"Albert?" Windy spoke calmly. "What happened to Gracie?"

Albert could only shrug as he out right began to bawl. Between gasps he tried to speak. "She closed on Su...Su... Sun...Sunday."

Adia, Albert's morning barista, happily entered the cafe. "Good morning!" Her happy go lucky mood quickly changed as she walked through the door to see Jimmy and Windy with her boss.

"Good morning!" Jimmy waved at the barista.

"Turn the sign over." Albert stood. "We're open!" He jumped up and headed behind the counter.

Jimmy gave Windy a 'what the hell is going on' look. Windy could only shrug in response.

Adia slipped by Jimmy and Windy. "It's been a while since I've seen you two in here."

"You remember us?" Jimmy frowned.

"I rarely forget a face." Adia headed to the tiny back room to secure her purse and fall jacket. She made her way behind the counter, while tying her apron. "You were always busy on your phone while he was yacking at you as if you were married."

Jimmy laughed loudly.

Windy looked perturbed. "You find that funny, Mr. I'm-all-alone?"

"See?" Adia pointed at the two. "Both drink lattes, you're the whole milk man and you ~ you like plant based milk."

Jimmy looked at Windy who tilted her head. "I always got you the same as me and you never said a thing. Once!"

"Oh did I just start something because, yeah, sometimes when I start I don't stop and well...this happens."

"All good." Jimmy looked at his friend. "Better to know." All Windy could do was shrug.

Windy then tilted her head towards Albert and mouthed one word. "Gracie."

"Hey, Albert could I get a minute with you?"

"Adia? Think you can make my latte?" Windy asked before asking more questions about Gracie.

Jimmy took Albert back to the table to talk while Windy spoke with Adia.

"How long have you worked with Albert and Gracie?"

"This has to be my fifth year in the city." Adia sighed then gave her best smile she could.

"Where are you from?"

"The Queen Charlotte's."

"You're Haida?" Windy smiled. The Haida Gwai people are known as artistic, intuitive, and intelligent. This piqued Windy's interest.

"Uh-huh."

"Have you been back home?" Windy looked at the young woman.

"I have not. Too many bad memories." Adia stared at the thermometer in the soy milk being frothed.

"I apologize for the question." Windy's tone softened.

"What brings you downtown?" Adia changed the subject and the pressure released.

"Jimmy needs a place to crash but there is no room for his car at my place." Windy tried her best not to lie.

"Pretty expensive to park in this area." Adia directed her stare at Windy.

Windy gave a smile."His place was broken into."

"So are you two finally together?" Adia raised an eyebrow.

"We were once. We are not back." Windy slowly shook her head.

"Ah!" Adia finished pouring the frothed plant based milk over the brewed coffee.

"Surprised?"

"That it is over? Yes!" Adia laughed.

"Really?" Windy half-laughed to balance the conversation.

"From what I can see, nothing looks over."

"Well, looks can be deceiving."

"Sometimes, but with you two it is no act. There is a real connection with Jimmy."

"What do you study?" Windy smiled.

Adia laughed. "Criminal Justice."

"Ahhhh." An awkward silence fell between to two women. Windy ask about Albert's girlfriend again. "Have you seen Gracie lately?"

"Not since Sunday afternoon. We worked together for a few hours before my shift ended." Adia became visibly somber.

"We were supposed to open together Monday. But only Albert was here. She didn't come home that night, Albert said." Adia's blank look told Windy the gravity of it all.

"Anything happen between Gracie and Albert?"

"That's just it! Everything seemed great. They even joked about a spring wedding."

"So nothing out of the ordinary?"

"Nothing." Adia appeared perplexed. "An officer Jacobs came to take our statements."

Jimmy walked up to the counter. "Which officer took your statement?"

"Officer Jacobs." Adia questioned Jimmy. "Why? You know him?"

Jimmy gave a chagrined look to the barista then turned to his friend. "I need to crash, Win."

"It was good to see you again, Adia."

"Will I see you two again?" The young woman queried.

"We will be around, I'm sure." Jimmy smiled. "Let's go, Win!" He yawned a hard yawn.

"See ya, Adia."

Adia waved as Windy looked back to the counter.

As soon as the door closed Jimmy spoke up. "Albert is distraught, Win. He doesn't know what happened to Gracie."

"Did she have the daily deposit?"

"No. Albert comes by at four o'clock and does that." Jimmy explained. "All she needed to do was walk the two blocks to their apartment."

"She should've gotten home!"

"I believe Officer Jacobs is on the Fortune payroll." Jimmy continued. "No surprise that he waited to add Gracie to the missing list."

Windy held Jimmy from walking any further. "How do you know Jacobs is on the Fortune payroll?"

"Two things that happened last night." Jimmy began walking again. "First, he was the only cop not to shoot Roco."

"Coincidence?"

"Ha! Right! The way I see it is, if Jacobs shot Roco he would be a dead man. So he chose not to fire."

"Flimsy, Jimmy." Windy pointed out. "Not every cop has to fire in that situation."

"Yeah, well how about Jacobs asking me where Joey and Johnny were? There are very few people that would have known my connection to the Fortune brothers."

"I think you need sleep, Jimmy."

Jimmy ran his fingers through his hair. "Yeah, I've had enough for one day."

"You know you really need to take care of yourself if you are going to give Jordan a good kidney." Windy reminded him of his obligation.

"Yeah, no more nights like last night."

"Just last night?" Windy did not let Jimmy forget the previous night.

"You may have a point, Win."

Windy's Apartment

Windy started making dinner later that afternoon. The smell of Moamba de Galinha wafted through her apartment. A dish she learned while on a pilgrimage to her ancestral home in Angola.

Jimmy began to wake from a restless sleep. He tried to block out the noise Windy was making but his nose told him to get up. "Arghhhhh."

