Zanzibar the Magician - Unleashed

4 || A PERSONAL ACQUISITION

The first course of action was to visit Elias Lombard, the antique and curio collector from whose property the kimono had been stolen.

The destination, 59th Street on Upper East Side, Manhattan, was approximately twenty minutes away. 

"My car's outside, Zee - unless you be wantin' to get there by portal?" Jim said, shrugging on his jacket.

Zee looked askance from under the brim of her fedora. "I should like the drive," she said. 

A portal, of course, would have been quicker, but Zee had never relied on portals to travel short distances, even prior to becoming a woman.  Furthermore, to function convincingly in her new form, she considered it best to approach such things in the same manner as her male persona - practically and logically, without unnecessary hocus-pocus.

Transport, therefore, was Jim's Chrysler Plymouth automobile. As they drove along Lafayette Street and 6th Avenue, Zee presented Jim with the bare bones of the case.

"So what's makin' ye think there's somethin' untoward?" Jim asked, glancing at Zee through the rearview mirror. She said she preferred sitting in the back, which was a little white lie - she simply wanted some more space to bolster herself for interacting with people other than Jim and Tommy.

"Instinct," Zee answered candidly. "Perhaps also my affinity with magic has a hand in it, for I sense an underlying mystery which may, or may not involve sorcery. Our inimitable Mr Lombard, however, is most likely oblivious, so let's not go blundering in with that little piece of information."

"Right," Jim replied clipped. 

Zee eyed Jim through the mirror, noting how the Irishman's square jaw tightened, and his eyes focused hard on the road ahead. Whether bringing him along was a good idea or not, remained to be seen; he seemed a little edgy when sorcery was mentioned. Understandable, considering, but perhaps it was a step Jim needed to take to properly deal with what had happened to him at the hands of the Sorceress. 

A twitch played at the corner of Zee's mouth as she stared out the side window. Laughable, she thought, when I have issues of my own which need addressing. Perhaps the two of us will help one another come to terms with the changes which have befallen us.

"Is this it?" Jim asked, yanking Zee from her reverie.

Ducking a little to take in the view ahead, Zee nodded. "Yes, I believe it is."

Jim parked up, and they disembarked on a wide walkway then moved in through the iron gates to the Lombard residence. 

Zee took a deep breath, trying to focus on the reason she was there rather than the reception she may receive. Not that anyone outside of the Syndicate knew the truth, but it was a test of courage and conviction - one which she had never foreseen coming. 

"Let me do the talking," she said to Jim as he stood beside her, straightening his jacket and patting down his hair.

"Aye, sure thing, Zee," Jim replied with a final shrug.

They pressed the bell and waited. A few moments later, the door opened and an individual, who, judging from his attire, was a butler, greeted them with a formal nod.

"We wish to speak with Mr Lombard. I have been aiding the police in the investigation of the stolen kimono." She conjured a business card and presented it to the butler.

The butler looked at it, nodded again and stepped aside, allowing Zee and Jim to enter. "Please, wait here," he said and went to locate the man of the house.