Page 51 of Evidence of a Folktale

“Do you mind if I take a photo?” the woman asked, pulling out her own phone. “I don’t think he’s been here, but perhaps housekeeping or the kitchen staff saw him. I can ask around.”

“Go for it.” Bel withdrew her hands so she could get a clear picture of the mugshot. She’d met Olivia outside the inn a few minutes ago, but her partner suggested they split up to cover more ground. She volunteered to visit both the hotel and the motel by the highway’s exit to inquire about Orion Chayce while Bel dealt with the bed-and-breakfast. She claimed it was to save time, but Bel saw through her attempt at efficiency. She didn’t want to be around her, and Bel almost cried watching her drive off. After everything she’d been through, she needed her friend, but Olivia wanted nothing to do with her.

“Okay, here you go.” The inn’s owner slid Bel’s phone back to her. “I’ll ask around, but don’t get your hopes up. I grew up in this bed-and-breakfast, and I live in the basement apartment. Nothing happens here without me knowing, so I doubt this man has stepped through my doors. But I’ll still ask. Who knows, perhaps he stopped by when I was out.”

“I appreciate it. And as for these women.” She showed the innkeeper the photos of Gwen Rossa and Ellery Roja. “They were staying here.”

“Yes, I recognize them. Those poor girls. It’s terrifying what happened to them.”

“It is,” Bel agreed. “Do you recall seeing those two involved in anything unusual? Did someone come to meet them, or did they get into fights with anyone? Did they behave oddly at any point?”

“Can’t say that they did,” the woman said. “Everyone staying here is too busy for anything besides work. The studio booked my entire bed-and-breakfast for security purposes, so we’ve been working hard to keep the fans out of the inn. It’s an exciting contract.” She grinned. “Although I would prefer it didn’t include murdered guests.”

“We all would,” Bel said. “So, nothing strange happened to them?”

“Nothing,” the woman confirmed.

“When was the last time you saw these women?”

“This one.” The innkeeper swiped through Bel’s phone to find the first victim’s photo.

“Gwen Rossa,” Bel said. “She was the show’s head writer.”

“Yes, her. I don’t remember seeing her return to the inn the night before she died, but I figured it was only a matter of time before the police stopped by. I have the security footage ready. It’s a simple in-house system, so you can look now if you’d like.”

“Yes, please,” Bel said.

“I’ll show you in my office.” The woman led her into a cozy back room where monitors lined one wall. Live feeds played across the screens, and a quick survey told Bel they covered the main desk, lobby, entrances and exits, and parking lot.

“That second woman you showed me,” the owner continued.

“Ellery Roja, the costume designer.”

“Yes, she returned last night and went straight to her room.”

“What time was that?”

“Hmmm, let me rewind…” The woman fell silent as she scrolled through the footage, and Bel was relieved that she was remarkably tech-savvy for her age.

“Wait, there.” Bel pointed to the rewinding footage.

“Oh, good catch.” She paused the recording. “You got those young eyes.”

“More like I spend a lot of time watching rewinding surveillance.”

“True… and those young blue eyes. Your boyfriend must love them… you do have a boyfriend, don’t you?”

“I do.” Bel smiled. Women in this town loved to inquire about her love life.

“I thought so. A pretty girl like you. Is he anyone I know?”

“The man who bought the Reale Estate.”

“A rich man. Good for you.” The woman beamed at her. “Can’t say I’ve seen him, though. I heard he’s a recluse…. And wasn’t he a murder suspect at one point? Oh dear, here I go running my mouth. I guess if a detective is dating him, he isn’t a murder suspect.”

“Oh, he was,” Bel laughed. “But he was cleared… obviously.”

“Obviously. One more question, and I’ll stop being nosy. Is he handsome?”

---