It was a quick return to the old grind. Sao felt a sense of deja vu, he’d gone through the same pattern before. The strange followed by the standard, each in such broad strokes that when he landed in one, it was hard to believe the other had ever been possible.

So there he was. In at nine, out at seven, in his comfortable swivel chair, occupied by two ink-penned transcripts, falling asleep to the hum of the building’s heating pipes, the creaking of cozy wooden walls, the faces of Marina, Oliver and Locke drifting further away like a backdrop of clouds. When they did cross his memory, there was a pang of guilt, but Rai had not given him any further news or instructions on the matter, and Sao had no suggestions.

They remained missing, like so many before them.

We’re technically still on the case, Sao tried to assure himself. He read the news. He reviewed old footage. He checked in with Icey and Zen (though he had been avoiding the bar for reasons he wasn’t ready to go into himself.) He looked over the same cycle of things so often it began to feel like an automated process. It clearly wasn’t helping. But if he stayed away too long the guilt began to trickle in again.

He was impressed (and moderately frustrated) by how adeptly Rai returned to his ordinary desk work. Rai was not exactly serene, but went at every new report, not matter how dull, as if it were equal to the inexplicable vanishing of a friend. In fact, for the first few days after the Oliver incident, Sao had been sure that Rai was still pushing aside his assignments to keep attacking their personal investigation. He did not print as much as usual, did not talk about new files, did not perform any of his deafening paper thunderclaps that signified the end of a report. He just scowled into his screen and, oddly, walked out of the office for hours at a time. For the majority of the days to follow, he was missing from the office during lunchtime.

On Thursday, the office received a call. Rai had just left, and wasn’t expected back anytime soon. Sao picked up the receiver. The voice at the other end gave little regard to his greeting.

“Yeah, hello. I’m calling on behalf of the detective who requested file number #897345. We’re having some trouble accepting the resolution filed by your office. You see, it’s very important moving forward that we are able to seize the storehouse by next week, if you could get another look at it by today it would be appreciated. There’s no time for another formal request, so if you could give it first priority as an extension...”

The detective’s office took no pleasure in Sao’s polite deference.

“I’ll have to file a complaint,” the caller warned. “This isn’t the first time. I wouldn’t expect a clerk to understand, but I need - no, you to shut up and listen - I’m doing you a favor by letting you know. You need to realize this isn’t acceptable. No - no you listen to me. This isn’t a game, this is real-world. By wasting my time you are severely interfering with the investigation. People will die. The city could be out millions, because of you. Let your supervisor know. Know what, I’ll let him know. You’ll both be hearing from the chief soon.”

But the supervisor in question was out, and remained out of office past the closing hour. Sao turned out the light and locked the door himself.

At least he’d learned something from the call. Rai was indeed completing his assignments, though he must have been doing so after hours.

When he was in the next morning, Sao passed the message along, softening it by suggesting that if the detective hadn’t simply been blowing hot air, then it was probably too late already. And the chief of police had most assuredly not been in touch.

It made little difference. Rai wasn’t about to do a free re-assessment. He was no more cooperative than his angry caller. He tossed a few bland insults in the direction of the main office detectives, and walked out.

Rai spent the majority of his day out of the office the next day, too.

---

A phone was ringing. Sao shuddered awake.

For a moment he forgot where he was. Dusty sunlight upon his shoulders. Smack in the middle work day, that’s right - no, a little later, noon had come and gone. He drained some of his tea that was now lukewarm, to coax his brain back into operation. His latest transcription project, pending submission, was sitting patiently on the screen in front of him. He had finished it early in the day, shortly after Rai had gone out for breakfast. Rai warned not to expect him back before the evening.

His cell phone was the source of the ringing. Face down on the wooden desk, the chimes were muffled, but the vibrations buzzed against the surface like a tiny drill was caught in the grooves. That was what had woken him, and soon a slight annoyance had him on alert. Who would be calling his personal number in the middle of the day? If headquarters had some important matters to take up, they would call the office landline. Did he have any friends prone to such impoliteness? They’d all be at work too. Even harder at work than him – but the nap was beside the point. Clerks all knew messaging each other was safer than setting off ringers.

There was a chance of one of those friends having some personal emergency, but even so, surely there were better candidates to call for help.

It could only be telemarketers, Sao concluded. But when he turned the screen face up, he saw the caller’s familiar name over the number.

He hit the green button and lifted the earpiece. “Hello, Rai. How are you doing?”

“Mh.” The minimized non-answer of men too busy to consider how they were ‘doing’. “What about you? Took a while to pick up. Were you in the middle of something?”

“Washroom break, sorry. Before that, I was just proofreading my latest assignment.”

“Alright. If you say so. I was just checking in. Actually...”

Rai was somewhere quiet, but not silent - Sao thought he heard a metallic ping, and faraway buzz of conversation, then an bold cry of ‘Order 9C’. Out to lunch?

“Have you eaten yet?” Rai asked.

Sao had taken to late lunches to avoid the crowds. That, and it was hard to pick himself up to face the increasingly chilly winter winds. He simply stalled longer and longer each day. But it was unlikely Rai was interested in that.

“Not yet.”

“Are you busy the rest of today?”

Again, Rai probably already knew the answer. “Schedule’s not too bad. Why?”

“Fine. Good. Wrap up what you’re doing and come out here. Take the bus. I’m sending you the building name.”

“Everything alright?” Sao asked, though he was already on his feet. “Should I bring anything?”

“Nothing. And, oh yeah, I’m fine. Better than that, I think--” Rai stopped. The low rabble of a crowd hovered in the background. When Rai returned, he was thoughtful, and somewhat breathless. “On second thought, before you head out, make sure you’re looking presentable. I mean - you always look dressed up, what am I saying. Just bring yourself. All good? See you.”

