Beating around

 I had to admit. It was a fairly good idea. All I needed was a load of cash to stuff into their faces and a trigger.
Seers were the only beings who could be bought easily with money no.matrer what destruction their revelation could cause.
"That's a very bad idea. You know how it works." Frank warned.
I knew it was. There was always a catch to look into the past or even the future.
"Take me to One."
"Now I like you." McCoy complimented.
"Finish up your drink. Well, be going soon." 
I took a little of the bitter content that made my throat burn and checked on my phone.
My father had sent a text.
"I'm coming to Fayash tomorrow."
I thought well before typing.
"I don't think there is a need for that. I'm seeing a seer soon who might help me find out what happened to Kristy."
The SMS went through and my father answered immediately.
"You will do no such thing. I'm coming today."
What? My father had never been so worried about me before. It was disturbing he suddenly wanted in on what I was doing.
"What's wrong?" Frank asked, sipping his beer slowly.
"Nothing. I'm just preoccupied with so much going in my life."
"Well sorry."

I gave him a reassuring smile and drank the last contents of the bottle.
"I'm done, McCoy. Let's go."

"Wow! Quick." He muttered, taking a huge swing of his third bottle and taking the whole content down.
"Let's go then."
McCoy led us outside along with his pack.
He was also a biker and that explained the killer bikes outside.
"I never knew you liked Bikes," McCoy commented.
"She's mine." Frank retorted, patting his seat and putting on his helmet.
"Who? Valerie or your bike?" McCoy teased, a wicked grin on his face.
Frank ignored me and handed me a helmet,
"Hop on."
"Wait!"
I turned to face McCoy wondering what he stopped us for.
"Your bike's a bit small for her. Maybe she should join me."
Frank's face turned red but he kept to himself just for my sake.
I put on my helmet and joined McCoy. His bike was...I hate to admit it but far better than Frank's.
Black like McCoy's hair with firm upholstery.
I hopped into it getting comfortable.
"How's my bike?"
"Great. Can we go now?"
"Ok."
***
The ride was a quicky and u wondered why he hadn't just trekked there. It was a stone throw away from the bar.
The only explanation I could render was McCoy just wanted to be close to him. He was a stalker once. God knows what goes through his mind.
I got down from his bike and handed Frank his helmet then tried to straighten my hair.
"So where is his house?" I finally asked McCoy.
"Over there." He pointed to the only heavily furnished house in the area.
The house was a duplex that looked like it was mirrored in half. Coloured Yellow and elegantly finished with white cement.
I could only think of what a safecracker I was asking for help.
I entered first with Frank following me closely. The porch smelled of Vanilla and it was a war inside not to rush the plants to sniff them.
I knocked softly and awaited a reply.
I turned back to see McCoy chatting with his pals and a beer bottle in his hands.
How did he even smuggle that here?
He noticed me staring and pointed his beer high in my direction and winked.
What a man!
The door in front of me creaked and a young man in his early thirties, blonde and with chestnut eyes stood right in front of me.
"What do you what?" His harsh voice jolted me back to reality.
I realized I had been staring at him for seconds too long.
"Em—Sorry. I'm here to see your boss. Is he around?" 
The man sent me a glare like I just uttered the most blasphemous thing one could imagine.
"I'm the boss around here." He responded.
"Oh—"
I really expected to see a blind old man with a walking stick but an equally charming man would do.
"We are here to see you then." " The seer."
The man opened the door to accommodate our easy passage.
When both I and Frank were in, he shut the door.
"State your business."
No beating around the bush then.
"My sister is missing and I don't know where she might be I believe..."
"Ba! Ba! Ba! You talk too much. She's missing. I get it already. The only thing now is are you willing to pay for my services."
Ouch!
I didn't have any cash on me. The only meager money left was for my cheap meal.
"Can I reschedule?" I asked.
"No. We have the money." Frank interrupted.
"Then pay up. It's just 2000."
Bastard!
"I'll pay after the services are rendered," Frank argued, putting g his hands into his pocket.
"Sorry, but I won't do anything without proof of payment."
"Is this proof enough for you?" Frank spat and brought out a golden card from his pocket. The seal of royalty in the middle of the glittering card.
"Wow!" The seer said, breathless.
"Sit." He offered, Leading us to a roundtable with five chairs around it.
Seeing Frank's card had disoriented me a little bit.
I had not a slight idea. He was Noble blood.
I took my seat and watched the seer being out cards with a reputation. Tarot cards. He lit up a red candle filling the room with a funny scent, thick and musky.
"What's her name?" He asked, arranging the cards on the table and chanting silently.
"Kristy Swanson," I replied.
"We call the spirits of the air, the earth, and water to help us find Kristy Swanson."
The air in the room instantly turned cold and the light the candle produced, flickering. I could only be being paranoid.

"An item of the woman in question which she might have held before she disappeared." He demanded, his eyes closed as if communing to some beings I couldn't see or hear.
"Here." I handed the leather book that Kristy had asked for help in to him. It was the last thing she must have held.
He snatched it from me and held it to the candlelight.
I watched in horror as the book caught flames. Surprisingly, the book did not burn despite being in flames.
I turned to face the seer who continued his chants.
"If there are any words spirits, Speak."
His eyes suddenly shot wide open. His Iris Gone and now turned white as he faced me.
"This wasn't held by Kristy last."
That could not be possible. I remembered the note, her phone. It couldn't just be for nothing.
"Then which held it last?"
"You."
Fuck! Couldn't the spirits see what I meant?
"So anything about my sister's spirits?"
The seer remained silent before saying,
"Finders, keepers. The one who will aid your goose-chase is Lucia Amore."
That was it. The room got Warmer and the man's eyes returned.
"What did that mean?" I asked still not satisfied.
"The book doesn't belong to Kristy but to Lucia Amore and your search for her will end up nowhere." He bluntly replied, no pity in his voice.
Why would he care? Why should I even believe his words?
"You lie." I spat, banging the table to ease my rage.
Frank gave his card to the seer who magically brought a POS and swiped taking what he wanted.
I was still finding everything hard to believe.
"Wait!" I said as something came to me.
"This book was given to Kristy two days ago. Why wouldn't it be hers?"
"When you give something out girl, you lose—ownership." The seer answered, bored.
And the question of the day came back.
Who was Kristy?