Coincidence

The car ride from what everyone calls the base, was long and quiet. I could tell Jackson didn't know what to say to try and make this situation any better, while I was trying to stop myself from crying over everything, I had told that man but also my mother. Everything I said was true, I have always felt that way even when I was really young. But I knew that I could never talk to anyone about it, my dad could just tell by looking at my face that whenever my mum would come home for a short period of time, I would feel so awkward and try to avoid her at all costs. But right after she left, I would start to regret it as I never had the chance to see her, and I threw it away because I was hiding. 'Maybe this is a bad time to bring up Mario, but last night after you fell asleep, I was able to find a new lead." Jackson says finally breaking the silence as we pull up at his house, I wipe my final tear from my eye before looking over at him with a smile. 'It's always the right time for the underdogs to catch these guys." I smile to make it seem like I was perfectly fine after that huge meltdown, I mean yes, I was fine but that didn't mean that I was fully over it. 'Great, well I was going to show this all to you when you woke up but with all the chaos with heading to the base, I never had the chance to." He explains pulling out a piece of paper and handing it over to me, I take a look down and began to read what I think was a receipt for something. 'This was at the very bottom of the box; it was upside down which is why we both overlooked it at first. It's a receipt for two hotel rooms at the Bellmore Inn, which is dated a month before Allison and Derek got engaged at the restaurant of that very hotel." Jackson smiles happy with himself that he was able to figure all of this out, I mean this could be a huge lead. 'This is such a good piece of evidence that I'm glad you saw before we moved this box." I smile looking over at him before something clicks in my mind. 'Did you say this happened a month before they got engaged, if we look back at all the dates of the photos, the last photo must have been dated maybe a few days before they got engaged!" I say not knowing if what I was thinking made any sense, but the way in which Jackson's face lights up tells me I might be onto something. 'Ally, I could kiss you!" He says before he opens up his car door and climbs out, I laugh also climbing out as he takes my hand and pulls me away from the car and over to his front door. Before too long, we were both in the house walking over to the board which was still in the middle of the room. I get a piece of blue tac and place the receipt with all the other information. Jackson turns his attention to the very last photo that Mario took of Alison, well the the last one that we have anyway. 'This photo was taken the day before Alison and Derek got engaged!" Jackson says smacking the board slightly, I was worried the whole board was going to fall over. 'What are the chances that Mario is at the same hotel a month before the woman he has stalked for months gets engaged, but also that the last photo he took and hid in his mother's house is dated to the day before she got engaged?" I ask none of this making any sort of sense in my mind, this all can't just be one coincidence, can it? 'I can't shake the feeling that this is linked to Alison going missing, I don't know how or if that makes any sense, but it has to be connected in some way." I say beginning to pace the room as I went, this receipt must have meant something to Mario, or he wouldn't have hidden it in the box with all the other things. 'I'm glad you've said that because I was thinking the same thing, something in this web of mess is screaming at us to spot the link!" Jackson says dumping himself on the sofa while still looking at the board, I did the same thing where one of the items stood out to me. 'Didn't you say that Mario paid for two rooms at that hotel, have you got any idea what the room was used for or who it was for?" I ask placing my hand on my chin as I went, Jackson shakes his head having no idea who was there. 'He must have travelled with someone! And I bet that someone is the missing piece to all of this mess, we just need to find out who that person is." I say now talking from experience on how hard that task is going to be, Jackson stands up from his chair pulling his phone out. 'Well, I know what we're going to do today, let's head to the hotel." He says writing the address for the hotel in his phone. 'Will the hotel even have record of that as it happened over 4 years ago?" I ask while he takes my hand and pulls me to the front door, even though we've only been in the house for a few minutes at this point. 'There's only one way to find out." He cheers locking the front door before I'm dragged over to the car again, I guess Lucy is making a reappearance. After half an hour, we were walking into the entrance of the very expensive looking hotel. The lobby was decked out in all thing's gold, everyone in here were dressed to the nines in the most expensive looking suits and dresses, I felt majorly underdressed walking in here in jeans. In no time, we arrive at the front desk where Jackson, immediately flashes his badge. 'We don't have time to answer your million questions let's just cut to the chase, we need to see the records and video surveillance if you still have it, from November 4th, 2017, now." Jackson not letting this man get a word in edge ways, I didn't want to let the side down by acting surprised at the way in which he spoke, so I stood there with a smile on my face. 'Of course, right this way." The man at the desk smiles letting us behind the desk, Jackson went first before he leads us into the back room which was still very elegant. 'I will get the files and have the video sent over, wait here a few moments." He smiles before leaving us alone in the room, but now we were alone I could finally face Jackson. 'Before you ask me why I spoke like that, I have dealt with many places like that. If you allow them to talk, they will throw you around hoops and in the end, they'll claim that it goes against what their company believes in and we'll have to get a warrant to look, which is something that we definitely cannot do." He explains knowing exactly what I was going to ask, I laugh holding my hands up in surrender as the man walks back in holding a book. 'This is from November 4th; I will just see what they are doing with the video." The man says before he is out the door once again, I'm seeing less of him than my own mother! I walk over to the table with Jackson to have a look, the book had names in a table with what room they had stayed in. I skim down all the names before my eyes land on Mario, he rented out rooms 457 and 458. It did say that another man was staying with him, whereas my eyes land on his name I nearly puke. Jackson and I both look at each other as the man walks in, this time with a remote and switches the tv on. 'Before we have to sit here and watch through hours, we need to see the lobby from 2.40pm." Jackson says which was a few moments before the time that Mario clocked in, the man smiles before skipping the video to that point. It plays through showing all the different people walking through the hotel, once again looking much fancier than I am right now. Jackson could have given me a little warning; he looks fine in his suit but me! The doors to the hotel soon open and in walks Mario, holding two of his own bags. But walking beside him only validates who was in this book. Jackson and I both say the same name at the exact same time. 'Derek"