“Anytime,” she says, turning to leave.

The moment she does, I turn my eyes down to devour Anwar’s DMs.

So how far did you intrepid road-trippers end up making it?

Me, I haven’t left my couch. Watching a Brit Marling triple feature of Another Earth, Sound of My Voice, and The East.

I have seen exactly zero of those movies, but judging by Anwar’s taste so far, I imagine I’d love all three. I start tapping a response as quickly as my fingers will fly:

Must hear about those movies at some point, but I have a pressing update first.

You are NOT GOING TO BELIEVE what happened on our first tarot shop stop.

The three dots appear next to Anwar’s name until his responses appear.

You were chased by a serial killer.

You were cursed by an ancient psychic.

You learned your future self was going to hang with a very cool guy soon.

You joined an underground tarot coven.

Am I getting warm on any of these?

Smiling down at my phone, I cannot wait to tell Anwar how warm he’s getting.

Click here

CHAPTER FOUR

CHASE

AFTER FINISHING AT the diner, we drove over to the Joshua Tree Inn and decided to stay the night there. We realized we were going to need the time, since we still have no idea where to find the Prince of Wands on the grounds. We tried to eyeball the place as we checked into our rooms, but nothing in particular stood out amidst the kitschy decor. The inn is a one-story motel with a sidelong stretch of rooms colored mauve and terra-cotta against the desert sand and sky. Perilli’s Prince of Wands could really be hidden anywhere—in one of the maroon and stone rooms? Buried in the sand on the grounds? Placed near the cactus-lined pool?

Before we left the diner, we used the Perillian toolset to find the coordinates for the three other missing cards as well. These coordinates now point us to general locations all up the California coast. Unfortunately, I’ve had no luck finding any clues in the toolset or the deck about where each missing card is hidden at these locations. I should be rereading the booklet right now to see if I can find any hints I missed, but there’s one thing that can break my focus. Right now, he happens to be sitting cross-legged on the bed with his eyes closed and his shirt off.