“I didn’t recognize them. A man. They sat in the corner, talked for maybe thirty minutes. It didn’t look… friendly.”
Salma leaned forward slightly.
“What do you mean?”
“They were arguing. Not loudly, but you could tell. Tension. The other man left first. Youssef stayed for a bit longer, then left too.”
“Did you notice anything else?”
Another pause.
The manager frowned, thinking.
“The other man… he seemed nervous. Kept looking around.”
That was enough.
“Do you have cameras?” Salma asked.
The manager nodded.
“Yes. Inside and outside.”
Salma exchanged a glance with Karim.
“Let’s take a look.”
The Footage
They watched the footage in silence.
There he was—Youssef.
Matching the photo from his ID.
He sat at a small table near the window, tapping his fingers against the cup in front of him.
Then the other man entered.
Tall. Wearing a dark jacket, hood partially up.
He sat across from Youssef.
The conversation began.
At first, it seemed calm. But within minutes, their body language shifted. Leaning forward. Sharp gestures. At one point, Youssef shook his head emphatically.
The other man leaned in closer.
Said something.
Youssef froze.
Even without audio, the tension was clear.
Then, abruptly, the man stood and left.
Youssef remained seated, staring at the table.
Minutes passed.
Then he gathered his things and exited.
The timestamp: 2:47 PM.
The car had been found hours later.
Salma paused the video.
“Zoom in,” she said.
They focused on the other man’s face as he turned toward the door.
It wasn’t perfect.
But it was enough to start.
A Case Unfolds
What began as a simple welfare check had become something far more complex.
A missing person.
Possible assault.
Unknown suspect.
And a timeline that left hours unaccounted for.
As the investigation expanded, more questions emerged than answers.
Where had Youssef gone after leaving the café?
Why had there been blood in his car—but no body?