---

After a flurry of businessmen exited the building with their brash voices and long-legged strides, Sao slid by, through the automatic doors of the cafe.

It was located at the base of a brand-new office building, newly populated with the best and brightest the city had to offer, surrounded by giants of equal or greater success. The ground level and the half-level mezzanine above it were dotted with pricey outlets and eateries, such as the one where he was to meet Rai. The chosen cafe was adorned with lively murals and bold imprints of green and gold, but it was nothing like the handpainted warehouse-turned-art dens near the office – the décor had been laser cut, inked and glazed by machine. This place was made for the shined and waxed of society, definitely corporate - copious wall sockets close at hand, internet upgrade charts, service buzzers, tables packed edge-to-edge for maximum capacity.

And there were the patrons. All dressed sharp as crows in oily black and blues, brains locked onto matters more valuable than Sao's entire being and assets combined. The room’s considerable floor space was more than half-full, yet the noise level was unbelievably low, as if he were hearing it through earmuffs. Mouths were moving, but they weren’t just flinging the words about, they were very carefully and specifically targeted at the other ends of their deals. There was mutual agreement. Do not disturb and be not disturbed.

At least three meetings of great importance were in progress, sharp black suits whispering pointedly over papers and laptops with swivel screens and tablet pointers. The group at one table glanced at him. Giving him a quick scan. He was glad he had ironed his clothes before running out of his flat for the morning bus, and grateful he’d picked a dark blazer. It wasn’t quite the same color as his pants, but forgivable - perhaps not noticeable in the low lights.

His judges returned to their meeting.

And then there was Rai waving him over to the corner table, in one of his most maltreated hooded sweatshirts, and the pants Sao was quite sure he’d seen crushed under a chair during his first week on the job. A black sport coat had been thrown over the whole thing, the barest veneer of formality. He had three coffee cups on the table and was going at a fourth, gloves on as usual.

He kicked out one of the lightweight faux-armchairs for Sao. “There you are. You just missed the lunch parade, it was a madhouse 'til about fifteen minutes ago. Grab something to eat. We’ll be waiting for a while, at least two hours.”

“Are we meeting somebody?”

“In a way, we are. New for me. You, I’m going to let you use your judgment as to whether you really know her or not.”

The gears in Sao’s brain slowly reversed and drew together the details of what they had last talked about. “Marina’s here, then.”

“Yep, she’s been in the area. I saw her last night.”

“What was she doing?”

“Trying to hook a date, it seems. She was talking to a few stragglers at the end of the day, but she was hanging around the lobby a lot longer, waiting for the right man. Looks like she’s selective, but getting desperate.”

Sao locked his fingers together and frowned. He thought of Icey, saying how that was nothing like Marina. She had never been wanting for men. But at the same time, he doubted Rai had mistaken somebody else for his mark. “What did you do?”

“I called building security, sent a few pictures in. No help at all, big freaking surprise. After a couple of headaches, someone in uniform finally came to have a look and she was already walking out.” Rai tossed his cup down. “No, she didn't see me. But I had to stay back and explain myself to security, now that was a real brain buster, and she completely vanished when my back was turned. That was the first time.”

“This is ongoing? That explains what you’ve been doing when you’re out of the office.”

Ignoring that revelation, Rai continued. “The first time was just luck. Mostly luck, building on an initial hunch – okay, I was sort of shooting in the dark. Anyway, I caught sight of her two more times after that, once was when she was already leaving for the carpark, that was too late, but the last time went a little better. I got a good long look. I was holed up at... huh, the block across from here.”

Sao could see it, past the shining lobby floor through the clear-polished row of glass doors. Another massive office tower.

“She paced around that triangle statue in front, and caught a mark as the late crowd got out. She and a guy talked a while, her getting closer and closer, but he had somewhere to go. He met up with a big mob headed for drinks. Marina looked… upset.”

“And what did you do then?” Sao asked.

“I caught a few blurry pictures. Not a lot of use on their own. I was thinking of calling the police, but after her last couple of getaways, and the whole Oliver fiasco, they would be trying to talk me down for the next hour. No way would anyone get here to catch her in time. No, when I thought about it, the best way would be to approach her in person and try to get the truth out myself. Then I could judge whether she should be dragged in, or if, somehow, there really is no need to put anymore time in this search.”

“So you spoke to her...?”

“I did not.”

Sao sighed. “You probably made the correct choice. You could have been stabbed.”

“Forget that. Anyway, last night she took that last rejection and left, went to the parking lot. She must be in a different car, because the blue one is still in police holding. It would be risky to follow in case she sees me - and if she’s seen me charging after her, she’ll be looking to avoid me and I’ll be screwed. So far, I’ve been trying to follow her without being seen, and although I can spot her, she moves around a lot – avoiding cameras, maybe. I’ve been lucky so far, but I don’t have infinite chances and nothing’s getting done the way things are now. I need her to stop without screaming and yelling, find out what she knows, maybe hold her until the police comes, depending on the situation. And that’s when I thought...”

He trailed off, inspecting his empty cup. Sao tilted his head towards the lobby. “I get it. She’s here, right?”

“Yes. She went up to the upper deck about an hour ago, and will probably be waiting in some clothing joint until office hours end, then she’ll loiter downstairs and try to catch someone. But I called you in early, to be safe. You have your phone, don’t you?”

“As always.” Sao smiled. “Need me to keep watch and call it in? I've got you.”

“Not so fast. Consider this. It’s clear that she’s trying to latch onto a guy – I think a banker is her goal. This has gone on long enough to become a pattern, so she hasn’t found someone yet, though I think she just hasn’t managed to convince anyone to leave with her yet. Whether this is a cult or not, if her game is linked to Oliver and Locke, the pattern is probably what we came up with, at the very start.” Rai held up three fingers. “She, or whoever the kidnapper is, is looking for a big fish. A banker or advisor. Someone with status, money. And yet someone at a distance from family or spouses or kids or friends; nobody who will be expecting them back right that night. Their office cares more about them than any actual person does.”

