“Um, no. We were wondering whether . . . um . . .” Naomi glanced at Ralf.

Ralf took a step forward. “Well, ma’am—”

“Call me Emily.”

“Well, Emily, we were hoping you might know that. Where Brian is.”

A shadow fell over her friendly face. “How long has he been missing?”

“Since Friday,” said Naomi.

“Come in.” Emily walked ahead of them through the narrow hallway and into the living room. The walls were painted blue, and the smell of incense hung in the air. Two skinny Siamese cats were sprawled on the sofa by the window, observing the visitors with interest.

“Take a seat.” She gestured toward the sofa.

Naomi plopped down next to the cats, lifted one onto her lap, and began stroking it. Ralf sat down next to her.

“Would you like something to drink?”

“No, thanks.”

“Yes, please.”

Emily chuckled and looked at Ralf. “I’ll bring an extra glass just in case.”

Ralf looked around uneasily. He’d visited Emily just a few times before, and only ever very briefly. Her house was small and contained remarkably little furniture: the sofa they were sitting on, a large floor cushion, and a compact wooden dining table by the back window. As his father would say, a blind horse wouldn’t do much damage in here.

And yet it was comfortable. There were rugs and paintings on the wall depicting Asian scenes. Ralf noticed a Buddha sculpture on the windowsill, and a pot full of sticks next to it from which smoke was spiraling upward. It was pleasant enough, once you got used to the smell of the incense.

“Here you go, a nice glass of Coke.” Emily handed each of them a drink and then sat down on the thick cushion. She rolled up the sleeves of her thin flannel shirt. A serious expression suddenly returned to her face. “So. Friday.”

Ralf nodded.

“That was the last time either of you saw him?”

“Yeah, that afternoon,” said Ralf.

“Did he say where he was going?”

He shook his head.

“And neither of you have spoken to him since then?”

“No,” said Ralf hoarsely. “We can’t get ahold of him. I’ve gone up to his room a few times. His phone is there, on the charger, but as far as I can tell, he hasn’t been there himself.”

Emily fingered her braid. “And you both thought he was with me?”

“Well, no. But—” Naomi looked to Ralf for support. “We thought maybe someone should go to the police. None of his friends have heard anything from him. Five days is a long time.”

Emily nodded and shifted her attention to Ralf. Gave him a penetrating look.

Ralf took a sip of his Coke and examined the nearest wall hanging. It was red, with patches of beige and brown, and showed a mountainous landscape dotted with villages and rice paddies.

“Is there anything I should know?” she asked.

“What do you mean?”