Chapter 4 - The Starlight Motel
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The Starlight Motel was a decaying strip of concrete and flickering neon lights, sitting isolated on a lonely stretch of highway. The snow had piled high against the flimsy doors of the rooms, and the parking lot was completely empty except for a rusted pickup truck near the manager's office.
Daniel pulled his SUV into the lot, keeping his headlights off. He gripped the heavy metal flashlight in his right hand, his knuckles white. The cold air stung his lungs as he stepped out, the crunch of snow beneath his boots sounding violently loud in the dead silence of the night.
He walked into the brightly lit, smoke-filled manager’s office. An older man with a thick beard and a greasy baseball cap was asleep behind the bulletproof glass, a small television playing a static-filled holiday movie in the corner.
Daniel slammed his fist against the glass. The man jolted awake, knocking over a styrofoam cup of coffee.
“What the hell is your problem, buddy?” the manager growled, hitting a button to activate the intercom.
“My wife checked in here at 3:15 this morning,” Daniel said, his voice deadly calm. “Emma Carter. She’s pregnant. Which room is she in?”
The manager rubbed his eyes and glared at the computer screen. “Nobody checked in here under that name. We only had one cash transaction last night, and it wasn't a pregnant lady. It was a guy.”
“I have the credit card charge on my phone,” Daniel snapped, pressing his phone screen against the glass. “Starlight Motel. Fifty bucks. Tell me what room the guy went to.”
The manager sighed, eyeing the heavy flashlight in Daniel’s hand. “Room 114. Down at the very end. But I'm telling you, I didn't see no woman.”
Daniel didn't bother thanking him. He sprinted out of the office, his boots slipping on the icy pavement as he ran toward the far end of the building. Room 114 was shrouded in shadows, the exterior lightbulb shattered.
He didn't knock. He raised his boot and kicked the cheap wooden door squarely in the center. The lock splintered instantly, and the door flew open, slamming against the interior wall.
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“Emma!” Daniel roared, shining his flashlight into the darkness.
The room was empty. The bed hadn't been slept in. But as the beam of light swept across the cheap, floral-patterned carpet, Daniel’s stomach dropped. There was a shattered teacup on the floor, and next to it, a small pool of deep crimson blood soaking into the fibers.
