
Murder at the Mystery Festival

Part 2 (Continued): The Morning After
Lily stared at the paper, her pulse quickening. Why would the victim have her address?
"Please come in," Lily said, stepping aside. The officers entered the cozy living room, and Lily found herself filled with dread. One of her guests could have been involved. Could someone staying under her roof be hiding something?
"I’ll need to gather everyone," Lily said, her voice shaking slightly. She hurried to the back of the house and began knocking on doors.
First up was Marjorie and Bill’s room. Lily could hear the two of them arguing behind the door before she knocked. After a moment, Bill opened the door with a sheepish expression. "We’ll be right out," he said, trying to sound upbeat despite the tension in his voice. Marjorie glared from behind him, clearly annoyed.
"I don’t have time for this," Marjorie snapped, rolling her eyes. Bill shot Lily an apologetic look before turning back to calm his wife.
Next, Lily made her way to Claire’s room. She knocked twice but received no answer. Pushing the door open cautiously, she found it empty, the bed still made. A knot formed in her stomach. Had Claire even been here last night? Lily thought back, trying to remember if she’d seen her after the opening ceremony. She definitely did not see her before turning in for the night. Her stomach filled with dread and she was instantly overcome with guilt for not even checking in on the young girl. Lily would never forgive herself if Claire was in some sort of trouble.
Next, she knocked on Diana’s door. The door creaked open a few inches, Diana’s tear-streaked face peeking out at Lily. Her eyes were puffy, and it was clear she hadn’t slept much.
"Diana, the police are here to ask us some questions about last night. They’re in the living room." Lily spoke gently, not wanting to alarm her.
Diana's red eyes widened, and she wiped away a tear that tried to escape down her cheek. She swallowed hard and responded, "Okay. I—I’ll be right there."
Again, Lily asked Diana, "Are you okay?"
Diana nodded. "I'm fine," she said, still holding the door slightly ajar. "I'll be right there," she repeated.
Lily nodded and waited for Diana to close the door before turning back towards the front of the bed and breakfast. Her mind was spinning with worry.
Back in the living room, Marjorie and Bill were already seated. Marjorie was tapping her foot impatiently, while Bill sat quietly beside her, looking uncomfortable. Lily explained to the officers that Claire wasn’t in her room, and she had no idea where she could be.
"All right, we’ll go ahead and get started with who's here then," Officer Dawson said, jotting down a note in the tiny notebook he had pulled out of his chest pocket.
Diana joined the others and sat in the oversized armchair by the window. Looking around the room, the officer asked, "Did any of you know the victim?"
Before anyone else could answer, Marjorie, clearly irritated, snapped, "Why would I know her? I’m here for work, not to mingle with random strangers." Bill shifted nervously in his seat, backing up her statement with a quick nod.
Diana, wringing her hands, suddenly spoke up. Her voice trembled as she explained, "I—I spoke to her at the bar. She was standing next to me when I ordered my drink. She… ordered the same thing I did. She even said it sounded delicious."
Lily noticed Diana glancing at her as she continued. "I recognized her from outside the Silverwood Hotel before the ceremony," Diana added. "She was the woman in the scarf... the one we saw standing there."
Lily nodded in agreement with Diana.
Diana's voice cracked, and she pressed her fingers to her lips, trying to stop the tears that welled up in her eyes. "That was right after I mistakenly thought the bartender was my ex-husband," she added quietly, explaining that as she approached the bar, the bartender's mannerisms instantly reminded her of her ex-husband and threw her for a loop. "I guess I see him everywhere these days. I’m in therapy for that." Her voice dropped at the end of her sentence, and her eyes brimmed with tears once again.
It was then that Lily noticed something odd. Diana’s necklace—the vintage key she had said she never took off—was missing.