The Black Knightress (Back up for fulls)

{20}

October 5 2012-Malmo,Sweden-Steve's POV

As I sneak around the hotel building I don't see anything suspicious, I honestly don't even know what i'm looking for. I'm mostly just trying to see if there's proof of Sarah still being alive. I'm in a disguise that isn't very shakable, being in a ratty hotel in Sweden qualifies me for trying to hide myself.

I get through the doors and walk up to the counter to a kind looking woman, she gives me a small smile even as I give her a subtly serious expression.

"Was there by any chance a woman named Sarah staying here recently?" I ask the receptionist

"No, Sir." she answers her native accent

"What about a girl who looked scared of the people around her?" I question her

"I'm not so sure if I should be telling a stranger this, but they don't pay me enough here. If i'm going to say anything, we should go in a back room." she whispers

I grip onto the handgun in my jacket before reading her expression, but there's nothing other than nothing an innocent glimpse in her eyes. She waves me into a break room by the kitchens, guiding me to sit at a table.

I don't like guns unless necessary, but bringing my shield would ruin my cover.

"About ten or fifteen years ago or so, there was a little girl who came in here with a group of older men. One seemed particularly protective of her, i'm assuming he was her father, but the other men seemed as if they abused her. They treated her quite roughly at breakfast and the headboards were broken when housekeeping went up there at the end of their trip." she tells

"Did she look anything like this?" I ask as I show her a picture from the old newspaper clippings

"Yes! That's her, it's nice to see a smile on her little face. Every once in a while she and her dad would play out here in the lobby, they would run around or she would laugh as he would tickle her and catch her in the chase. The second that a guy in all black with some sort of octopus symbol on his clothes would show up; all look of life and joy in her face would leave. It was so heart breaking to see such a young child that way, to see a child of any age react to someone like that."

"Those guys are gonna regret what they did, I need to save that girl."

"Sir, she might not be with us anymore." the woman says soothingly as she puts her hand on my shoulder

I flinch slightly before settling down

"Even if she's not, I can give the news to her family so that they can mourn properly." I tell her

"Do you know her family?"

"I know the mother and uncles pretty well, but not her siblings or cousins."

"Oh."

"How long were they here for?" I ask as I write the words down

"About two months, but they went by some other name from what you're showing me." she mentions

"Is there any record of their stay?"

"We keep the books in paper form, so unless someone took the paperwork then we should have it." she says before getting up

After about a minute or so she brings in a thick and dusty book with the year 1995-2000 written on the side of the book. She drops it with a "whump" sound when it hits the table. The woman sits down before opening the book and turning towards me while quickly flipping the pages of the book.