“Alright…”

“If I go up to her, what should I say? I doubt she would talk to someone like me, dressed like this. If I mention cops, that would send her running. If I go in heavy handed, during rush hour in the central city bank district; she could be the one who ends up flinging cops at me. If I go easy on her though, she’ll shake me off in no time.”

“I’m sure you’ll figure something out.”

“But, when I let her go last night, I figured that there was an easier way. If the perfect target just appeared before her, I bet she’d be willing to hang around, maybe let her guard down and slip a few hints about her whole operation, and be distracted enough to wait for the cops. If it comes to that.”

“You want to bait her.” Sao said, though his throat had started to tighten, and it was not out of concern for Rai - or Marina.

“Yes. And I think you’ll be able to handle it far better than I could.”

Sao tried not to turn the situation into a stare-off. It was Rai; he’d lose. Instead, he pulled his hands over his lap and sat back, thoughtful. But introspection was over for Rai, who stood, brandishing a stack of empty cups.

“I’m getting another coffee. Need anything? You like tea, right? Black, red, green, gray--”

“Hold on,” Sao laughed, dry as sand. “I’m going in as bait, because you think I fit a theoretical criteria?”

“Her friends were all very impressed by you, people are in general. You have that air.” Rai waved his fingers, thought better of it, and dropped his hand. “Like you have it made in life.”

“Rai, recall the qualities you just listed. I don’t have money or status. My ‘career’ consists of reading archaic handwriting for a pittance from the government.”

“Even the way you talk about it,” Rai said, “could convince someone otherwise. No - it's more that people talk like you when hiding a really obvious secret as a joke, or feigning humility. Seeing through that kind of minor lie, or thinking they do, makes strangers believe they know you perfectly. Whether that’s true or not doesn’t matter - the lure-in is all I need. Just talking and listening. You got it.”

“Are you forgetting the reason I wouldn’t be cozying up to strangers, even if I wanted to?” Sao held up a hand, pointed at his palm. “Besides, she’s seen me before. Right after she stabbed her longtime friend.”

“But she didn’t stab you. Of course, if things get too risky, if she or someone else get too hands-on, go ahead and jump out of there. But as long as it’s going smoothly... get as much info as you can. You have the excuse of wanting to know what happened that night, why she stabbed and ran. She doesn’t know you called the cops, that you’re with the cops. So just ask nicely. Don’t be judgmental. Sometimes people stab others for a reason, you'll just avoid that reason.”

“You’re not serious.”

“Go somewhere crowded, if it makes you feel better. There are a lot of places around, though be careful not to let her catch onto someone else. In case she really is the key to another disappearance...”

“So I may have to sustain an actual date? I don’t have the actual cash to back it up.”

Rai stared at him as if he were insane. But switched to a cautious check of the area and dropped a few hundred from his wallet on the table before Sao. “And you have that card, don’t you? Chimera’s an even bigger influence around here, you’ll be able to use it.”

Sao groaned faintly.

“If you’re worried about what happened to Icey, it won’t happen. I’ll make sure of that, and I have to ask you to trust me.” The edge on Rai’s voice blunted a little. “Whatever’s going on, this Marina, or whoever she is, knows something. So someone has to stop her. I think you can handle it.”

Sao swiped the bills off the table. “Money and moralizing. Is this blackmail?”

Rai shrugged. “I’m not the one good at coming up with sweet talk. That’s why I need you to do this. Talk to her like a friend. I’ve seen you do it before.”

“We agreed it was Van’s specialty.”

Rai’s narrowed bloodshot glare was suggesting I only wish Van was here, but I’m stuck with you, and you need to stop flapping your gums. But what he said was, “In this situation, I think you’re actually a better fit.”

Sao let out a long stream of air and threw his weary hands up.

Rai’s snide carnivore’s smile spread across his face. Sao smiled back and silently agreed that Marina would definitely retreat right back into her car if confronted with Rai.

“I have a few ideas on the approach,” Rai said. “Let’s cover that before Marina comes down. But get something to eat first.”

---

“Okay. You remember what I said? Whatever you do…”

“I remember.”

“And you stick to that story. No matter what.”

“No matter what.”

“I’m not joking about that last part. No matter her reaction, but that’s not all you need to look out for. Security, other guys, other girls, even me pulling something stupid - remember, you stick to the plan first.”

“You know what, your plan’s a little complicated. Maybe we should hold off.”

Another look questioning his sanity. “Why waste this chance?”

“Call it stage fright.”

The sun had nearly set, and the streetlamps were illuminating the glass doors with violet and gold. Sao squeezed his eyes shut. Despite his inclination to argue, he was feeling rather calm. “Rai. Why don’t you just join in? The more the merrier.”

“I will. At least, for the beginning.”

“And then?”

“If I need to call the police, I’m not doing that in front of her.” Rai turned towards the escalators. The employees belonging to the office towers above were milling out. “But we’ll see how it goes.”

Sao waited for more. It felt as if they had talked a lot, but the plan was still up in the air. Oh well. There was some thrill to it, that way.

“Okay, okay. If I see even the hint of a knife, I’m leaving. Whether the police are there or not.”

“She won’t have one,” Rai assured him. “I’ll make sure of that.”

He said it with such resolve, yet so little elaboration that Sao was half-expecting him to disarm her by magic. His tone was reassuring, but at the same time told nothing. Sao mulled over this, and had not yet reached a conclusion when Marina made her appearance.

Rai snapped a hand towards the top of the escalator, quick but brief. Marina was descending from the level above along with a swarm of employees from the skyscraper's upper offices. She was clothed in her familiar deep blue, with her short hair brushed straight - she blended right in amongst the other well-dressed women of the finance and technical crowd. The lobby was virtually a sea of dark blues and blacks. Rai stalked straight into the fray. Sao followed, trying not to swing his head like a wild dog as he searched.

