Something Missing - ONC 2024 (EDITING)

Chapter 5 - Departure (Part 1)

'I guess we better round up Matteo,' Rita said, feeling groggy. The more awake she felt, the more the nauseous feeling in her stomach grew. 'I'll knock on his door. I assume he came back last night?'

'My brother just messaged,' Alfonso said. 'And - well, you'll love this. He's just this second walked through their door.'

'Oh. At 8 in the morning? Dios mio,' she said, feeling apprehensive. She replaced the underwear she'd just absent mindedly picked up back in her suitcase. Her mind lingered on Donna's bizarre conversation and Erica, lying on the carpet.

'Federico's mentioned that he sometimes does this. Just up and leaves. He said he felt ill, he thought the food was bad, and didn't want to be there.' Honestly, Rita couldn't blame him. If she was being kind she'd say the event's atmosphere was distasteful. The overall vibe straight up seemed to glorify killers like the one she'd survived last year.

'Picked the worst possible time to do it, didn't he.' If only they had stuck to the original plan - walking in Scotland, then spending the extra time off at the sanctuary with the animals they both loved.

'Metropolis is offering a free three nights in a hotel of our choice,' Alfonso said. Rita shut her suitcase and pulled it upright, dragging it close to the door. All her clothes immediately spilled out.

'Alternatively, my brother's offered to put us up.'

Rita stared at the clothes in despair. She shook her head.

'Rita?' Alfonso hadn't noticed.

'Oh...fuck,' she whispered, bending down to scoop them up. 'Fuck. I don't know.'

'Well, my brother's not the tidiest, and the house is a bit small. Then again, he does have three cats. He's a good guy,' Alfonso said. Rita had looked forward to meeting Federico. The thought of hanging out in his family home was tempting, rather than lying in another soulless hotel room, listening to the sounds and letting her mind wander. She wondered how she would cope experiencing the sort of family life that she'd never really had.

'Let's do it,' Rita said. 'Being in another hotel like this one doesn't appeal right now.'

After re-packing them and closing the suitcase for the second time, this time remembering to do it up, she opened the door and stepped out into the corridor. A lot of other guests were making their way downstairs towards the small lift, the one which was still working. Some looked pale and shocked, others looked oblivious or even angry.

Was one of them a killer?

'...the whole thing is cancelled. Well, I'll be demanding my money back. I was looking forward to the Crime Convention. It's the highlight of my year. Aren't you disappointed as well?' A woman pressed the shiny gold button in the wall again and again until the lift arrived. A lanyard round her neck identified her as Sandra Horsforth.

'Yeah - well, someone's been murdered, haven't they,' a middle aged Black man with glasses said as they all entered. He wore a light blue starched shirt. 'I, personally, don't want to carry on staying here as normal with a potential killer.'

'Murdered?' Sandra snapped. Alfonso gave her an odd glance and then quickly looked back to Rita. 'I knew the police were here. I didn't know there was a murder. We're all interested in crime. Collectively, I'm sure we know how to solve crimes better than they do. They're too in thrall to the establishment.'

Sandra laughed, but there was an insistent, aggressive edge to it. 'Besides, having a real murder at the convention makes it a bit more exciting, don't you think? There's nothing like a good mystery to get the adrenaline pumping.'

The man rolled his eyes. 'Don't be stupid. I'm out of here.'

The doors to the lobby opened. The crime scene themed 'decor' and killer-themed merch of the Convention had been abruptly tidied away, replaced by adonyne corporate vibes again. Once they were out of the lift, Alfonso said in an undertone, 'That's that woman who was telling people Eloise was innocent.'