A woman walks in to a cafe

“I’d like my usual,” a hand gently placed down a 5 dollar bill and two ones, it was gloved, “please and thank you Marcus.”

“Care to remind me what that is?” A young man brightly responds from behind the counter, “you change it up all the time.”

“Not here I don’t, '' a slightly older woman eyes him up and down, skepticism written across her face.

She wore dark glasses, red lipstick, a tight fitting coat and a red scarf. 

“Marcus,” she chewed, “do you remember my order or not?

“No I remember, it’s just the extra details I forget,” the boy behind the counter sweated. 

“Turtle Mocha, almond milk, extra shot of caramel, one extra pump of simple syrup,” she took off her sunglasses to clean them, “please try to remember next time.”

“Coming right up ma’am, if you just fill this out here for me, I’ll start your drink.” 

The woman put her attention to the screen on the cash register. 

Sign my signature, yes I’d like to tip, no I don’t need a receipt, end transaction. 

She moved swiftly to the pick up counter, putting back on her sunglasses. She watches the worker make her drink like a hawk, waiting for any slip ups. Thankfully, the young man didn’t trip up. 

“Order for Nancy,” he turned around, startled a bit to see her standing, a hand on her hip. 

She flashes a smile, taking the drink from him.

“Have a nice night.”

“You too,” she takes a small sip, trying not to ruin her carefully applied lipstick and turns out the door. 

Funny how her card said Charlotte, not Nancy. 

10:30 pm, a young man exits out of the back of a cafe, with him carrying trash. He breathes in and exhales deeply.

“Where’s Marcus.”

A sharp voice cuts through the cold air like silk. The young man jumps a tad and turns to the silhouette standing besides the door. 

“A little aggressive there,” he ties up the trash bag, “don’t you have other things to be worried about than a coffee boy?

“Of course I do Donovann, you’re shit at the actual drinks I like,” Nancy steps from the shadows, sunglasses tucked in the pocket of her jacket, “I’m not incapable of empathy, asshole. Where’s Marcus.”

The young man, Donovann in disguise, scans the area quickly before unmasking himself and adjusting his glasses. He looks exhausted, purposely making his features impossible to see. 

“At home sick, I hope,” Donovann throws out the trash bag he was holding, “his ‘roommate’ is covering his shift for him today.”

Nancy’s face curled up in disgust. 

“Why are you rooming with a 24 year old? Who do they think you are?”

“Maverick,” Donovann named off one of his common disguises he uses, “thinks he knows someone with the epithet Impersonation.”

“Oh don’t tell me you’re covering his job out of sympathy,” Nancy rolled her eyes. 

“He needs the money, how can I not,” Donovann shrugs, “besides being nice is the best thing I’ve got going for me.”

“Gross.”

“Yeah yeah.”

Nancy leans next to the doorway, narrowing her eyes. 

“Why did you call me out?”

Donovann’s eyes became visible, an incredibly serious expression wrote itself across his face. Nancy was surprised, this was the most she’d seen his face in a while. 

“I found her,” he whispered. 

Nancy was shocked, the color draining from her face. She physically recoiled before grabbing onto Donovann’s shoulders.

“Where,” she hissed, she sounded angry but her face said otherwise. A mix of terror and concern wracked her face. 

“Joe was right,” he leaned closer, “she stayed with Dynamic Details, and she’s in pretty deep.”

“How the fuck did you find out?!”

Donovann released himself from her grasp, her grip becoming uncomfortable. 

“Our other roommate is an intern, took Maverick on a tour and I most undeniably met her. She saw right through me.”

“How do you know for certain?”

“Well,” Donovann’s face grew cold, “it’s not everyday you get a boot to the throat in the men’s restroom.”

He faintly chuckled before holding up his left hand.

“Or lose your left ring finger in one.”

Nancy was mortified, feeling dizzy, scrambling through her bag to find her anxiety medication, popping it into her mouth and exhaling. She looked to make eye contact again but his eyes were gone. Only a shadow of a face remained. 

“Never do that again,” Nancy hit him on the head, “you’re the hardest to find out of everyone, I don’t want to try and search for you when you’re dead.”

Donovann wasn’t having it. 

“She’s in big trouble. I can tell,” he said sternly, “she hasn’t been seeing her therapist, she’s at the place we all swore to avoid and she doesn’t even look like herself anymore.”

“Well what the hell do you think we can do?!”

Donovann sighed, putting his head into his hands. 

“There’s a morgue in one of the basements. I saw her and some.. other woman studying a body when I was snooping. This isn’t at all what I thought that place would be doing. I don’t know what to do but we need to do something, Nancy.”

Nancy felt tears well up in her eyes, she blinked ferociously before leaning into his chest. Donovann tensed up for a moment before fully relaxing and pulling her into a hug.

“We’ll figure something out,” he whispered, “I promise.”