The smell of cigarettes snaked through the dimly lit bar in one of the side streets in Valletta. Kasa Kyoto hunched over his whisky, his shirt collar askew, traced the fresh wound across his neck with his fingers. He watched Max, the bar owner pull down the shutters by the entrance.
Max returned to the bar.
"Here's another on me." Max said, sliding a fresh tumbler across the counter.
"Thanks Max."
The eight o'clock familiar sound announcing the news droned in the background. Kasa downed the whisky and heard a loud voice behind him shout. "Hey, turn that up!"
He turned his face and saw a tall man standing. He was pointing at the tv.
In his alcohol induced haze, he heard a familiar voice in the bar. Kasa looked up at the television. Hanna was on tv. Her face was drawn with worry. She spoke into a microphone. "Please, my daughter Sophie is missing. She has been missing for two days. If anyone has any information leading to her whereabouts, I beg you contact the police immediately with any information you may have. "This is Sophie." Sophie's face danced in front of him. The photo of an attractive young woman, a blond with green eyes filled the screen .Kasa felt nauseaus. "I am offering a reward to the person who brings Sophie back home safely.
Thank you." she said stepping away from the microphone.
A tall policeman took hold of the microphone. "Anyone can contact the police anonymously on this number. A number flashed on the screen of the tv.
Kasa gulped. The policeman carried on talking. "There were three other students with Sophie who are also missing. Their names are Ryo, Alice and Josh." Kasa clutched the edge of the wooden surface of the bar . What had he done?