By the time they reached home—for Celeste at least—the two realized the figure standing by the gate was not a stranger but Tiel. He stood in the cold with a coat that, in her opinion, was not thick enough, his hair blown by the wind.
"Did he try and call you?" Wouter asked nervously.
"No. He must be waiting for someone else," Celeste replied after checking her phone. There really was no call.
"Yeah. He's waiting for me," Wouter said, stopping the van slowly right in front of Tiel. Celeste stepped out of the car, greeting him.
"Tiel, what are you doing out here?"
Tiel took her hand, then kissed her temple. "Get inside, I just have a few words."
"What?" Celeste asked, then asked again with increasing panic. "Wait, wait a minute, what do you want to say?"
Tiel looked at her assuringly. "Just a few words. Get her inside. Bobby!"
Bobby, with his moustache, stepped behind her, seemingly out of nowhere. Celeste felt herself tensing as his large hands wrapped around her arm.
