CHAPTER 2. Thursday

It was a sunny day in May. The air held the promise of the approaching summer. Soon days of sweltering heat, long muddy evenings and mosquitos would come. But not just yet. It wasn't too hot to be outside, and the humidity was still bearable.

Forty-eight year old bar owner Shelley Cattridge polished the mahogany top once more. She had opened the windows and let the pleasant spring air come in. The smell of the roses growing under the window sill made her smile. Yep, this was definitely the best time of year. She was happy that The Black Cat had a terrace, and soon she'd bring the drinks outside where her customers would enjoy the lovely weather, beverages and Shelley's hospitality.

The Black Cat was a small, popular pub, which was mostly Shelley's doing. The place was nice, cosy and had a homey atmosphere to it. The choice in beer sorts was large, she brewed a mean coffee and could conjure up an excellent omelet sandwich too. Shelley took pride in making the place a second home for everyone who came in.

It was early in the afternoon, and apart from two locals who played a game of checkers at the corner table, there were no customers yet. An hour or two, and this place would be packed, man and women stopping for a drink before heading home after a long day's work.

A woman came in, carefully scanning the place before taking a stool at the bar. She was casually clad in faded blue jeans, a white blouse and suede camel jacket. Her hair was short, cut in almost business-like style. She wore little make-up. Shelley instantly knew that she wasn't a local. She could tell it from the way the woman behaved, how she looked around and sat down. There was something about her that struck Shelley. No - it wasn't one thing. It was a mix: she was rather short and not particularly pretty, but there was something in her eyes that made Shelley look twice. Perhaps it was the look of expectancy, or maybe it was the touch of sadness that she seemed to emanate.

'Good afternoon.' Polite. An accent Shelley couldn't quite place.

'Hello, luv. What can I get you?'

'Uhm… coffee would be nice, please.'

'Would you like some apple pie to go with that? Home-made!'

That brought a smile to her face, which seemed to light up the place like a candle in the night all of a sudden. 'That sounds lovely. Yes please.'

'You're not from around, are you?' Shelley asked while cutting off a large piece of pie. She put the coffee and the pie in front of her customer.

The woman tasted it carefully, then licked her lips and nodded approvingly. 'Excellent. Very good. Thanks for suggesting this.'

Shelley smiled appreciatively. 'You here on holiday?' she tried again.

'Uhm… well, yes and no. I'm trying to find someone I met years ago. We worked together for a while, but I lost of track of him.'

'And he's from around here?' Shelley asked.

'I'm not sure. I'm only here for a couple of days and the idea to look him up hit me when I saw someone who reminded me of him. I recall he had family in this part of the country so I thought I'd start here, but it's a long shot.'

'What his name? I know a lot of locals.'

'He goes by the name of Bodie,' said the woman.

Shelley withheld comment. She knew Bodie and Doyle all too well. She liked them, but knew that they were involved in government business or security or police or something like that, and she also knew they didn't like their names to go out to just anyone. Both Bodie as well as Doyle had always been welcome, and they had helped her out on occasions too, so she figured she better be careful in spreading their names.

Then again, this woman hardly looked like she posed a threat.

'Nice guy, tall, slender, handsome, dark hair, blue eyes…' The woman smiled before she took a sip of the steaming hot coffee. 'And a very wicked smile.'

O yeah, that fits Bodie, Shelley thought amused. 'Does ring a bell, vaguely,' she said.

The woman lifted her head at those words. 'It does?'

'Yeah, but I'm not sure. You know what blokes are like,' Shelley said a little too airily. 'They're all dark and handsome and smooth talkers.'

'Tell me about it,' said the woman with a sigh, and then both women sniggered. 'Can I leave a number here? If he does come in, can you ask him to contact me?' From her purse she took a piece of paper and wrote a number down. 'I'll be around till the end of the month.'

She pushed the paper over the bar top towards Shelley. Folded under the paper were thirty pounds, which covered a lot more than coffee and apple pie. Now Shelley did enjoy a good tip, but this was definitely not that.

'Please take it. It's not a bribe or anything,' the woman pleaded, when she saw Shelley's expression. 'It would really mean a lot to me if could talk to him, and since you seem to know a lot of people…'

'Alright,' Shelley said. 'I can't promise anything, but I'll look around.'

'Thanks, that's more than I can hope for,' the woman nodded.

Shelley decided she liked her. 'Is there any particular reason why you want to see him?'

'Yeah, but that's private, sorry,' she answered with a slightly flushed cheeks.

Oooo, Shelley thought, someone's in love. She tried to picture Bodie with this girl and presumed he would be in to her alright. Even if it had been a long time ago.

'Well, it was lovely, but I should get going,' the woman said, dabbing her lips with a napkin, after which she stood up.

'Who can I say?' Shelley asked, trying to find out her name.

She hesitated for a second. 'Donna,' she said eventually. She picked up her purse, nodded gratefully towards Shelley. 'Just tell him Donna was here.'

'Again, I can't promise,' Shelley said quickly.

'I understand,' Donna nodded. Then, tentatively: 'This guy you might know – is he married?'

That made Shelley laugh out loud. 'Bodie? Married? Nah. Never.'

Instantly she knew she had given away too much. But the woman surprised her by saying: 'Thanks for the coffee and the pie.'

She left before Shelley had a chance to say anything more.

'Well, whaddayaknow…' she murmured and picked up the thirty pounds. It was only then that she realised she had not been given a piece of paper, but a photo. She flipped it over and met the image of a boy. It was taken outside. Sunlight fell on dark hair, short and slightly wavy, stirred by the wind. His eyes were sunken deep but shone brightly.

And his smile had Bodie written all over.

'Bodie… you sod,' whispered Shelley, looking a the picture again. 'You're a daddy.'

She pondered on this for a while, before picking up the phone.

(tbc)