The receptionist girl directed Vero to a small restaurant on the second floor of the motel. She climbed a wooden staircase that creaked under her weight. When Vero arrived there, there was no one else except a waiter and a visitor sitting in the dark corner of the restaurant.

A woman dressed in all black was sitting there. She seemed to blend in with the shadows, and her face was hidden behind a wide-brimmed hat of deep black color. She must be Etana.

Without wasting a second, Vero walked towards the table in the corner. “Etana?” Vero stopped next to the table and called out the woman’s name.

As the...