so as not to break the tense atmosphere. Unable to hold back any longer, I interjected.

“What do you mean “something”? What does Kasim know?”

At my words, the young man hesitated, his eyes wandering before glancing sideways at me. Confused, I met his gaze until Kasim looked down and broke eye contact. After staring at his lemonade for a moment, he returned his gaze to Alexandra and continued.

“I just want to confirm that my sense of unease is correct, Alexandra. Did you take an order directly from that man? What color were his eyes?”

Alexandra, who had been watching us intently, suddenly froze at Kasim’s question. His pensive expression gradually hardened. The large hand he had placed near her kir twitched slightly.

“Alexandra?”

“I see. So that’s what it means…” 

Staring into space as if frozen, Alexandra moaned softly. He alternated his gaze between Kasim and me, who had both gone rigid.

“I’m sorry, both of you. I can’t answer any more questions. Luke, could you change the door sign to CLOSE?”

“What? Are you closing the bar?”

“What happened to Alan’s date?”

Alexandra shook his head calmly at our shocked reactions.

“I’ll reopen in the evening after I pass the ball to the right person. Kasim, I apologize for cutting you short, but that’s all for today.”

“What do you mean by “the right person”? Why can’t you tell us?”

Showing his stubborn streak, Kasim continued in a low voice. Alexandra smiled gently, as if to comfort him.

“Because he’s a former expert. He heard about the situation from Luke and investigated.”

A slightly hurt expression crossed Kasim’s face. Understanding Kasim’s lingering motivation for getting involved, I couldn’t help but look away.

Alexandra… no, it seems more appropriate to call him Max now… efficiently called Brian’s contact using the voice assistant feature and spoke briskly.

“I’ll make it up to you another time. Kasim, asking this goes against my principles and honestly hurts me, but could you take him home?”

“Understood.”

“I don’t need it!” 

Kasim and I spoke at the same time, and Alexandra nodded at him.

“Thank you. I want you to go straight home today, no detours.”

“Look, I don’t know what you heard from Brian, but it’s not like you to ask Kasim to do something like this, Alexandra. What if something happened to him instead of me?”

Alexandra fell silent. He immediately cupped my cheeks with his big hands and looked into my eyes.

“It’s just a precaution. I don’t actually think you two will get attacked right here in the middle of Brisbane. But for now, could you please just let us protect you for our peace of mind?”

The young man nodded in agreement with those words.

“I’ll take you home and then head straight back from Central Station. It’s much safer than walking to the nearest station from here.”

That was certainly true. And I understand that it would be selfish to insist that I’m fine in spite of such concerns.

Kasim finished his soda and stood up. When I reached for my gin fizz to do the same, Alexandra grabbed the glass just before I could.

“The rest of the gin fizz will be waiting for your next visit.”

“My gin fizz…!”

Alexandra touched my arm gently with his strong hand as I gazed longingly at the glass.

“Stay low for a while, kid. I don’t think you’re in as much danger as Brian, but there are always some people in this world who hurt others for crazy reasons.”

I nodded reluctantly at her wisdom and turned to Kasim. He had already finished getting ready and was turning the doorplate.

Kasim looked at me with intensely serious blue eyes. As I sighed softly, we left the bar together, filled with many questions and unresolved thoughts.

As we walked, I looked at the clock on the wall.

The short hand was between four and five, and the long hand was on the nine… it was 4:45 PM.

Our conversation was a bit stilted, but not awkward, as we made our way to my house in central Brisbane.

About five minutes after being practically pushed out of the bar by Alexandra, Kasim, who had been talking about our hottest topic, Alan’s companion, suddenly fell silent. I instinctively followed the young man’s gaze, which unnaturally stopped both our conversation and our footsteps. 

Ahead of his gaze, I saw a figure that blended in perfectly with the nighttime entertainment district. Tall, with a simple yet handsome appearance.

It took me a full five seconds of staring at the figure before I finally realized who it was. Moments like this remind me of how compact Brisbane is. Running into an acquaintance is hardly surprising anymore, especially when you live in the center of the city.

I called out to the red-haired young man who was striding across the street.

“Ethan!”

Kasim, next to me, shot a startled look in my direction. Ethan, who turned at my call, wore a similar expression of surprise. Seeing their reactions, I remembered that our last tea meeting had been somewhat awkward.

Oh well, I thought as I approached Ethan.

