The Wicked Witch of the West | Bigby Wolf Love Story

The Open Arms Hotel

Tw: at the end of the chapter there is some talk of stalking.

~Pet

~~~

On the sidewalk a prostitute and a cop leave the Open Arms hotel. The girl wraps her arms around him for a hug and as soon as she pulls away he pulls his hat down to cover his face. I can practically feel the shame radiating off this man as we walk past him.

As soon as we step through the door, the sheriff lights a cigarette.

"A little too much for your nose?" I ask.

"I can smell every person who's been in or out and what they did while they were here."

I scrunch my nose and try not to concentrate too hard on the scent of this place. "Yikes." Bigby chuckles and places his hand on the small of my back to nudge me further into the lobby. The sheriff moves towards the check-in window ahead of us, his hand lingers before pulling away.

The swamp green plaster on the walls around us is crumbling, revealing the red brick beneath. The dingy wooden wainscoting is scratched and chipped, much like the off white and grey-green tile on the floor. A staircase goes up the right wall and a little clip-on fan attached to the railing seems to be the only form of air conditioning. Everything about the places feels grimy, like the men who come here leave it violated. The only thing that seems at least kind of clean is the vending machine on the left wall and the cigarette machine next to it. Probably because they see the least amount of action.

The sheriff taps the bell on the desk and the sound of footsteps indicates an employee has entered. They can't really be seen since the counter has a mostly closed window to separate employees and guests.

"Want it by the hour or for the whole night?" a very familiar female voice asks. The employee leans her elbows against the counter, allowing us to partially see her through the window. Those golden locks and red sweater are pretty hard to miss.

"Beauty?" the sheriff calls in surprise. The blonde woman pushes the window open fully with a look of shock plastered over her face. It quickly morphs into guarded embarrassment as she crosses her arms over her chest.

"What are you two doing here?"

"Oh, you know. The usual," leaves my lips before I can stop it.

"Someone else was murdered last night," Bigby answers properly. "The victim worked at The Pudding & Pie. Lily. She come around here ever?"

Beauty's eyes widen with recognition. "Oh! Oh, yes... the, uh, the troll." She whispers it almost like it's an insult or a slur. "I did see her. I mean, we never really spoke, but... she came off a tad bit intimidating."

"She is Holly's sister," I say.

"That makes sense."

Bigby places a hand down on the counter and leans towards the blonde woman to continue his questioning. Did you see anyone you recognize with Lily? No. Any rooms registered to a Mr. Smith? A bunch. Have you seen Snow here? Yes. Heard the name Faith? I don't know. All boring stuff with boring answers. At least until Bigby mentions what Tweedle Dee said back at The Woodlands.

"I talked to Tweedle Dee earlier today..." The name alone seems to send a shudder through Beauty, "he mentioned you in passing. Do you know him... or his brother?"

She sighs like the weight of the world is laying on her shoulders. "I took out a loan for backpay—it was like our third notice—and ever since then those annoying freaks have been pestering me for the money plus interest."