Officer June was looking at a giant black and white photo of Elvis Presley and his iconic half smile. It was behind the bar, lined with a vast array of liquors. There, she found Peter speaking in a hushed tone to the elderly couple that past Officer June only a few minutes before. Peter smiled politely and left the couple with their martinis and approached her.

"Yes, officer? How can I help you?"

Office June leaned in close to keep her voice low. "Hey, Pete. Any way I can get a key to that boiler room?"

"Um, sure." Peter looked hesitant and his eyes shifted, looking back toward the older couple and back to June. "Why do you need a key to that room?"

Officer June, looked back over her shoulder, making sure no one was near. "Well, we'd like to keep things contained as much as possible." Checking her surroundings again, she quickly motioned to the wall of booze and whispered, "Think you could pour me a quick shot of something? Might help calm the nerves, if you know what I mean."

"Anything you say, Officer." In one swift motion, he summoned a rocks glass and a couple ounces of Canadian Whiskey. "But you didn't get it from me." Peter winked casually and walked back to the couple at the end of the bar, leaving her alone with the bottle. He spoke with them for a short minute, just as quiet as before, and then returned to June's end of the bar with a gold key.

"Thanks. I'll make sure you get it back before we go." Officer June turned to admire the bar. Although it was all but empty, it was clear to realize the draw it must have had in its day. Surfaces covered in worn gold, stained glass lamps in the center of the small, round tables. A stage on the far end of the room where music likely played well into the morning hours. Tall, glass windows that would normally show a beautiful driveway, lined with cherry blossoms. Of course, the storm had darkened the skies and made everything grey. Rain still smashed against the windows, a steady river of water running from top to bottom. June knocked back her drink with a subtle wince as it burned and landed in her stomach. With a small pause, she looked back at the whiskey and poured herself another. This time a double. She took a deep breath in and threw it back like seasoned pro. Closing her eyes, she felt her chest warm and her heart slow. Slowly exhaling, she turned sharply and headed back toward the lobby.

* * * * *

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Perry came through the door to the boiler room and tossed his flashlight on to a table. Officer Wellburn had carefully laid the murder weapon next to the dead man's head, examining them both in the same area. Wellburn looked up at Perry. "Any luck out there?"

Perry wiped rain water from his face and stubble and shook his head. "Not with that shitty thing. Batteries are loose. It's nearly impossible to see anything out there,"

"Is that why you look like you were crawling in the mud?" Wellburn looked ad Perry's knees, now covered in mud and wood chips.

Perry hadn't realized how dirty he became in the panic of searching for his lens. Worried that he might seem suspicious, he came up with a quick lie. "I couldn't see and tripped on some bush roots or something while I was fiddling with that flashlight." He tried to brush away some mud before looking back to Wellburn. "What about you? Anything new?"

"Nothing more than the obvious. It looks pretty clear that Mr. Thane here probably didn't suffer much. This wrench is mighty heavy and broke through his skull pretty easy." Wellburn stood again and shook his head. "And there's no way we're going to get prints off that thing."

Perry held up his hand and inspected his injured finger. The bandage was wet and dirty. "You mind if I head back to my room and get cleaned up?"

Officer Wellburn nodded. "That should be fine for now. Just don't go running off on us. I need you for this one."

Perry didn't like how much Wellburn seemed to trust him already, yet made him uneasy at the same time. He opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by another loud thunder book and the lights flickered again. "Where am I going to go? You said it yourself, the road is flooded by now."

"True." Wellburn removed his hat and wiped his brow. "I'm not sure how we're going to do this."

Perry empathized for a short moment and knew Wellburn was right. This hotel, the weather, and the fact that someone else knows about the murder made things very complicated. No one can leave and they were all stranded together, not knowing who to trust. He sighed heavy and tried to offer some verbal comfort. "Look, I'm in 404. Get a game plan together call me. Iill be ready to do whatever we need to catch the son of a bitch that murdered this poor guy."

Wellburn nodded with acceptance. "I appreciate that."

As if on queue, Officer June entered the boiler room with a grin on her face. "Got it." She held up the gold key to show her boss.

"Good work, June." He pulled out a chair from the small table and sat, motioning to June to do the same. "Perry is going to get cleaned up. You and I are going to cover everything we know so far and start this train down the tracks."

June stepped past Perry without making eye contact, as if she'd already forgot he was there. "You got it, boss."

Perry started for the door but looked back over his shoulder as he caught a small trail of liquor in the air. He started to ask Officer June if she smelled it as well but decided against it. He needed to get cleaned up and start formulating a plan. And perhaps finally get a chance to smoke.