Things Not Subject To Gravity - Chapter 6: Chapter 6

As soon as the last interview ended, the phone recorder was interrupted by an incoming call. The notes of It was John. Dee bit his lip, unsure, but still picked up right away.
"Good evening, my dear doctor. How do you like it in New York?"
John's voice sounded as low and mellow as ever. No matter the subject at hand, his soothing tone made any conversation feel as if he was smooth-talking a romantic interest into dinner. If there was something Dee couldn't stand about him, that was it.
"Don't you have anything else to be concerned about?" he said shortly.
"Come on now, all I wanted to do was brighten your day with a little chitchat, but since you're not up for it, let's change the subject." He paused for a second in which the temperature dropped noticeably. "Have you got any news about our unfinished business? I know it's only been two days since you arrived but with the new information we sent you, it should be considerably easier to get things right."
"Easier... Right. Yes, I suppose you could say that. I bet you can imagine how delighted I was to read these reports, after so much time has passed," Dee noted, his voice hard as he showed his displeasure.
For a moment John kept quiet.
"Fair enough, if you'd just gotten there a day earlier it would have greatly simplified your task. Nonetheless, I'm pretty confident that you'll be able to find him anyway," he said sharply and then his soft-spoken courtesy was restored. "So, back to the interesting part: how are you finding your accommodation? Given the situation, I thought it'd be a nice little perk to let you stay in the same room as your target. The Night Hotel, penthouse suite, no expenses spared for our top man on this assignment."
Dee ran a hand through his hair. The suite was indeed wonderful but that wasn't the point at all. "Please, correct me if I'm wrong—I'm not here on holiday, am I?" he asked with sarcasm.
"Point taken. Later on, you'll have plenty of time to chill out, and if you wrap it up nice it could even get you an early retirement. We've already poured a six-figure advance into your Singapore account—the whole payment will be credited once you're done." John replied, monotone like a robot. "Still, I insist you should enjoy a bit of leisure on the side," he added back to his seductive tone.
Dee gave in and joined in the malicious game. He brought his mouth close to the speaker and spoke in a low voice. "John, in this regard I feel compelled to remind you that you are my supervisor and as much as I enjoy your misplaced attempt to lead me into temptation, I'd rather deal with one problem at a time."
John let slip a muffled chuckle.
"There, there, don't be so formal! Although we've never actually met, you've worked for me for years and I'm likely your biggest fan," he playfully responded before getting into his business persona. "To be honest, I know you are the best at what you do, so I understand why you are concerned and don't want to leave anything to chance. Vain was always the secretive type. I've never even seen what he looks like, so it wouldn't surprise me if he has a cover. Especially now that he has a very good reason to stay hidden, since he crossed the line. Either way, if something comes up, you'll have my full support, just let me know. Our organization has more resources than it appears, and we are prepared to use whatever means possible to solve the matter."
"And I'm starting to understand why, so I shall take every precaution that is necessary."
John chuckled softly. "You're not getting scared of his psychic ability, are you? Well, if you think it necessary, find the house and just take your time. My bet is on you anyway."
Dee loosened the collar of his shirt and took a deep breath before replying. "We both know that everything, even the scariest thing on earth, has got a weakness. And given your status, you really need to stop gambling. Just keep your word, John. I'll keep mine."
"I'll be in touch, without fail." John promised as though he was about to cut off. "Ah, and my dear doctor, while you're at it—again—New York is a place where you are free to give in to the pleasure of the flesh, so find yourself a pretty young woman and indulge in sin whilst you can."
Finally, Dee caught on to the sarcasm in his voice, causing the memory of Lucille to leak into his mind. Thank God, she wasn't working for John anymore. The fact they'd met again wasn't supposed to be an issue.
"Can we seriously get past that? I'm perfectly capable of controlling myself. It's just that she begged me to do it, John—and I had no idea she was a nun back then."
