While Frankie went upstairs to rest, Levi thought that he’d better find Evelyn and inform her of everything. Not just their encounter with Hecate, but also that Frankie was considering trading in his soul for a trip back to 1984.
That thought alone was cause for concern. Levi wasn’t sure if he had fully convinced Frankie that it was a bad idea, and he worried that Frankie would try to summon Hecate himself and make the deal without them knowing. And since Levi was nonmagical, it was important to bring someone else who had magic into the fold. Someone who had more experience with the supernatural who would further give credence to Levi’s warnings.
As Levi made his way down the secret staircase in the back room, down into the basement speakeasy, he wondered if Evelyn had had any luck with trying to see through the fog in her vision. The fact that Levi and Frankie had been back for hours and she hadn’t come upstairs to tell them her findings yet suggested that she hadn’t been successful.
Then again, she could’ve also just gotten busy with customers looking to have their fortunes told. Even Evelyn had to make a living.
The oracle had been setting up shop in Levi’s speakeasy for years. She had started back when Levi’s father owned the building. It was her psychic services that she sold. Everything from palm readings to tea leaves to seances. She did it all to the best of her ability. But for her mostly nonmagical clients, the theatrics she went through was enough for them to feel like they got their money’s worth.
From what Levi understood, most people thought it was a fun gimmick. Something to splurge on when they were already breaking the social rules by drinking in private. And the fact that Evelyn was a true oracle meant that she could provide them with enough information to keep them coming back for more.
Even Levi had thought it was a joke. Until Frankie crashed in on a magical fight between two gangs and blew his mind with the secret supernatural world lurking under his own nose.
In the speakeasy, Levi did a quick survey of the room and was surprised that Evelyn was not seated at her usual booth. He walked over to it and saw that her bag was still tucked on the floor against the seat and an empty glass sat on the table.
She had been there.
“Hey, Dennis,” Levi called to the bartender. “Have you seen Evelyn?”
“Who?” Dennis wiped up the bar with a rag. At the end, sat two gentlemen in business suits, huddled together in private conversation. No one ever spoke of what happened in the speakeasy. They were likely hashing out a business deal that they would deny publicly. Alcohol consumption was not the only secret that was kept at the speakeasy.
“The oracle.” Levi pointed to the empty booth.
Dennis’s eyebrows scrunched. “You mean the psychic.”
“That’s the one.”
“What about her?”
“Have you seen her?”
“I see a lot of people.”
Levi sighed heavily to show his frustration. “I’m not trying to turn her in, Dennis. I’m worried about where she is. Have you seen her?”
“I try not to stare.”
“It’s a yes or no question.”
“I might’ve seen her around.”
“She’s here every day. I know you notice her. She comes in each day and sets up in the same booth and does psychic readings for people. Except for today.”
“I think I saw her this morning.”
Levi glanced back at the booth, just to confirm that it was still empty. It would be just his luck to press Dennis, only to find out that Evelyn had simply run off to the ladies’ room. Turning his attention back to Dennis, he asked, “Do you know where she went?”
The bartender shrugged. “She was there, then she wasn’t. I don’t keep tabs on people. That’s not what you pay me to do.”
Levi sighed again. “Okay. Thanks. If you see her, let her know I’m looking for her.”
“I’m making no promises,” he offered. “I stay out of people’s business.”
There was no point trying to get anymore information out of him. He truly was great at his job, which required secrecy during Prohibition. But it was infuriatingly unhelpful.
Levi walked over to Evelyn’s booth and ran his hands along the tabletop. These were the moments he wished he had powers too. He could help Frankie find a way back to 1984 and make sure that Evelyn was safe.
But he didn’t need supernatural powers to know that something wasn’t right. He might not have the ability to sense something magical going on, but he knew something was off. Evelyn had made this booth her livelihood for years, never missing a day. On good days, she made more money than Levi made with the restaurant, after expenses. There was no way she would turn that down. Not when they were still unsure of the threat level of Hecate.
And maybe this was a sign that Hecate was somehow involved. Or maybe it was completely unrelated. There were only two things that Levi was absolutely sure of. The first was that he felt frustratingly helpless. And the second was that something had happened to Evelyn.