This is L.o.v.e. like it should be

XLIII. On the road

"You just wouldn’t believe it hun!", Phoebe shouted while driving her Chevelle with the top down, her hair blowing in the wind.

"What wouldn’t I believe?", Ava replied, trying to hold her hair down.

"The things I had to do to find a trace of that shareholder!"

"What did you do?", Ava was getting worried.

"I had to show my feet to a perv! My adorable feet!"

"What?", Ava failed to contain a laugh.

"No joke, gurl. You know I’m always short on cash, so I had to get creative with the payment for this lead. At least the perv was married and I was able to keep things at a somewhat decent level."

"And who was this perv?"

"A private investigator. He shouldn't even be a private investigator, since he was expelled from the police force after... you know, borrowing some apprehended drugs. I mean, he had planned on replacing them with some flour or something, but he got careless because he was high all the time and ended up paying for it."

"By getting fired...."

"Exactly. A shame, actually. He is a genius, in my opinion. But, like all the other genius, he is an idiot."

Ava's mind drifted away, while Phoebe kept her talking.

"I find it kind of odd, all the geniuses seem to need shit like drugs, is it to keep their mind in check? I think so, but that's my opinion, maybe I’m being overdramatic."

"Phoebe...", Ava interrupted.

"Yes?"

"Where is the house again?"

“We should be just about there”, Phoebe checked the GPS. They were less than a mile from the address, but something seemed off, there was nothing around them for miles, no traces of civilization.

"It's not possible!", Phoebe freaked out, bringing the car to a stop at the spot the GPS showed on its screen.

"There's nothing here. Grass fields as far as the eye can see, and some cows..."

"I'm gonna commit a crime! Was I calling him a genius? Now I am calling him corpse!"

Ava had been intrigued by the absence of people and buildings since they arrived at this place in the middle of nowhere.

"Are you sure you had the right address on the GPS?"

"I am..." Phoebe was checking it for the third time since they stopped.

“There’s something over there.”, Out of the corner of her eye, Ava spotted a glimmer. She got out of the car and walked to the grass field, there was something hanging from a wooden pole in the middle of the field.

"It's a locket", Ava took it and wiped away some of the dirt. It was an antique, the kind of locket people would use to carry pictures from their loved ones and keep it close it to the heart. While Ava was fidgeting, the fragile lock opened revealing a piece of paper with the writing: "Watch out".

A chill ran through Ava’s spine as she dropped the locket.

"What is it?", Phoebe was yelling behind her.

"There were no pictures."

"Come again?"

"A trap..."

Ava's hearted raced, not because of pain or excitement, but because she was afraid. She had a bad feeling about all of this.

"I suppose this was his last address... am I right?"

"Yes, the only one the perv was able to find."

Ava was certain now; she was meant to find the locket and the warning inside. The grounds keeper must have left it there for her to find it, but the locket itself seemed like it was more than a warning. It was beautiful, ornate and looked expensive, it looked like an apology.

"But why?"; Ava wondered.