Dee leaned back on the chair and brushed his finger against the iPhone's screen, cutting off the call. As planned, he stayed at the Duplex Penthouse in the Night Hotel of Theater District—it was an over-the-top luxurious suite on two levels with a spacious balcony. On only his second day of hunting, it seemed he had found his target, but the unexpected easiness of reaching The Oracle didn't feel right. Dee tapped his fingers on the black leather of the armrest. His mind was already in the waiting room of the Studio where he had an appointment. He knew he shouldn't get carried away, so he took a deep breath and relaxed his mouth.
To a methodical man like him, the prospect of facing a shifty type like Sybil Vain was not attractive at all. In his search for clues he'd turned to an agency specialized in esoteric matters, but he'd never expected to find The Oracle's professional telephone number. In addition, the cafe owner's overreaction stuck in his head.
The Italian man might've been just rude, nevertheless in Dee's perfect thought process there was something unresolved. Primarily because he wasn't able to speak with the daughter, with whom he might have been able to use his charm to gather other possible information.
Dee knew he needed more preparation to confront Vain in the best possible way.
He tidied up his notes, removed his glasses and stored them in their elegant case. He loved to thoroughly investigate his assignment and to prepare himself properly, in order to avoid unpleasant surprises and trivial mistakes. As a general rule, before acting he wanted to take a good look at all the aspects of his target—the habits, the ambitions and the fears, the places it might go, the people it hung out with, and how it moved through its everyday life were all necessary data to figure out the best way of dealing with it.
His accurate analysis and surgical manners had earned him the nickname Doctor Dee.*
It might also have been that Lucille, John's former secretary, leaked something about the Rosicrucian tattoo marking his chest, but it was much more respectable to think that his professionalism granted him the name.
Unfortunately, Sybil Vain was a living enigma.
His watch—a Louis Erard 1931—was showing 10 o'clock when Dee stood up to allow himself to get dinner. He needed to cool down, so he picked up the coat and walked out. The door closed again behind his back, while his notes—written in his fine handwriting—still lay on the small table.
DEE'S NOTES
Sybil Vain is an "abstract" personality, meaning that he has the capacity and knowledge to make himself abstract. In the esoteric circles, it's said that he can twist "gravity" at the extent to be compared to a weightless apparition. Word has it that he was never born and will never die, that no one can find him and rather he is the one who chooses and makes appointments with his clients, providing the correct information and directions via third parties. Apparently, he doesn't know the meaning of the word "necessity" and in order to deal with him, one should comply with the whims of his mercurial nature.
Despite the rumor of Vain being an angel—magnificently beautiful and noble—people who claimed to have met him vaguely described him as old and shabby, and most of them had doubts about his true identity. Moreover, the few who had the courage to be exposed and get into details provided unclear and conflicting views about his appearance and manners. Either way, it's a common belief that Vain has the power to see the future and that's his source of income.
The last official statement of the Studio The Oracle—surprisingly available on its dedicated website—is that The Oracle is on a month's vacation, from April 14 to May 14.
In accordance with police information, during the same period, Sybil Vain—an Asian man in his thirties who claimed he could predict a terrorist attack—had been detained in a psychiatric facility to treat his mental disorders. Once the suspicion over Vain's involvement with the explosion was cleared, the man was released.
The latter is certainly the most reliable source. Unfortunately, most of the evidence has been concealed or destroyed by a mole, and it's impossible to trace back any useful details.
Since May 14, Sybil Vain vanished without a trace.
In my opinion Vain is not a whimsical and nonsensical—sort of—divine being, I'd rather see him as a manipulator, very good at staying off the grid, with more connection than anticipated and several covers.
For the time being, I confirmed he stayed at the Night Hotel from 6th to 14th February, I regard it as quite possible that he has been in contact with the manager of Café Palermo and I'd hazard a guess that one of his covers is an old homeless man, who lives between 5th Avenue and 64th Street. In addition, I have reason to believe that his hideout is in one of the apartments owned by the Real Estate Agency Metro-Living.
Prior to any action, and in order to let there be no room for errors, I booked an appointment with the Studio The Oracle. At some point tomorrow, I shall confirm my theory of it being another cover.