Where is Lara? -- Excerpt

Excerpt from my short story 'Where is Lara?'

“When was the last time you saw Miss Lara Robina?”

“This morning. When she barged into my room to greet me the new day.” Ricky rolled his eyes.

“And did she seem or behave differently?” Dan drew a squiggly line in his notepad as he waited for a reply.

“No. Just her chirpy, annoying self. She did get me flowers. That was something new.” Ricky scratched his cheek. “As luck would have it, the flowers attracted a bee into my room.”

“How unfortunate,” Dan said in a monotone and flipped closed his notepad. He turned to Delina. “Did she have visitors?”

“No. She explained she needed a break from her hectic schedule so she came here. To get away from it all,” Delina replied.

“No offense, ma’am, but there are better B&Bs in the vicinity. She could have gotten it away from all in a better lodge. So, why here?” Dan asked this more to himself.

“Offense taken. Strongly!” Delina put one hand on her hip. “Perhaps she liked the service. Perhaps she felt it would feel like a home away from home.”

Dan looked around, examining the cracks in the paint on the walls, the dust collecting on the curtain rails, and a cockroach crawling near an overflowing trash bin. “I don’t think that could be the reason.”

Check out the rest of the story when Plots & Schemes Vol. 2 releases next week!