The man took a long draw from his cigar. He let the smoke rise up from his mouth, gently blowing it upwards.
Alex looked up from his paperwork. »Excuse me sir, you can't smoke in here.«
The man took his hand out of the pocket of his trenchcoat, taking the cigar between two fingers and savoring it's taste for a long moment.
»I'm terribly sorry,« he said with a voice as smokey as the air around him. »I always tell myself that it's gonna be the last one, but old habits die hard, don't they?« Alex internally flinched when he pushed the cigar out on his palm. »These things are the nails in my coffin.«
Alex tried his best to keep his composure. »What can I do for you today?« Why was it that the amount of strange people visiting him had exploded ever since Mark filmed his video?
»Name's Abe. But yer can call me Detective. I heard ye offer some relaxation to troubled individuals?«
»Well, most often I'm booked as a personal trainer, but I also offer cryogenics and other kinds of therapy. « He should get paid extra for the amount of professionality he had to deliver.
Abe nodded his head slowly. »I'm looking for that thing where they put glass cups on yer back 'n heat 'em up. Heard it's s'posed to pull out the bad mojo.«
»That would be fire cupping. I don't do walk-ins at the moment, but if you want to, we can make an appointment.« He offered the man a chair.
»Well, I'm a busy man, y'see. Spend my days drinkin' and the nights workin'.« He scratched his bald head. »Guess I can make some room next week. How's that sound?«
Alex smiled and nodded, pretending to take notes. »Next week, Tuesday, 1 PM?«
»I'll be there.« The man got up and took a cigar out of his chest poket, not igniting it yet. He spoke with his back turned to Alex.
»One more question, boy. I'm looking for a man named Mark Fishbach. Ever heard of him?«
Something about the way he pronounced Mark's name made Alex shiver. »Never heard of him.«
The man pulled out a match, putting the flame up to his mouth. He took a long draw, before lowering his head. »See boy, I know yer lying. Can't blame ya. That man can be a scary son of a gun.« He puffed the smoke into the air. »But I've made a promise to an old friend. Mr. Fishbach's got some dirt on him, and it's my job to figure out how to get the fish on the hook, if you know what I mean.«
»I try to stay out of Mark's business,« Alex admitted. »All I can do is give you the number of another guy investigating Mark.« He scribbled down Luís's number and handed it to the detective.
The man thanked him with a nod of his head. He studied the number on the paper as if it was the answer to all of his questions.
»Next week, One hour after midday,« Abe said while on his way out. Alex looked after him. He wondered if he did the right thing. That was the last time he meddled with Mark's business, he swore himself.
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In Memoriam - An Unus Annus Fanfiction
Fanfic365 days. Unus and Annus have one year left until their death. Trapped in strange machine, relentlessly hunted by Blank and Dark, a fight against the clock begins. Will they be able to find their way out, or will their story be lost in the sands of...
