The exit door creaked open, and I could hear footsteps approaching.

“Hey, I’m really sorry about what just happened a moment ago,” Vicky said. “And I’m also sorry if I offended you. I feel terrible.”

I sniffled and looked Vicky in the eye and feigned a smile. “It’s okay. You didn’t offend me. Sometimes I just think about a certain memory, and it just triggers this emotional flood, and I lose control for a moment.”

Vicky nodded. “You don’t have to talk about it or explain if you don’t want to.”

“There’s not much else to say. This doesn’t often happen. In fact, it’s very rare for a thought to trigger those memories. I can talk about what happened back then normally. Still, sometimes, depending on the situation, I guess, or my mental headspace, it just all comes out. Seemingly out of nowhere.”

Vicky stared at me with soft eyes. I felt she was listening to me with her heart and soul.

“I’m really sorry to hear about that. Must be tough.”

“I wasn’t able to say it in there, but when I was younger, I lost my best friend. He never came back home. No one knows what––” I sewed my lips shut. A reinforcement of tears came spilling down my cheeks.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to talk about it anymore. No need to explain yourself. I’m sorry if I seemed rude or calloused earlier. But you understand where I’m coming from, right?”

I cleared my throat and sniffled. “I do,” I said with a strained and shaky voice.

“Can I ask you a question? Do you think something happened here at The Painted Goose?”

After taking a few deep breaths, I was able to find an emotional balance. “I’m not sure. It’s hard to say because no one really knows where any of the six victims went when they came into town. I like to think that all of them stopped for a bite to eat at Buckwheat’s, and maybe they explored the town afterward. They had to have been coming in somewhat late, I imagine. They didn’t come in the morning or early afternoon. I’m thinking dinner or something like that.”

“So, are you checking out the nightlife spots in Wilton then?”

“I am. Last night I went to Big Henry’s.”

Vicky snickered quietly to herself.

“What’s so funny about that?”

“I just feel like that’s such an old man bar. Like sometimes, Quinn, Jill, and Lizzy will ironically go there since we sometimes want to break from this place, but there is no vibe there for the most part. Like I said, it’s just old dudes watching sports, drinking cheap beer.”

“Lizzy? Is she with you tonight?”

“No, she had to work.”

“Anyways, it wouldn’t surprise me if at least two of the victims went to Big Henry’s. Can’t leave any stone unturned.”

“Have you been to Club Novus yet?”

“That’s the next place on my list.”

“Are you going to try and get in as a regular?” Vicky’s brow arched.

“Yes, what do you mean by that?”

“Well, it’s hard to. You have to get invited. It’s a private club.”

“How do you get invited?”

Vicky shrugged. “I received a card one time. Don’t know how it got there. But I was at a table here at The Painted Goose once. Went to the bathroom while my friends were smoking, and then when I came back, I had this blue card underneath my drink.”

My eyes widened. “Do you still have this blue card?”

“Yeah, it’s somewhere in my bag.” Vicky slid her tote bag off her shoulder and rummaged through it for a moment.

“Hey, dude, check this out. Is there a guy staring over at us?” I overheard the two men smoking a cigarette at the other end of the patio.

I looked where they pointed, and I saw a figure in the shadows beyond the chain-link fence, staring in our direction.

“Sorry, I’m still looking for this. I’ve got too much in my bag,” Vicky said.

“Vicky, does the name Charles Green mean anything to you?” I asked as I stared at the shadowy figure.

“No, I don’t think I know him. Hold on...” Vicky kept searching.

But I forgot what she was even looking for. My attention was fixed on the man staring at us from a distance.

“Yeah, that’s definitely someone watching us,” the other smoker said.

“Dude, what the fuck. This is getting weird, man,” the guy said.

I jogged up to the chain-link fence, and as I did, the man started sprinting in the other direction, outside of the faint area of light provided by downtown Wilton.

“Excuse me!” I yelled out. “Charles Green?”

But the man was nowhere to be found. “Vicky, I’ll have to catch up with you later.” I climbed the chain-link fence and sprinted through the field. I could hear the smokers continue their conversation, completely confused, but I could feel them watching me. As I followed the shadowy figure’s path, I ended up on a road that took me through a neighborhood. There was no sign of anyone walking around or running.

“Damn,” I muttered to myself. I was standing underneath a glowing orange street lamp in the middle of a quiet neighborhood. Some houses had lights on, but most of them were completely dark. I hung around a little longer, scanning the premises for any sign of movement or any sign of anyone watching me. There was nothing. “Charles Green?” I raised my voice, and it echoed through the suburb. There was no response. Turning back around, I went back to The Painted Goose. By the time I returned, Quinn, Vicky, and Jill were nowhere to be found. I thought it was a little strange, but the chase that led nowhere and the walk back took me about an hour. Plenty of time to decide to go home for the night. I went up to the bar and ordered a Miller’s High Life with alcohol.

I only drank one beer as I sat alone at The Painted Goose. It was crowded but not overflowing, but as more time passed by, more people left. I didn’t watch the time closely, but the bartender rang a bell at 1:00 AM for the last call. A few people still played pool. The bar had seven people, myself included.

We all stayed until the bar closed at 2:00 AM. The bartender rang a bell and said, “And with that, we’re officially closed! Thank you all for coming in.”

