I got a message from a stranger at 2:13 a.m.
It said:
“Please don’t tell my sister I contacted you.”
I had no idea who the person was.
I replied:
“Who is this?”
Three dots appeared.
Then:
“You were at the restaurant on Saturday night, right?”
I was.
I had gone there alone after work and sat outside for about an hour.
I told them yes.
They replied:
“Then you saw my sister.”
I asked what that had to do with me.
They sent me a photo.
It was a picture of the restaurant.
In the background, sitting at one of the tables, was the woman I had noticed that night.
She was sitting with a man.
I barely remembered her.
Then the stranger sent another message:
“She told our family she was working that night.”
I thought they were accusing her of cheating.
I almost stopped responding.
Then they said:
“The man sitting with her wasn’t her boyfriend.”
That got my attention.
I asked:
“Then who was he?”
They replied:
“That’s what we’re trying to figure out.”