Page 71 of The Attercop

He quickly opened the door. “Charlie Watts. Jules’ friend, remember?”

She looked at him for a moment before her shoulders relaxed. “Oh, yeah. I remember.”

“I’m looking for Jules,” Charlie said. “I can’t find her anywhere, and I’m afraid something might have happened to her.”

“No way,” she said.

“Yes way, and it’s got me really worried.” Charlie smiled. “I don’t suppose you’d have a way to get a hold of her? I lost my cell phone and my life was in it.”

“Sure,” she said as she sat down at one of the two available seats, at a table for four that was already occupied by a young couple engrossed in an intimate conversation.

As she routed through her purse the woman seated beside her turned and glowered. “Do you mind?”

“No. You two go ahead with…whatever.”

Abela pulled out her phone. “Sit,” she said, then gestured for Charlie to join them at the table.

Charlie obeyed.

Abela skimmed through screens full of icons before coming to her contacts list. Inside, she flipped through a number of screens. “Here,” she said passing the phone to him. “Go ahead and call her.”

Charlie pressed call and, after a momentary silence, listened to a message.

“The number you have called is no longer in service.”

Charlie frowned. “That’s strange. The number was still working last night. Do you have any other way of getting in touch with her?”

Abela sighed. “It’s not like she and I are best friends. We just sit and talk whenever we bump into each other here.”

“Lucky her,” the guy sitting across from Abela said in a tone dripping with sarcasm.

She got a cool look on her face. “Watch it, buddy, or I might have to tell your girlfriend about the times you’ve disappeared with Kemberlin into the washroom together.”

The guy’s eyes almost blew out of his head. “What? You lying—”

“Is that why you’re always bringing me here?” his girlfriend shouted, before slamming her iced mocha-whatever down on the table and storming out.

“Debbie! Wait! I can explain,” he shouted as he followed her.

Charlie leaned in. “You’ve seen him and Kemberlin sneaking off to the bathroom?”

“No. Kemberlin’s not into guys like that. You’re more his type.”

“But…”

“Those two had to go. They were killing my buzz. Now, if you’ve got no more questions, I just came in to pick up a coffee. I’ve gotta go. We just got the latest Amplitude Digital Analytics Platform in at work and they want me up and running on it before EOD.” She paused, as if she was waiting for a reaction.“EOD. That’s ‘end of day’ in case you didn’t know.” She stood, turned on her heels and headed to the counter, picking up a coffee that Gracie had poured.

“I knew that,” he said half-heartedly, getting up and following her. “Abela, this is important. If there’s anything you can tell me that would help me find her… It might be a matter of life or death.”

She paused. “One time Jules came in here with her brother. Maybe you could track her through him.”

Charlie held his breath. “Did you catch his name?”

“No. I only met him once in passing. Jules just quickly introduced him to me as her brother, and then he was on his way out the door.”

“What did he look like?” Charlie asked.

She shrugged. “I don’t know…kinda cute, if you like scruffy guys. Tall…ish. Look, I really hope you find Jules, but I gotta go.”