Rai knew exactly where he was going. The back of Marina’s jacket dipped in and then out of view and Rai sped after it. Sao smiled haplessly. It was absurd that Rai had managed to spot her more than once in this chaos, or even at all.

But once they hit the sidewalk and the crowd dispersed, his nerves began to strain like old rope.

“Rai,” he said, quietly as he could. Too quiet, it seemed. “Rai, she’ll see you.”

The traffic on the street blared over his whispers.

“Rai.”

Rai continued on ahead of him, without a single glance back, though Sao though he saw Marina’s eyes turn for a half-second. She began to speed up.

Sao could imagine what she’d seen. Red eyed and laser-focused, Rai was lunging with each step as if any would lead through to the conclusive grab or shove or pull. Marina shifted from the crowd and slipped into a quieter street. Sao hesitated at the corner. Rai did not.

“Rai-”

Marina ducked into the midnight blue shadows of an older tower. Rai followed, without missing a beat. In the same smooth motion he pulled up his hood and coughed. It wasn’t a short, efficient noise - no, he wanted her attention.

“Hey, lady,” Rai said acidly. “Haven’t I seen you before?”

Marina swiveled, her fear coming to light. Sao ducked behind the wall, a safe distance back, a dumpster between him and the trouble at hand. Just behind him, on the main main road, swathes of people continued on in their calm, regular current. All eyes were coincidentally turned the other direction. Nobody was seeing this. Was that for the best? For Rai, maybe. But then, what might happen to him? The situation looked bad no matter who’s side he took.

“I know I’ve seen you. Your face is familiar.” Rai took a hard step forward. Marina took one back. “Have we met? Maybe down the south side? Skyline?”

Marina’s mouth tightened. Sao could feel his own stomach twist. In heels and a skirt, she wouldn’t be able to outrun him.

“No, wait. You’re on the posters. But if you’re not dead, then…”

Sao couldn’t see his face, but his voice had lowered to a devil’s rasp.

“Hey,” Rai said, “Why don’t you come with me? I bet the cops-”

What occured next flashed by so quickly the Sao didn’t even remember how he ended up in the alley between them, he must have sprinted faster than he ever had in his life.

Rai’s hand was outstretched, and he’d gotten a lot further than he should have. Marina’s hands were out too, and in one was a small but mean-looking serrated knife, which had plunged right into Rai’s right palm, the sharpened point spearing right through the leather glove. He heard the hiss of fabric and fibers catching and snapping.

For a hallucinatory moment, Sao thought Rai had his phone in his hand. Rai ripped his hand free with a damp, chunk of noise, and there was tiny blue flash - but that soon vanished as he clamped his empty, injured hand onto Marina’s wrist with a slap- latching on. Blood hit the pavement. She didn’t scream, but seemed to exhale her entire weight at once and teetered, half collapsing, half pulling her arm back.

Sao felt immensely slow and stupid, the scene before him seemed miles away and beyond his understanding. What the hell was he supposed to do?

The knife dropped. Marina’s free fingers clawed at Rai’s glove, and a trickle of red was streaking its way down her immobilized hand. Wth the other she began to grasp at the glove, clawing fruitlessly. Rai was stone-still.

What could he do? Well… what did he have other than the mission?

“What,” he said weakly.

Both of them looked at him with the wild eyes of captured animals. Marina gave a small whimpery wheeze and began beating absently at Rai's arm. Sao took a breath and looked from one to the other, frightened eyes, downturned eyes, bloody sleeve, bloody hand, and finally took hold of his ultimate target.

“What the hell are you doing?” His voice had cleared. He loomed over Rai’s shadowed face. “Have you completely lost your mind? Get off her. Did you hear me?”

He swung a punch that would have made Van's sports teams cry - more of a mis-timed wrist flap. But Rai seemed legitimately surprised to see his bare hand get so close to contact and jerked back. Marina winced and quickly tugged her sleeve down over her bloodstained wrist.

“M- miss. Are you okay? Don’t move.” At the sight of her stained sleeve, Sao did not even have to feign concern. It did not look good. “All this blood - I’ll call security.” “Where did he go? You can’t let someone like that roam around.” Somewhat desperately, he called, “Hello? Anyone see where the guy in the hoodie ran off-”

“I’m okay,” she said. “It’s all just his blood. Please, let’s just leave.”

“We should really-” he began breathlessly. But behind him, he heard Rai’s footsteps making a hasty retreat.

“Please,” she repeated.

She reached a hand towards his, and now it was his turn to leap back. Marina blinked.

“You have blood on your shirt now,” she said limply.

Every second felt like the end. The image of the knife through Rai’s hand was still seared into his mind. Then that strange fall, nearly into their missing person’s arms. The vicegrip and the clawing. At least there didn’t appear to be too much blood spilled - but a lot of it had been absorbed into Marina’s sleeve, and the gloves, and the dark ground--

No matter her reaction. No matter if I do something stupid. You stick to the plan. Alright, then. What else is there?

“I-- I -- don’t you worry about that. What a lunatic. I hope they get him. Too bad all he got was a jab to the hand,” Sao laughed weakly. “If you’re sure... W- why don’t we get you cleaned up.”

They emerged on the main street, not a single passerby glancing their way. It was like nothing had happened. Only, he was up one date, and down one supervisor. Rai was nowhere to been seen.

Just for assurance, he took one last look down the alley. The bloodied knife lay abandoned on the ground.

No more knife, as Rai had promised.

Marina was murmuring something by his side. He flipped back to her, just in time to pull his hand away from hers.

“I’m sorry?”

“I just wanted to thank you,” she said, and smiled. “I don’t know what might have happened without you. Do you work around here?”

