In the end, thanks to the efforts of the sheriff and Molly, the motel was spared from burning down completely.
Afterward, the sheriff did a quick search of the motel and found a large number of human remains, many with signs of being cut up and cooked.
This confirmed what Molly had said earlier – the motel was indeed a front for something sinister, and the owner, Kevin, along with his three employees, were all cannibals.
A rough count revealed over a dozen bodies that the sheriff himself found. If Kevin's claims were true, that their family had been running this place for centuries, then the number of victims would be even more terrifying.
This was definitely a major case, maybe even one that would be made into a movie someday.
So, the sheriff immediately called for backup, planning to gather a team to thoroughly search the entire motel.
By this time, it was already dawn. Roy and Penny decided to skip the rest of their unfinished "biological experiment," got dressed, and prepared to leave.
This case looked like a real headache, with paperwork, evidence collection, and maybe even interviews. It could easily take several days.
Roy didn't want to waste time there, as he might miss the upcoming Cowboy Cup semifinals.
So, he discussed it with the sheriff, agreeing to give him all the credit and keep his and Penny's involvement in the incident a secret.
This was perfect for the sheriff. The only other person who knew the truth was his daughter, and as long as Roy kept quiet, all the glory would be his alone.
The sheriff readily agreed and even offered to destroy all the surveillance footage from the motel to solidify the story.
With that settled, Roy and Penny could return to Waterfall Town without any trouble.
"Dad, why are there so many videotapes stored here?"
Molly noticed a lot of videotapes in the surveillance room, all neatly arranged and labeled with dates.
"Who knows? Maybe those cannibals had some weird fetish! They were eating people, so nothing they did would surprise me."
The sheriff didn't think too much about it. He was still basking in the joy of having such a huge accomplishment fall into his lap. Promotions, raises, and bonuses were practically waving at him.
Just then, they heard the sound of several cars outside.
"Huh, they're here already? I'll go take a look!"
The sheriff hummed a little tune as he walked out of the surveillance room. Molly didn't follow, a decision that would save her life.
A minute later, several gunshots suddenly rang out, startling Molly. She immediately realized something was wrong.
Quietly slipping out of the surveillance room, she peered through the door lock and saw several strangers in police uniforms dragging a body.
The body was Molly's father!
Molly immediately clapped her hand over her mouth, stifling the scream that rose in her throat.
Luckily, after everything that had happened the day before, Molly's mental fortitude had improved significantly. But witnessing her father's death with her own eyes still brought tears streaming down her face.
These people definitely weren't police!
The backup the sheriff had called would have been from the police department in their own small town. Molly knew all those officers.
However, although the uniforms these officers were wearing were indeed the town's uniforms, she didn't recognize any of them.
After dealing with the sheriff's body, the strange police officers walked straight towards the surveillance room. They seemed very familiar with the layout of the motel.
Molly fought back her tears and quickly looked for a place to hide. She managed to find a hidden compartment under the carpet, filled with stacks of cash. It seemed to be where Kevin had been hiding his money.
The compartment wasn't very big, but luckily, Molly was petite and slim, and she could just barely squeeze inside.
From inside the hidden compartment, Molly heard the fake police officers rummaging around in the surveillance room for a while before apparently leaving.
But Molly didn't dare leave the compartment, afraid of being discovered by the fake police. She stayed hidden inside until she smelled smoke.
Had those fake police set the place on fire?
The thought occurred to Molly.
Wasn't that how it always happened in cop shows?
Criminal organizations impersonating police to commit murder and arson, destroying the evidence.
Molly couldn't stay hidden in the compartment any longer. She cautiously pushed open the floor panel and, sure enough, saw the walls were on fire.
The surveillance room only had one exit. Molly had no choice but to cover herself with the rug and force her way through the door.
Fortunately, the fake police officers had already driven away and weren't lingering at the motel, probably afraid of being discovered themselves.
Unfortunately, Molly's car and her father's car had both been taken away by the fake police using the motel's tow truck. There were no other vehicles at the motel.
Oh, wait, that wasn't entirely true. There was still an old bicycle, a bicycle that was probably as old as Molly's recently deceased father.
Looking at the burning motel, a flame ignited in Molly's eyes as well. She wanted revenge, but she didn't know where to start.
Just then, an image of Roy, looking like a god descending to earth as he fought off three people, flashed through Molly's mind.
Maybe that man could help her!
Molly vaguely remembered Roy mentioning a place called Waterfall Town while he and Penny were talking. So, she got on the bicycle and headed out onto the highway.
Roy had no idea what had happened at the motel after he and Penny left. Their journey afterward was very smooth, and by late morning, they had already reached the outskirts of Waterfall Town.
The safe they had stolen from the strip club had been opened. It contained about eighty thousand US dollars, and Penny had given it all to Roy.
They had only known each other for one night, and Penny already trusted him this much.
This made Roy feel a little guilty, so he decided to give Penny a chance to make a choice.
If Penny couldn't accept it, Roy was prepared to give her the money back and send her on her way.
"Penny, I need to be honest with you about something. I actually have other girlfriends."
Hearing Roy's words, Penny's expression showed a slight surprise.
"I thought you stopped the car specifically to tell me something important, and it turns out it's this! You're so handsome and capable, you'd have to have a boyfriend if you didn't have girlfriends, right?"
She had a point. In American society these days, if an adult man doesn't have a female partner for a long time, people will start to question his sexual orientation.
This wasn't the magical society of twenty years later, after all.
"Uh, what I mean is, I don't just have one girlfriend. I have several girlfriends. If you can't accept that, maybe..."
Penny blinked as she looked at Roy, a hint of sadness in her eyes.
"Roy, are you going to abandon me too?"
Roy shook his head firmly.
"No! I don't want to abandon you, and I don't want to abandon anyone else. If, and I mean if, you're willing to accept this situation, then..."
"I accept!"
Penny interrupted Roy without hesitation, then hugged his arm and rested her head on his broad shoulder.
"I've already made up my mind about you. No matter what, I don't want to be separated from you!"
Roy was a little surprised by Penny's resolve. He slowly put his arm around her and held her close.
"Don't worry," he said, "no one will ever be able to separate us!"
Molly (Molly Burtney)
(End of this chapter)