The Cybersybils present Den of Sin-Iquity

At that moment, the Prof reached into his trousers and retrieved a wallet. With trembling hand, he handed the Jackal a worn piece of cardboard. "This is a photograph of my little girl, taken after her first ballet recital." His sad gaze then returned to the wooden floor.

Juan Carlos examined the snapshot, walked over to what appeared to be an altar of some sort, then placed the keepsake atop a large crystal. Saying a few words in gibberish, he proceeded to wave his left hand three times.

"Libra. I see much Libra energy. And Aries. Aries... Libra...Arab liar..."

Madeline got up and moved over to the side of the table where the man from Saragossa was studying some strange looking symbols. "A bare, rare bear I lie as a libber burns a bra," he finished.

A bare rare bear and a libber.

"You are such...a...jackass!" she let out, shaking her head in disbelief. "Whatever are you babbling about now?"

Juan Carlos smiled acridly before commenting, "Dear lady, please...this is a serious divinatory exercise. Now allow me...I shall teach you the proper way to do this one day, yet..." and at that moment, Madeline retook her seat, letting out a clear sigh of displeasure.

Maddie did her best to hide her exasperation and stared intently at the Jackal's scribbling hand. "Was Olivia involved in some type of partnership, perhaps with any Middle Eastern groups?" the Jackal asked.

Friend and father stared at each other. Both shrugged. "No," replied Madeline, beginning to appear a bit more worried. "Although she occasionally purchased hummus at a Middle Eastern market in Gisors. I can't imagine her in league with those fellows. She can't keep one secret from me. We swore that we would always tell each other everything when we took a vow of sisterhood... with blood, of course."

"Of course," mimicked the sarcastic hit man. "Blood sisters would never hide something so significant, at least not where I come from. Yet tell me truly, Ms. Madeline... did she never conceal anything from you?"

Clove Cigarettes

Madeline paused and looked at Olivia's father, who returned her look with sheepishness. The Cybersybil broke the silence. "Actually, she has concealed some things from me, but never anything of consequence. Occasionally she'd have a cigarette when I wasn't looking..."

"Thank you, Ms. Madeline and Mr. Peyton. The answer you seek cannot be gleaned this evening. The Universe, you see, for complex reasons, will not allow either of us to divine her location at this time. The gods do tell me, however, that the answer will be evident soon, by tomorrow afternoon."

Madeline bit her tongue in spite of herself, hoping that the man of dubious character might actually have connections to the underworld which a lady librarian lacked. The polite Prof tipped his hat to the Jackal and Madeline said, "Thank you...and here is half your fee. You get the rest if and when I get a tangible lead. We'll be seeing one another on the morrow."

The Belgian prayed silently that the Cybersybils would not be needing the Jackal's services again. Yet the intrepid lass would not desert her friend Olivia, either, even if it meant traveling to the pit of Hades with the spawn of Cerberus himself.