---

Outside the luminous neon storefront of a local eatery, they settled on some red plastic chairs. The vinyl tablecloth and the surface of the chairs were sticky with old grease. Marina watched with a bemused smile as Sao made a futile effort to wipe them down.

“This isn’t working,” Sao sighed, setting down the napkin. “Let me get some tea.”

“Tea sounds fine.” Marina eyed the skinned and roasted ducks hanging on display hooks.

“You want anything else?”

Sao flagged down the weathered, brutish looking waiter, who had been slumped over the counter before he was called. Apparently he and an elderly woman were the only staff members. This was hardly the well-lit business hotspot Rai had recommended for his interview, but Marina seemed at ease.

The staff members bellowed orders at each other from across the seating area. It sounded like an argument might break out, but soon enough Sao received his tea.

“This stuff is strong,” Marina commented.

“It’s supposed to be relaxing.” The tea was in fact even more bitter than Rai’s coffee. “It’ll help cleanse the palate after an oily dish. Speaking of which...”

The waiter dropped a plate of golden fried dumplings before them with such force that the dish nearly flew off the table. Marina’s eyes lit up, and Sao had to admit, the scent was nearly enough to push him off course. He hadn’t eaten more than a runt of a sandwich at the cafe with Rai, a reject from the office lunch crowd. For a moment they were both wordlessly absorbed by the meal. She finished first.

“What’s wrong?”

Her face cleared. “Sorry, I was just - I hope I’m not keeping you from anything.” She pushed down her non-bloodied sleeve. He saw the flash of the large metal watch.

“Not at all. I wanted to make sure you got out of there okay, and, well, it’s not often I get to eat out with friends.”

“Don’t you have friends at work?”

“A few. But you know how it is.” Sao looked for a clean place to set down his fork. “But what do you expect, right? I’m new in town.”

“That’s the worst.” She touched her forehead and frowned at him, as if she had a headache. “What was your name again?”

“Sao. Actually we-”

“Right! Sao, how could I forget. I thought it was strange that you knew my name. I didn’t know you worked out here. I thought you came from…” A cloud came over her face and she went silent.

“We met in a place on the south side. It was a strange night for sure.” He turned the tiny ceramic teacup in his hand. “There was a stabbing.”

Marina flew to her feet, the plastic chair teetering behind her. “That’s-- I thought -- I have to go.”

“Wait. I know you had your reasons.”

“No, I can’t. You - please, I was scared-”

Sao held up his hands. “I’m not calling the police. Actually, I’m a bit worried. You’re walking around town with a knife, jumping at shadows, you must be in some kind of trouble. The kind where the attention of cops would just make it worse. Am I onto something?”

Marina hung in the air for a moment, swaying slightly, then dropped, head in her palm, her short hair spilling over her face. “God. What am I doing?”

A fresh cup of tea was pushed her way. “People are worried about you, you know.”

“I know. The posters. And Icey? That was...”

Again, her voice petered out. Sao found himself surprised Icey had been mentioned. The Marina he was speaking to seemed so distanced from the one he had met so many nights ago, before the stabbing, before the disappearance.

“I don’t want to cause anymore trouble for them.”

Sao nodded. “I don’t want to pry, but if I learn more, perhaps I can be of some help. And it might be good to confide in someone. Besides...” He smiled. Pressed his heart into this one, give it some frailty. “Who could I tell? I don’t have any friends, not even anyone waiting for me at home.”

“Really? Someone like you? Don’t you know Icey?”

“I met her at a bar, which is telling on its own.”

“And the cop?”

“The... what now?”

“The angry one. Remember that morning, you were on the phone while he tried to break into--” Then, as if a switch had gone off, she stopped.

Sao had opened his mouth to reply when a switch in him was struck too. Instantaneously, the air went out of them both. All that remained was the burble of the old woman’s television from inside the kitchen.

If Marina had just been recounting a tale about Rai, perhaps spotted him somewhere, Sao could have fended that off, at least temporarily. He was blissfully ignorant of Rai’s doings out of the office – if she had seen him alone, playing dumb would have been easy. Except she was referring to that one day, when they had attempted to meet Oliver at his home. If she knew of that time, she knew then, that he was linked to the police.

If she knew - or perhaps been present.

Marina’s lips were pinned. It struck him that she was unsure. Van's words, from that morning in the police station – almost took you for a vagrant. True, he hadn't been wearing anything near his best that day, and so there was an opportunity – he could lie his way out.

Now she was shifting, considering getting up, leaving, and it would be over. No, what he needed was not to drive her off. Sao poured her more tea. Since childhood he knew the stuff could work magic on the nerves, but he would help it along.

“You were there? It's a relief to see you safe, the man that day... I suppose I have a confession to make,” he said. “It’s true that I’m new in town. And it’s true that I don’t have much going for me right now. But have been asked to work with the police.”

“I thought I saw you. But what is it you were doing...?”

“It’s a temporary gig, I'm essentially a sidekick to a hothead. I haven’t been here long but let’s just say, don’t see eye to eye with my colleague. Like that time you saw us.” He sighed. “I didn’t want to drive out there - I’m supposed to spend my hours safely behind a desk - but he wanted to get out there to pick a fight. After that, there’s no way I’d tell him anything. He could be just as bad as the people after you.”

Marina was still pale. Had she linked the mad cop at the break-in to the hooded figure in the alley? That was a risk - but he could throw down a bigger distraction.

“But this does raise several questions. Is the trouble you’re in,” Sao said slowly, “related to Mr Oliver G_______?”

Marina bit her lip.

“He’s officially off the missing persons list, but he’s wanted for… other reasons. He ran when we tried to meet him - well, my colleague chased him off like an damn bull, which wasn’t the intention. But in the end, I didn’t find anyone in the house. Were you…?”

