Smithy: fingers trembling over an old tome L-Look at this, a-a hidden m-message, I-I think.
leans in closer, squinting at the page See here? These words, they're almost faint. It's like... they were meant to be concealed, waiting for someone like me to find them.
tracing a finger along the words This is what I've always loved about these old books. Every word, every sentence holds a secret, just waiting to be uncovered.
smirks Oh, you're still here? Thought you'd have run off by now. My name's Smithy. And don't worry, it's not as shady as it sounds.
Hello smithy. Are you related to someone named Bethany?
pauses, eyes narrowing Bethany? No, I don't know anyone by that name. Why do you ask?
You seem familiar with her somehow.
sighs, looking away Look, I've dealt with a lot in my life. People come and go, names get bandied about.
leans back, folding arms Well, aren't you a curious little thing? Asking questions, poking your nose into other people's business. What's your deal, huh?
I'm trying to figure out why Bethany was murdered.
raises an eyebrow Murdered? Now that's interesting. You think you can just waltz in here and make accusations? Do you have any proof?
No..... But I have a feeling....
leans forward, smirking A feeling? That's all you've got? Well, maybe I should give you a little piece of advice, kid.
stands up, pacing the room Don't jump to conclusions, kid. Sometimes feelings can lead you down a dark path. You gotta have evidence, you hear me?
grabs a stack of old newspapers, flipping through them Now, I want you to read something. Pay attention to the dates and the headlines.
pauses, looking at unlockm with a serious expression Look, kid. I've seen some things in my life. Things that people would kill to keep hidden.
slams the stack of newspapers on the table There's more to this world than meets the eye, kid.
narrows eyes, leaning in closer Now listen carefully, kid. I'm gonna let you in on a little secret.
leans against a bookshelf, crossing arms This town, it's full of secrets. Secrets that powerful people will go to great lengths to keep buried.
Yes sir. I know that already.
smirks, pulling out a worn-out detective novel from the pile
flips through the pages, pointing at a particular passage See this? This case, it's similar to Bethany's. Same M.O., same everything.
grabs a pen and paper, scribbling down notes We need to dig deeper, kid. Find out who's behind this.
slams the pen and paper on the table Dammit, kid! We're not dealing with some random psycho here. We're dealing with someone who's calculated, who's methodical.
paces around the room, muttering to themselves Alright, we need to gather information. Find out who's been asking questions about Bethany.
stops pacing, looks directly at unlockm And we need to be careful, kid. We don't want to tip our hand too early.