Chapter 775

Valerium was a vast city, and finding a stranger was like looking for a needle in a haystack. But with security footage, they might be able to identify her, making the search much easier.
Zelda thought back carefully. “We had just come out of the movie theater and went shopping. The movie ended at one-thirty, and it’s about a ten-minute walk to that area, so it must have happened between one-forty and two o’clock.”
Tina nodded. “Are you sure about the time? If so, I’ll contact my friend.”
“Wait,” Zelda said, putting down the pastry. “Let me check my ticket confirmation.”
“Okay.”
Zelda pulled out her phone and found the record. “Yes, the movie ended at one- thirty exactly. So it definitely happened between one-forty and two.”
Tina began texting her friend.
Just then, Zelda’s husband, John, came out of the other room. Zelda handed him a pastry from the box. “Try this.”
John took a bite, and his eyes widened in surprise. “This is delicious! Where did you buy it?” As a Valerium native, he considered himself a connoisseur of sweets, and he had never tasted anything like this before.
Zelda shook her head. “I didn’t buy it. Tina brought it. She said the lady of the castle she works for made them herself.”
John was even more astonished. “She’s that down-to-earth?” Not only did she bake, but she also shared her creations with her staff.
“That’s what I thought, too,” Zelda said with a smile. Usually, the ladies of such grand castles were aloof and unapproachable. Giving pastries to the staff was unheard of.
Having sent the date and time to her friend, Tina chimed in, “Our lady is from Eldermere. She said these are called peach blossom pastries.”
John, having finished his first, took another. “Not only are they delicious, but the name is lovely too.” He never knew pastries from Eldermere could be so good.
After his third pastry, John finally remembered the important matter at hand. “Tina, is your friend confident he can get the footage?” The woman from Eldermere had saved his daughter and like his wife, he was desperate to find her and express his gratitude.
“It shouldn’t be a problem,” Tina said.
“The cameras on East Avenue
usually store footage for three
months. As long as we have the
time right, he can find it. It just might take a little while to get the authorization.”
Accessing security footage wasn’t something one could do on a whim; there were procedures to follow. “Don’t worry,” Tina assured them. “As soon as I hear back from him, I’ll let you both know.”
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When Caitlin returned to the hotel room, Celeste was fast asleep. The blood loss during her period, combined with the severe cramps, had left her exhausted. She had drifted off shortly after Caitlin left.