Below is part 2 of the Curse of the Deadly Gym. You can read part 1 here.
Ackerbee looks sheepish and says, “I uh, stalked her one day. I followed her to gym and after waiting twenty minutes I went inside. There’s this one class she’s taking and you can watch the people exercising through the glass. So I watched her exercise. There’s this new instructor; he’s maybe only been there for two months at most, and that’s around the time she started being more tired.”
“Un hunh,” I mutter. I’m wondering if the reason she’s tired is because she’s busy doing the instructor after class.
“I’m watching these people exercise and the instructor starts yelling at them. And I see this misty light coming from the people as he’s yelling at them and it’s going toward him. This light comes off my wife and she looks paler and more unhealthy than before and the instructor suddenly looks healthy and flushed. I’d never seen anything like that before and that’s why I’m here, because I can’t explain it!”
My interest is hooked now. I jot down some notes on a piece of paper and then look over at Ackerbee.
“Have you said anything to your wife after you watched your exercise?”
“Uhm, well I asked her about the new class, but she didn’t want to talk about it. And whenever I bring up the gym, she gets evasive about it.”
“Hmmm.”
“So do you think there’s something going on?” Ackerbee anxiously asks me.
“Yeah, I do. And I can look into the gym for you, if you want and see what’s exactly going on.”
“I’d like that. I’m worried about my wife.”
“Do you know what my fees are?”
“Uhm…no.”
“Ok. I don’t determine the final billing until the case is complete. The billing is based on the hours I spend on the case, either doing research or taking necessary actions, plus any expenses I have.”
“What do you mean by research?” Ackerbee asks.
“Research can be a number of things. In this case, I need to look into this instructor as well as your wife so I’ll be following both of them. I need to determine what the instructor is doing, if anything, or if there’s something else. I’ll be happy to keep you appraised of what I learn as I investigate the situation. I will need a retainer for my services.”
“How much do you want?”
“Two thousand dollars down.”
“Th-that’s a lot for me to come up with,” Ackerbee whines.
I give Ackerbee my teacher stare, the one I use with students learning magic from me, and he flushes and fidgets.
“Given that I’m risking my life and soul possibly to help you and your wife, I don’t think it’s unreasonable for me to charge my retainer. Following through on this case may incur more costs, so you need to decide if you’re willing to pay me or if you’re going to leave right now, and never come back.”
Ackerbee looks indecisive.
“I assure you,” I say, “you won’t find anyone else who will take this case. Most won’t believe you and those who do…well chances are they’ll charge your more than I will. It’s a dangerous line of work to be, investigating the occult.”
“I see,” he thoughtfully says. “I want to compare prices. Give me the name of your top competitors and I’ll get back to you by tomorrow, if the case is yours.”
I arch my eyebrow at him and then pull out three cards of other occult detectives I know. You’d think I wouldn’t do this, but I’m happy to for the doubters, like Ackerbee. After I handed him the cards, I sit back in my chair and begin whistling. Ackerbee stands up and shakes his head and then walks to the door and lets himself out.
He’ll be back.