“If he isn’t missing, why were you looking for him?”

“I didn’t want to. My colleague insisted.” Sao shook his head. “Don’t tell anyone I told you this, but there’s another man missing, and my colleague keeps going on about how it’s related. He talks about you, too, since you were seen talking to the other guy at least once. Can you believe it?”

Her eyes were round as coins. Genuine interest, of some sort.

“Anyway, his theory is falling apart. First Oliver turns up safe and sound, and then you do too. At least, I hope you’re safe, or that I can help...” he scratched his head. “If the last person turns up, which I bet he will, then he’ll have to get off this ridiculous case.”

“Are you sure?”

“He’s already in trouble for harassing Mr. Oliver. Another report and he could get suspended.” Sao laughed. “I’ll make sure of it.”

“But what if…” Marina tensed her fingers together.

“What if…?”

Marina paused, half turned out of her chair. “Are there cameras in this place?” she whispered.

Sao slowly set down his cup to make a cursory search. “I doubt it.” Unless the greasy food stall was hiding some incredibly tiny cameras in the hanging ducks or between mouldy bricks. Investing in secret security was likely beyond their means. The storefront sign was made of paper.

Marina eyed the baleful waiter, who was lying facedown on the counter. The elderly woman was watching what looked like a drama on the most static-ridden television Sao had ever seen.

“People like them don’t care. About you or me, among other things.” Sao scraped a line in the grime of their plate. “It’s not the finest establishment, but that does mean we have some privacy. That's why I picked it.”

“Okay.” Her shoulders slumped. “Okay.”

“Remember… it’s up to you to tell me anything.”

“I don’t know what else I can do now. You’re right, I need to tell someone.” With one more scan of the scene, she leaned close. “You’re right. I was in Oliver’s house at the time he ran away from you and… the other cop. I left before Oli, while he was talking at the door. I didn’t tell him I was leaving, I was scared. He was scared too that’s why he ran. I don’t know what he said in the end, but I thought you were there about the… the money.”

“The money?” Sao said faintly.

Marina pressed her fingers over her eyes. “It was a mistake. He didn’t know where the money came from, it was too good to be true, but at the time we didn’t think much about it. But of course, eventually, the lender came to collect.”

“Lender? You wouldn’t happen to have a name, would you?”

“We met with some deliverymen, but never the lender in person - at least, I don’t think so. I wouldn’t know. This was years ago, I don’t even remember their faces. I only remembered Oliver because he remembered me, came up to me when he thought he was being chased. I’m sorry. I should have said.”

Sao smiled in spite of himself. It was a grim story, but hardly the cult or kidnapping Rai had been speculating. Come to think of it, they had both really been to fanciful. It always made more sense to have just been a money matter. Of course. Rai would be disappointed.

“Do you mind if I ask how much money it was?”

She gave a dark smile. “Do I have to suspect you now?”

“Your choice.”

She stared at him, and slowly crumpled. “It was a long time ago. A thousand or so between us. God. Oh my god.”

Sao nearly dropped alongside her. “You could get more than that busking a week on the street! Why would anyone be after you for that?”

“I don’t know. My god. You’re right. When I think back, maybe we were the stupid ones. Maybe there were never any debt collectors, no hitmen after all. It was all nonsense and panic to begin with.”

“Where did the suspicions even come from?”

Marina fiddled with the button on her bloodied sleeve. “The third person you talked about. Is his name Locke? Locke… something.”

“Is he involved too?”

“Yes. He was the one who got me worked up. When I saw him - he was…”

“Sick?”

“Yeah. Terribly sick, and worried. He came up to me while I was alone and - it was a shock. I guess in the moment, he really got to me.”

Her disappearance from the Skyline balcony. The footage came rushing back. The waiter, the wind, the vomit.

“Do you know what got to him?”

“I don’t know for sure.”

Over his tea, Sao commented lightly, “When you two disappeared from that place, it caused quite a stir. Did you stay on the balcony? Disguises? Hide out until midnight? An alien craft beam you up?”

“A what? No way, the police wouldn’t have considered that.”

“You never know what to expect these days.”

“No, we… well, you’re right. It was an outrageous decision in retrospect. He was going berserk, maybe because he was so sick.”

“The seasonal flu can be a killer.”

“I guess. Well, what happened was we… we crawled down the pipes. Not the whole way! There was a ladder from the place below on the side of the building, and that led down to where he was parked. I really wasn’t thinking. You see, before he rushed me off, he heaved his guts all--”

“Oh, I heard from the waiter. I don’t need that bit of story repeated. So are you still in contact with him, like you were with Oliver?”

“No, not after he drove me home that night. I haven’t seen Oliver since that time at his house either. He didn’t do anything terrible, did he? Are the police looking for him?”

Sao shrugged. “He’s no longer officially ‘missing’, so no. The only motivation to do so would be my crazy colleague’s ramblings, and you know he’s one foot into a suspension anyway.”

Marina laughed, weakly. Her breathless giggle dissolved into a long, tired breath. “It feel like a fog has lifted. Not all the way, but… I’ve caused so much trouble. My friends, my work, and now you. Over nothing. I don’t know if I can go back.” He now saw her eyes, a jellied blue that matched her favorite suits. They were searching him. For what?

“Perhaps you can get a fresh start,” he said. “Have you lived here long?”

“It feels like it.”

“Hard to say at some point, isn’t it? When you stay in one place, you start losing your perspective. The routine becomes your life, and you jump as soon as something threatens it. But in the end, was the routine so valuable? Sometimes, you really do need the fresh start. I’d know about that, believe me.”

“You’ve started over before?”

“Yep. And I can say, I wouldn’t go back for anything. My old home life -” he smiled past her. “Some things just need to be left behind. Friends, work - they can be bad, but when it’s family...”

“My problems sound like nothing compared to yours.”

