“I can help you,” Jade said. “Have a seat.”

The girl and her friend added quite a few new scents to the desk area; scents that Jade didn’t need in the morning, like cigarettes (the girl) and alcohol (the man). Together they reeked of trouble as well.

“Okay, first tell me who you are,” Jade said, taking out a pad to write on.

“I’m Ruby, Ruby Fourie.”

“How old are you, Ruby?” Jade asked.

“What’s that matter?” the man said.

“Because I want to know. And who are you then?”

“He’s Mitch,” Ruby said.

Yeah, musical answers, just what she needed this morning, Jade thought. She leaned her head on her hand.

“What you can do for me is answer the questions I ask you, and only the questions I ask you, okay?” Jade said.

“I’m Mitch,” the man said.

“Good. And Mitch, how old are you?” Jade asked.

“I’m twenty-seven.”

“And Ruby?” Jade asked.

“Seventeen,” the girl said.

This was getting ugly already. “And what sort of relationship do we have here then?”

Ruby smiled at Mitch and he gave what could, at a stretch, be called a smile, back to her. “He’s my boyfriend.”

“He’s a bit old for you, don’t you think?” Jade asked.

“Listen, I’m here about my sister. Anyways, my mom knows.”

Great. “Okay Ruby tell me what’s going on with your sister.”

“Lana’s missing. Seems like this is the third, maybe fourth day. I only found out yesterday when her friend called me. My mom was drunk all weekend. She don’t know when Lana disappeared. Could have been any day since Friday, for all she knows.”

“Where were you? Don’t you live at home?” Jade asked.

“No, I live with Mitch.”

“Maybe your sister went off with her boyfriend too. Looks like your mother’s not on top of things,” Jade suggested.

“No ways. My sister’s not like that. She’s good. And clever too. Always been good, not like me.”

Ruby’s face fell and for a minute the tough person she played at being, fell away, and who she really was showed through. She was a girl who loved her sister and was dead scared something awful had happened to her. Jade immediately felt bad about the prejudgement she made about Ruby. Ruby was just trying to live.

“So tell me about your sister’s life, her friends, anything that you think will help us,” Jade said.

“She’s in Grade 8 at Cuttleson Secondary. You really need to talk to her nerdy friend Mindy Williams. She’ll know lots more than me.”

“And your parents? Where can I find them?”

“It’s just my mom. My dad ran off to Cape Town with our babysitter, Barb, five years ago. My mom hasn’t functioned too good since then. I wrote her work down here. She works days as a receptionist and most nights she bartends at Lou’s downtown.”

She handed Jade a piece of paper torn from a school hardcover. She also handed Jade a photo of her sister. The girl was surprisingly well organised: the paper had everyone’s full names, phone numbers and physical addresses. Ruby would make a good PA.

“So you think you can find her?” Mitch asked.

“Yes,” Jade said. She did think they could find Lana Fourie, but the more important question was: Would they find her alive?

On that question Jade was not be able to be so confident.

***

Tell us: What’s your opinion of Ruby having older Mitch as a boyfriend?