He arrived at the coffee shop and looked around for Olivia, but couldn't see any sign of her again. Two days in a row, this was unprecedented. He noticed the woman again sat in the corner and she lifted her head and smiled at him, to which he smiled back. He should go over and talk to her but needed to wait for Olivia. He paid for his coffee and sat down in his usual seat. Where was she? He checked the time on his watch and noticed she was even later than yesterday, but he had been late so perhaps she had come and gone already. Again, this was unusual, but there could be any number of reasons why she couldn't stay long, she could have got that promotion she wanted and had been asked to come in early perhaps. Of course, the promotion, he really wanted to know how that had gone, so sat waiting, hoping she would arrive at any moment.
After five minutes, he started to get worried. She must be sick he thought, but normally she would send him a text to tell him that. He pulled out his phone and dialled her number, but it didn't seem to connect, so he tried it a few more times, but still no connection. It had never done this before, and it gave him a sense of unease. Something just didn't feel quite right. Just then he looked up to see that the woman from the corner was standing in front of his table, smiling at him.
“Hi” she said.
“Oh, err, Hi”
“May I sit down?” She asked.
Danny was a little taken aback, but didn't hesitate in pointing to the empty seat and gesturing for her to sit down.
“I'm sorry to be so upfront, it's just that I noticed you yesterday and erm, my name is Julie”
“I'm Danny, and there's no need to apologise. I noticed you too” he said glancing out the window briefly.
“Is everything okay? You seem a bit worried” Julie asked as she placed her coffee down on the table.
“I'm just looking for my friend; she was sat here yesterday with me. Have you seen her come in here today?” He asked.
“No, I've not seen her, is something wrong?”
“I don't know, it's unusual for her not to show and I can't seem to get through to her on her phone” he said worried, “Excuse me one second”.
He picked up his phone again and tried once more. Still nothing, it didn't even ring. A few thoughts ran through his head, panicked thoughts that he knew were just over the top and silly. She was either at work as she had to get there earlier and had to turn her phone off or she was in bed sick and hadn't realised her phone battery had died. Simple, nothing to worry about.
“I'm sure it's nothing” he said, backing up his thoughts, “So, Julie, I can't recall seeing you here before, have you just moved here?”
“Yeah I'm here for work; I'm not expecting to be here too long” she said, “Which is a shame as this place is nice”
“So, what do you do?” He asked
“I'm an investigator” she replied smiling.
“Sounds intriguing” Danny replied, “Anything you can tell me about it?”
She smiled and looked deep into his eyes.
“I'm afraid not, its top secret”
He laughed. He wasn't sure if she was being truthful but he decided to believe her anyway. They spoke for a few more minutes, small talk, just trying to gauge each other and see if they could pursue this further and before they knew it, they had finished their coffees.
“So” Danny said, “I'm going to be late for work so I really should get going. Will you be here tomorrow?”
“Definitely” she said with an alluring grin.
“Great, then I'll see you here” He said as he shook her hand.
Why was he shaking her hand? He guessed he was nervous and his body was moving of its own free will. She shook his hand and smiled again, before Danny turned and walked towards the door. There was something about the handshake that felt strange, it was as if it meant so much more than he knew, but even thinking that thought sounded crazy. He got out onto the street and pulled out his phone, dialling Olivia again. Another call to nothing, this was very strange. He convinced himself everything was okay and he was just overreacting, and put his phone back in his pocket. It was another usual day at work, practically the same as yesterday, with the addition of trying to phone Olivia every few hours, but with no luck. By the afternoon any conviction that she wasn't in trouble was starting to fade.
He decided to pass by her house on the way home just to check to see if she was there. It was a short stroll from the office and was a pleasant walk, with the fresh breeze sending floral scents through the air. He reached her house and approached the front door. The house felt different, as if it was unloved. Olivia had taken great care of her house previously and prided herself on how inviting it looked, but now it was completely different. She was a micro-biologist by profession and her attention to detail with her garden landscaping and interior decoration mirrored her line of work. But something