“Long time no see. How have you been?”

As the distance closed, Ethan’s expression gradually changed to one of displeasure. And with each step closer, it became one of resignation. Kasim’s feelings probably mirrored Ethan’s.

When we finally reached him, Ethan sighed.

“It hasn’t been that long, has it?” 

“Is that so? So much has happened lately, it feels like months since I last saw you.”

Ethan hunched his shoulders and lowered his face, swaying awkwardly. His furrowed auburn eyebrows peeked out irritably from under the same colored fringe.

With his characteristic pause, Ethan muttered.

“I’m still young, you know…”

His words made me grimace involuntarily, but it was comforting to see that he hadn’t changed.

“Are you on your way home from school? Do you live around here?”

“Rather, why are you two coming from that direction…?”

Ethan looked behind Kasim and me, from the nightlife district to the daytime business district. In fact, the flow of people was usually the other way around at this time.

Before I could answer, Kasim spoke.

“Luke and I met up for a bit and now we’re heading back.”

“Yeah, Kasim offered to take me home.”

Ethan froze, staring intently at both of us.

“Wait… are you two dating…?”

“No, no.”

I laughed and waved away the misunderstanding. From an outsider’s perspective, it must seem odd for a grown man to be escorted home in broad daylight, especially since my house is right in the middle of the bustling city center.

Imagining Kasim choking back a giggle next to me, I continued with a smile.

“Strange things have been happening around me lately, so everyone’s a little worried.”

Ethan’s eyes widened in surprise and darted from side to side. Now that I noticed it, his bangs, which had covered his face like a curtain before, were styled differently today. This explained why his expression was more visible than last time. Just lifting his bangs a bit made a remarkable difference in his appearance. 

Ethan, noticing my expression, hunched his back even more and shook his head pointlessly, as if trying to summon his bangs.

“Go on…?”

“Only two incidents, though.”

The moment I said it, I felt a sharp look on my left cheek. I realized I hadn’t told the students about the drinking incident.

As I sweated under Kasim’s piercing gaze, Ethan glanced at me before lowering his face again.

“I don’t really understand, but… please be careful…”

“Thank you. You too, be careful on your way home.”

Ethan frowned again, not liking the intrusion into his private affairs. Ignoring my words, he looked at his watch. I followed his gaze to the digital display: 4:58 PM.

Still looking at his watch, Ethan muttered something that sounded like a goodbye. Kasim and I strained to catch the words as he quickly turned and walked away.

Watching his retreat, I lowered my tone and asked Kasim.

“By the way, did you give Sam… give the cop Ethan’s contact information?”

“I did. He said it was necessary for the investigation.” 

“I thought he might at least say something snarky.”

Like criticizing for giving out his contact information without permission, or being too harsh about the value of his time, with his usual double-edged and twisted comments.

“Inspector Robinson isn’t the type to mention who provided the information.”

“That’s true.”

I nodded in agreement with the young man’s words.

After that, our conversation became more sporadic. Neither Kasim nor I were the type to struggle with communication, but I belonged to the category of people who, once they start thinking about something, can’t articulate well. Kasim seemed to be better at handling these situations, but he still gave me space to think, which resulted in fewer words being exchanged.

As we approached Queen Street, the familiar front door of my apartment came into view. I couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. When I turned to thank the young man, I saw that he was already looking back at me.

“Well, I’ll leave you here. Please tell me more about Alan next time.”

Kasim said quietly and started to walk away, surprising me a little. I had expected him to question me about the drinking incident I had accidentally mentioned.

Noticing my surprise, Kasim smiled and looked down.

“Your detective seems to be a reliable person.”

I remembered that this young man had seen me kiss that reliable detective. Lowering my eyes in the same way, I nodded.

“Yeah, that’s true.” 

At my words, the young man raised his face.

“Luke, please remember this. We really want to do something for you. If there’s anything we can do, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

“I understand, thank you.”

Kasim smiled, looking a bit more mature than when we first met, and turned quietly away. Watching his retreating figure, I turned and walked through the automatic doors.

Avoiding Megan’s reproachful gaze, I stepped into the elevator, barely managing to stand upright against the cream and gold walls. In the mirror, a man with a terrible complexion stared back at me with a tired expression. Even Megan would raise an eyebrow at such a sight. Dark circles under dull hazel eyes. When did I get so haggard? No, I used to look a little better than this.