The yawn startled Windy. "What in the hell?" Then she looked past her kitchen island to see Jimmy in his boxers stumbling towards her kitchen. "Stop. Right. There."

"What, Win?" Jimmy scratched his backside.

"Get dressed. And I mean now!" Windy waved her wooden spatula at her ex-boyfriend. "I offered you a place to sleep. Do not spoil it by doing what you're doing right now."

Jimmy looked down at his flannel boxers. "Ahhh, right." He turned around and found his clothes. "Sorry, Win."

"Maybe take a shower?" Windy suggested. "Dinner won't be ready for another twenty minutes."

"Right." Jimmy smiled then turned towards the bathroom.

"One towel! And not the plushy pink one."

With his back to her Jimmy raised a thumb acknowledging Windy's request.

She shook her head, laughed and spoke to herself. "Flannel boxers?!"

Fifteen minutes later Jimmy emerged from her bathroom. "Win, what smells so great!"

Windy slapped his shoulder. "It's supper and it's time to eat."

Jimmy nodded, looked at Windy, then tasted a piece of chicken. "Hey, this is good!"

"Don't sound so surprised!"

"Well, Win ~ I don't recall you ever cooking!"

"Well, there's a lot you don't know about me!" Windy stood taking offense to her friend assuming he knew everything about her.

"Come on Win, sit." Jimmy smiled. "It tastes great. Really!" He tilted his head to the chair. "Win."

Windy sat. "I guess I should explain."

"Explain what?"

"I went home."

"To Montreal?" Jimmy assumed wrongly ~ again.

"What? No! Angola!" Raised her voice.

"Angola?!"

Windy looked at Jimmy. "I found the historical records from the plantation where my family was enslaved."

"Really?" Jimmy put his fork down. "And they were taken from Angola?"

"Yeah."

"When did you go?"

"When you were searching for Lana's killer."

"I thought you were here ~ helping me!"

Windy rolled her eyes. "I can help you from anywhere with an internet connection."

"You are good!" He smiled.

Windy shook her head.

"So ~ how was it? Your home?"

"It was amazing! That trip will always be special to me." Her facial features softened. "I think you would like it."

"I know I would, Win." Jimmy began to eat again. "This is awesome!"

"Do you ever not think about food?"

"Is that a serious question?" Jimmy looked at his friend.

"Rhetorical ~ obviously." Windy rolled her eyes before clearing the table of everything but Jimmy's plate to his surprise.

"A hot date tonight, Win?"

Windy did not answer. Instead she opened her laptop in front of Jimmy eventually finding the security footage from the businesses near Albert and Gracie's cafe.

"Are you nearly finished?" Windy looked at Jimmy.

"I was about to get seconds." Jimmy noticed the look on his friend's face. "But, I'm good." He took his plate to the sink. "Whatcha working on, Win?"

"Security footage from Sunday night along Robson Street."

"So you are hacking again?"

"You have a problem with that?" Windy stared at Jimmy.

"Well, no." Jimmy shrugged. "Is there anything you can't do, Win?"

"Yeah, I can't seem to keep you out of trouble."

"Hilarious, Win."

"Are you going to see your daughter sometime today?"

Jimmy face palmed himself. "Damn! When are visiting hours?"

"They end at eight. You have three hours."

"I should catch the next bus to get my car." Jimmy reach for his cellphone but it wasn't there.

"You missing something?"

"My cellphone. I dropped it at Jerricho Beach. Remember where I was parked?"

Windy shook her head. "I'll find it! You spend time with your daughter." Windy closed her laptop and stood. "Grab your jacket."

Jimmy reached for his leather jacket. "I will call you from the hospital, Win."

"Okay and Jimmy?" Windy pulled on his arm. "No arguing with Dana! Whatever is in your thick head, just let it go. You both need to be there for Jordan."

"Yeah, you're right, Win." He assured his friend. "No arguing."

Jimmy caught the number seven city bus downtown to pick his car up from the underground parking. His mind was continuously distracted by the flickering late day autumn sun. When he shaded his eyes, the street came into focus and there was Frank Jacobs standing next to his patrol car.

Jimmy couldn't see who he was talking with because of the shadow the sun casted. "Jacobs, that piece of work."

A passenger pulled the cable to request the next stop. When he got up, he left the Daily Sun newspaper behind on his seat. Jimmy slid over and picked it up. Catch up on some local news.

He scanned the headlines for the latest. Nothing stood out as interesting until he got a few pages in. BROTHERS RESCUED. Fortune brothers, Joseph and John were pulled out of the cold waters from under the Cambie Street bridge. Ambulances were called to the scene...the brothers, though unconscious at the time are expected to make a full recovery but will spend time at Vancouver General Hospital until they recover.

Wait a minute! Jordan is in Vancouver General! Crap!

Jimmy looked up and pulled the cable for the next stop. Robson Street was busy at half past five on a weekday with some people leaving work, others going to dinner, and others shopping at boutique shops.

A voice from behind Jimmy called out. "Hey, Jimmy!"

Who could that be? Jimmy turned around. "Adia?"

"Yeah. I saw you from the window." She smiled. "Just getting your car?"

"Uh, yeah. Need a ride?"

"I doubt if you are going the same way."

"I'm headed to VGH. You?"

"Home." Adia pointed the opposite direction.

"It was good to see you again."

"Stop by for a latte sometime."

Jimmy smiled. "I will." He tilted his head towards his car. "Well, I have to fight crosstown traffic. See you."

"Wait!" Adia called out. "I'll take that ride."

"You know I am headed to the hospital?"

"Yeah, but I'd like to ask you some questions."

Jimmy shrugged not seeing the harm in it. "Let's go! I have to visit my daughter."

Adia quickly followed Jimmy into the underground parking.