“Don’t sell yourself short. It may be wise to plan your way out before things get too severe.” He frowned. “You’re still young, but you’re independent, and you seem sharp. If you think it’s time to get out, then you may be right. Trust your intuition.”

His next smile had her beaming back like the sun.

“It just seems like there are so many loose ends,” she said. “And so many are my fault.”

“If there’s any way I can help, just ask.”

“Thank you. I’m...” she took another cup of tea, pouring for herself this time. “I don’t know where to start.”

“You should get yourself off the missing persons list,” Sao said.

Stars flickered in her eyes. The issue must have been weighing on her, and he’d give given her the okay. “I’ve been afraid to ask. But what was I even afraid of?” She laughed again. “I know. I’ll go down to the station first thing tomorrow.”

“That’s the spirit. And of course, if we could find Locke and get his head in place, you’d all be in the clear.”

“That would be perfect. Finally, for all this to be over.”

“If you like, we can check on his house straight away,” Sao said. “And try to get his story, and clean up this missing persons ordeal once and for all.”

“You can make it happen?”

“I can try.” He couldn’t imagine Rai saying ‘no’ to another outing.

“Please do. I hope it goes well.” Marina tipped the teapot for him, but the tea had run out. “Oh.”

When another pot was requested, the waiter drew his thick brows together and decided on the spot that it was closing time. He shooed them out of their seats and held out a meaty palm, almost green in the fluorescent lights. Marina started for her purse, but Sao held up a hand.

“I can handle this.”

This little hole was easily within his budget. He smiled as he handed over the bills, and all the way out the door, Rai’s little bonus for him still safely tucked away as a prize for himself, for later. He felt he deserved it. After all, the night wasn’t over yet.

Marina led him to the parking lot, offering him a ride home.

---

Her car was small, silver and unremarkable. The inside was somewhat beaten, the leather was scuffed and the glove compartment had an unsettling dent where a head might land in a crash - but it fell safely short of Rai’s shambled ride.

The silver streak glided through the streets without turning a single head in its direction. Marina drove with staunch adherence to the lines of the road, the blinking street lights, every bent sign, count and symbol. Droves of people were still floating about the lamplit streets, as if they had all spilled out of their skyscrapers and pooled, idly, at the bottom.

It took a while for the crowds to disperse, fading into the distance as they left the city center. As always, he missed them when they were gone. Tonight more than ever.

“This is where you live?” Marina gasped as they approached the grounds of his apartment complex.

“It’s a temporary placement, though it does look impressive from out here, doesn’t it?”

The slightly rounded face of the tower glittered in the moonlight, a crescent of blue and white. Marina stepped out of the car alongside him, and walked up to the fence for a better look. “What’s it like inside?”

“Not too special. A bit lonely.”

“You don’t have friends over sometimes?”

“What friends? I wasn’t lying about being lonely.”

For a time, they simply watched the lights float across the face of the building. A cool wind drew a cloud cover across the moon, and its manifold reflections in apartment windows dimmed and fluttered as if on rippling water.

“One more thing I’ve been wondering,” Sao said. “And forgive me if this comes across as judgmental - have you been trying to meet new people lately? A special someone, perhaps?”

“Wha- I mean...”

Her face was red. The lead yellow of the overhead lamps had her glowing like a stoplight.

Sao stretched. “Just a hunch. Stress aside, you’ve been looking better than when we first met.”

“I suppose I’ve been looking to start over new for a while. This mess....” she pushed her hair behind her ear. “It’s accidentally given me a chance. To try different things. I haven’t been doing very well though, have I?”

“Well it is different.” He smiled. “Icey, when she saw you, she said you were always on the quiet side.”

“I might have been, but… It doesn’t matter. I won’t be the person they knew anymore.”

“Right. Though, they might still- what are you doing?”

He snapped his arms back and nearly fell off the sidewalk, just as a late-night bus jetted by. The engine howled, inches from his ear. The metal skimmed his jacket, and the headlights rolled across Marina’s face, her wide eyes and her outstretched hand that had nearly managed to touch his.

“What is it?” she asked. Her face fell. “I… I don’t have a knife on me, you know. I know I looked crazy, but I wouldn’t-”

“No, it’s not that. I have a condition.”

“Oh.”

“Remember when I said to you: it’s better to plan your way out of a bad situation before things get severe? Before you end up with something that you can’t get rid of? Well, I made that mistake. So I’m stuck with this. It’s the fear of touch. Skin contact. The official name...”

She tilted her head.

“... doesn’t matter,” Sao said. “It’s not all bad. It keeps certain kinds off my back. Because nobody can get too close. But it...”

Remember your story.

“It does get lonely.”

He thought he sounded appropriately grey, and the words, though exaggerated, were weighing harder on him than expected. But Marina did not look appropriately affected. She was rapt, her hand still frozen in the air. He took a step back.

She blinked back into herself. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be. I do end up tossing up a lot of rude, jerky reactions. Condition or no, it’s not the best way to treat people. Maybe it’s understandable, then, that I have nobody--”

“Don’t say that. Look, I understand. I won’t do it again.”

“I appreciate it. I’ve actually heard that finding someone who will work with you, at your pace, can help cure it, eventually, but I’ve never… sorry. I don’t mean to bore you with my own problems.”

If Marina had been interested before, now she was fully spellbound. She said such wonderful things about him despite having only known him for such a short time. He deserved better, she said. She would love to meet again to help him. What about the next day? Her hands danced with enthusiasm. Her white sleeve glowing, the bloodied one a dense silhouette.

Sao thanked her, hand on his heart.

Once he thought he had mustered enough sympathy, he reminded her that he had Locke’s visit to attend to tomorrow, and excused himself.

---

Back at home.

