Cindy immediately got Alfred’s phone number from Bea and then quickly put in a call to him.
“This is Cindy Blaine, from CM Investigations,” she said the minute he picked up.
“Who gave you my number?” asked Alfred, nervously.
“Rowley’s mom,” said Cindy.
“How can I help?” Alfred continued, sounding even more jittery than before.
“I’d love to meet with you and talk,” said Cindy. “My partner and I are working on the case and we need all the information we can get.”
“Sure thing,” Alfred answered quickly. “That’s why I came down. I’m here to bring Kara home safely. I’ll do whatever I can.”
Cindy felt the deep concern in his tone and liked him immediately. “You’re a good friend,” she murmured.
“That’s putting it mildly,” said Alfred. “I’ve known Kara my entire life long. We grew up together. I know all of her secrets.”
“She’s like a sister,” Cindy corrected herself.
“Even closer than that,” Alfred insisted.
Cindy wasn’t exactly sure what he was telling her. “What’s closer than a sister?” she asked.
“I don’t know how to put it,” Alfred mumbled, “but there’s no way I’m not finding Kara and bringing her home.”
Rather than waiting for dinner, Cindy and Alfred decided to meet in an hour. Alfred wanted to go into town with her, walk through the markets and talk.
“While we’re walking we can keep our eyes open for Kara,” he suggested. “It’s better to be where there are lots of people around.”
Cindy smiled. It sounded as though Alfred was a home-grown detective, had all kinds of fantasies about how Kara might turn up.
“Is that okay with you?” Alfred continued.
“It’s fine,” said Cindy, wanting him to feel as comfortable as possible. “See you soon.”
*
Cindy took a cab to the Castries to meet Alfred in front of an open market named Cosa Nana. He said he’d be standing in front wearing khakis and a hand-dyed T-shirt. Cindy would recognize him immediately if she looked for someone with tousled sandy hair and amazing green eyes.
The moment she stepped out of the cab, Cindy saw a young man who looked exactly as Alfred described. She went right over to him.
“Alfred?” Cindy asked.
“Cindy Blaine?” His eyes lit up. As he’d said, Alfred had amazingly green eyes; they were translucent and startling.
“I really appreciate your time,” said Cindy.
“That’s silly,” he answered right away. “My time is totally devoted to finding Kara. Take all of it you want.”
“Thank you,” said Cindy.
“Like it here?” Alfred motioned to the bustling streets with one colorful, duty-free shop after another. “Think it’s a good place to start?”
“To start what?” asked Cindy. “Looking for Kara?”
“Nah, I’ve already started that,” said Alfred.
“I like it here,” Cindy went on then. “Let’s walk a little, I want to talk.”
“They’ve put up her posters in some of the shops here,” Alfred mentioned as they started walking along.
Cindy felt exceptionally at ease with Alfred, as if they were old friends. As they walked his eyes kept flitting in and out of the shop’s doorways, as if hoping to spot Kara milling among the crowds.
“Did Kara ever do something like this before?” Cindy started as they walked.
“Like what?” Alfred was jarred.
“Like running away?” Cindy continued.
At that Alfred slowed down, digging his foot into the ground. “Of course not,” he answered in a throaty tone. “Kara wasn’t the kind to hide from trouble. That’s what I loved about her my whole life long.”
Cindy suddenly wondered about Alfred’s life. Did he live near Kara? Was he obsessed with her? Did he ever have a girlfriend of his own?
“You lived near Kara your whole life long?” Cindy asked then.
“That’s right, since we were kids,” he said. “I saw her grow up, met all her boyfriends, was there when she graduated from college with honors.” Alfred almost sounded like a proud father.
“And what about you, Alfred? What do you do?” Cindy asked lightly.
“I’m a graphic designer,” Alfred replied. “I design graphic horror novels .”
“That’s very impressive,” said Cindy.
“Thanks,” he replied. “Kara loves my work, too. She always encourages me.”
“Were you ever boyfriend and girlfriend?” Cindy couldn’t help but ask. “She had to get the question out there and see what happened.”
“No, we never were,” said Alfred. “We didn’t need to be. We were more than that. “
“More?” asked Cindy. “What’s more?”
“Boyfriends and girlfriends come and go, but really good friends are there for a lifetime. Kara and I talked about it lots of times.”
Cindy was fascinated by him and his relationship with Kara. “You’re fortunate that Rowley feels okay about your friendship,” Cindy couldn’t help but comment.