Most of the people trickled out of the pub, but the bartender looked at me. “Everything all right, sir?”

“Just peachy,” I replied monotonically.

“Did you hear my announcement?”

I smiled. “Yes, I did. I just wanted to ask you a quick question.”

“What’s up?”

“When I was outside earlier in the back patio, I saw a person staring at me. There were two other people at the patio there as well. We all saw him. I have a theory on who it might be, but I wanted to check and see if that was maybe a common occurrence or uncommon occurrence?”

“For someone to stare at people in the back patio?”

“Well, he was outside the fence, you know, way out in the field. No one has ever complained about something like that?”

The bartender shook his head. “Not that I can recall.”

“Does the name Charles Green mean anything to you?” I felt like a basketball player throwing up a shot at the last second of the game even though my team was losing by a lot, and it wouldn’t matter.

“Can’t say it’s very familiar to me. Sorry about that.”

“That’s okay. I guess I have one last question.”

“And then will you get out?” He smirked.

“Absolutely. Have you ever been to Club Novus?”

“Nope. I’m always working here.”

“Do you have any friends that may have gone?”

“Nope. They always come and visit me here.”

“Has anyone ever come in here and given out invitations to people?”

The bartender chuckled to himself. “Look, pal, you said you had one last question and then asked me three more. No, no one has come in here and handed out invitations that I’m aware of. I don’t know shit about Club Novus.”

“Thank you. That’s all.” I stood up from the high chair, reached into my wallet, pulled out $20, and set it on the bar. I strolled out through the door and paused for a moment, scanning the main street of Wilton. No one was around, but Club Novus still had its bright blue neon sign, beaconing through the night like a lighthouse.

I got lost in a trance as I stared at it. I imagined what might happen if I tried to go in there right now. I’d probably approach the front doors, and the bouncer would say, “Sorry, we’re closed.” Even though the nightclub was screaming my name in the distance, I couldn’t go just yet. But it would happen soon. No stone left unturned.

I walked back to the inn, slowly opened the entrance doors, and held my ear up to the foyer. I couldn’t hear anything. I half expected to hear Elizabeth talk to someone, but there was no conversation. Still, I gently opened the door to find Elizabeth behind the counter making out with a guy.

Out of the corner of her eye, Elizabeth saw me and pulled away from him immediately.

“Edward! How are you this fine evening?” She looked like she had just seen a ghost.

“I’m doing okay. Sorry to have interrupted.”

“Please don’t tell anyone about this. I don’t get to see my boyfriend very much. He has to visit me while I’m at work.”

“That’s fine. I understand. I won’t tell a soul about this, I promise.”

“Thanks.” Elizabeth gave a smile, but her embarrassment turned her lips into a frown. “How was your night at least?”

“It was okay. And don’t worry, you don’t have to make small talk with me. I’m sorry I interrupted.”

“I need to go to the bathroom anyway,” her boyfriend said, and he went around the desk and left.

I was about to press the elevator button, but I held off. I actually did want to talk to Elizabeth. “So, my night was okay. I went to The Painted Goose.”

“Good bar, right?”

“Yes, it was. I ended up spending a decent chunk of the evening talking to these people I met. Quinn, Jill, and––”

“Vicky? Oh my gosh. Did you just hang out with my friends for the evening?” Elizabeth recovered her smile.

“I suppose I did. Believe me, I had no idea they were friends with you. They called you Lizzy, though, I think.”

“They talked about me?”

“Very little. They just said that you were a part of their crew whenever they went out. Although, there was a strange moment where someone was watching us beyond the fenced-in area.”

“Whoa, that’s spooky.”

“Yeah. Do you by chance know Charles Green?”

“I’m afraid I don’t, sorry.”

“That’s okay. I think I know who it was, and I’m on top of it.”

“Of course. I wasn’t worried at all, although it does sound creepy.”

“Indeed. By the way, I assume that Vicky is short for Victoria?”

Elizabeth nodded. “Yep!”

“This might be a long shot, but do you know if her mother is a doctor? Perhaps a doctor at the hospital, St Mary’s?”

“She definitely works at a hospital, and I’m pretty sure it’s St Mary’s. But I don’t ever really talk to her, so I can’t say for sure.”

“Wonderful. Thank you for that information. I might want to have a conversation with her mom.”

“Why? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“Something weird happened at the hospital the other night, and I want to look into it more.”

“It might be tough meeting with her. I know she and Vicky have their hands full with Vicky’s grandpa.”

“What’s going on with Vicky’s grandpa?”

“Oh, he’s not doing so well. Really bad dementia. Keeps leaving the house and wandering around Wilton. Pretty mean too, and apparently, he used to not be like that. Always a very kindhearted man all his life.”

I shrugged and sighed. “Plenty to be pissed about these days.”

Elizabeth giggled. “I shouldn’t laugh. It’s a pretty serious situation.”

“Right. I shouldn’t have made a joke. It’s been a rough night. Anyways, if you see Vicky soon, could you let her know that I’m interested in talking with her mom about the hospital, that is if she works at St Mary’s?”

“Yeah, absolutely.” Elizabeth whipped out her phone and tapped at her screen with lightning speed. “I just texted her. I’ll let you know what she says.”

“I appreciate that. Have a good night Elizabeth. Pleasure talking with you.” I pressed the button on the elevator and went back to my room.