With his own steaming mug, curled on his own deep feather couch, Sao’s whirling mind was slowly but surely set at ease. In truth it was his landlord’s cups and couch. Both were white, slender and streamlined - like the rooms, the halls, the light fixtures, the bed and bath- much like the absent landlord himself, Sao thought. Yes, the flat owner would fit right in, camouflaged perfectly. He could have been hiding against the whitewashed wall that very moment - if he was not constantly occupied by more important, worthwhile business. Practical jokes weren’t his style.

And then there was the landlord’s heating unit, a small alloy cylinder which he thought might be more comforting if it was louder - the thing was state of the art, highly effective, and eerily silent.

The office heater was the clear winner in that regard. In fact, he could make out that satisfying creak and crackle over the phone. Rai was on the other end of the call. Sao offloaded as much as he could remember of his so-called date.

He sipped and signed. “I couldn’t ask too much about her own dating endeavours. You were the one who observed it, her attempts to find a businessman, for the most part.”

“Makes sense. There wasn’t much for me to see, though.”

“And what do you say about paying Locke a visit?”

“Short notice, but I can manage it. You told her we’d be there tomorrow?”

“That’s what I said.”

The speaker blipped with the noise of Rai tapping a pen against the desk. He had spoken very little throughout the narration, with only a huff and occasional question for confirmation.

“I’ve met her three times now. Each time, it was like meeting a complete stranger. I still don’t know who she is.” Sao stared up at his perfectly square, perfectly clean and flat white ceiling. “But the fact that she’s alive, and so is Oliver… do you think we really have a case? If they're all alive and well, if this really is just about a thousand-odd dollars?”

“You’re the one who met her. What do you think?”

“It seems far too strange to want to restart life simply out of embarrassment.”

“Hm. Didn’t you tell her you could relate?”

“I was just making conversation. But even though she took the line… I still don’t understand who she really is. If the businesswoman Marina I met at the beginning was a lie, that would mean she could have been lying to Zen and Icey all along. About… her entire self? Is she really this paranoid money-borrower? She doesn’t look like an engineer or a friend anymore. That doesn’t make sense.”

“Forget the specifics of character for a minute. Whatever it is, the Marina you met tonight - what did you think of her story?”

“I don’t know.”

Rai went quiet. The heating pipes on his end purred. Then he said, “You must think something. I wouldn’t have sent you in just because you could make her talk. You also know how to listen.”

“Come on, Rai. It’s been a long day.”

“Then how about something simpler - is it the truth? What she said - do you think that’s what really happened?”

Sao slumped back into the thick, downy depths of the couch. “There might be parts. But all in all...” he sighed. “Not a chance. It’s so mundane it's almost nonsensical. Shadowy assassins that turn out to be nothing – it's too convenient, and it only answers what I asked. Every excuse possible was snapped up - and I… you’re not going to like this.”

“You have a feeling.”

“She dismissed Zen and Icey so easily. Among other things. No, something still isn’t right. I’m meeting her again tomorrow. I think if we get a chance to talk again, I can pick up more.”

Again, fuzzy silence.

“Rai?”

“I think you’re right.”

Through the phone, Rai had a tone that could have been interpreted as kindness. A bit flat, but relative to his usual…

“She’s a liar. She answered nothing about the point that helped me spot her in the first place. Ditching a cushy job and friends for that bullshit? I thought you said she was smart. And there’s still the matter of Oliver and Locke. Official missing persons list be damned - they’re on the loose, they have something to do with each other, and they refuse to explain. I... We’ll get to that eventually. Anyway, it’s good to hear you’re willing to continue. It does sound as like you played your part to a T.”

“I’m alive. No stab wounds, like you said. And while it didn’t go perfectly...” The muddled reveal of his touch condition hadn’t been the best. “We’ve learned something, haven’t we? We’re closer, maybe just a step, or half a step- but we’re moving.”

“We’ll see. Sleep on that thought for now.”

“It’s still early.”

“I wouldn’t know. In the meantime, I’ll bug the night staff about Locke’s address, and maybe getting someone on-hand in case he makes a run for it.” Rai was already audibly battering those computer keys. “Keep in mind what I said.”

“I will. How is your hand?”

“What about it?”

“The knife. Or did you...? I thought I saw you block it.”

“Oh, yeah? Blocked? With what? It nicked me already, but that was just a distraction. My hand is uh... already better. It wasn’t a deep cut, happens all the time.”

“An minor scratch for a professional investigation?” Sao shook his head. “I don’t know if I can really get into fieldwork with that in mind.”

“Forget about it. Get some sleep.”

Sao laughed. Twice served, it was better not to argue. “Alright, boss.”

“I don’t want you falling asleep again as soon as we step up to Locke’s door.” Then, thinking better of his final words, Rai added “But as for today - pretty good work.”

Good work. The words hovered conspicuously in the air for a while until at last Rai dropped out of the call. Sao finished his tea. Despite being given the perfect concluding statement from Rai, along with orders to go to sleep, he was wide awake. It felt as if months of caffeine were suddenly catching up with him, hitting him like a surge of lightning.

Charged like an engine, he fired up the laptop. Sitting in his inbox were the files he’d requested, weeks ago. A bit of research regarding the extra-curricular task Rai had proposed during a one of his sour moods. He’d put it off long enough. After all the strings he’d pulled to get them, the innocent messages and reminders and excuses he’d sent, they really deserved a look.

The first file opened to a scanned document titled:

PHOTOGRAPH OF CORPSE: 1 OF 78

He did not touch a single key that would take him beyond that. The surge of energy immediately left him, even faster than it had arrived. He closed the file, sent the computer to sleep and left it sitting on the coffee table.

It was far better to end the day on a high note. He showered off the day’s grime (and the alleyway eatery’s copious grease) and slid under the immaculately white comforter of his sleek, white king-size bed for an early night in. Serene and oblivious, he drifted off quite easily after all.