Chapter 73: Golden Tips Hostel
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Selina said with a smile, “Well, it really feels like we’re on a holiday hike.”
Luke simply nodded, not caring that she had mentioned the taboo word again.
They were utterly on their own. Faced with a broad plain, rustling trees, and a blood-red sun, they enjoyed the magnificent view.
Half an hour later, Selina exclaimed in amazement, “Huh? Is that a house over there?”
Luke saw it, too. He smiled. “Great. We can at least get some help now.”
Ten minutes later, they reached the house.
It was a fairly large, one-story building, with a sign that said “Hostel” in front of it.
It was a hostel, but it didn’t have a name.
They walked in, and didn’t see anybody, either.
Luke called, “Hello?”
After a brief silence, someone emerged from a hallway.
It was an average-looking middle-aged man wearing plain clothes, who seemed rather sloppy.
Selina frowned.
She wasn’t biased toward laborers. Having grown up in the Texan countryside, she couldn’t care less about that.
However, this particular person had a messy beard, and his filthy shirt and pants clearly hadn’t been washed in days.
They could smell the stink from several meters away.
You’re running a hostel with this sort of appearance? Selina secretly complained.
Luke, however, turned a blind eye to that. He simply asked with a smile, “Can we borrow your phone? Our car broke down. We have to call for a tow truck.”
The man replied, “There’s no phone here.”
Luke asked, “Okay. Do you have a car? Can you give us a ride?”
The man said, “My wife went shopping in Wolfkyle and took the car, so it’s unavailable. Are you checking in or not?”
Luke and Selina looked at each other and knew what he was implying: Nothing would be available here unless they paid for a room.
The boss of a hostel in such a desolate place certainly wouldn’t let go of any potential boarder.
It would be late at night even if Luke and Selina reached Wolfkyle on foot, and they would have to find a hotel, too. So, they might as well stay here.
A moment later, after paying for two single rooms, Luke finally asked, “Now, do you have any ‘backup’ phones or cars?”
They’d paid ninety dollars for the rooms. It was time the boss told them the truth.
However, the boss merely told them that his wife would return from Wolfkyle the next morning, and she could take them to Wolfkyle then.
Luke and Selina were lost for words.
They went around the hostel, only to discover that it truly had no cars or phones.
The hostel was in the middle of nowhere, and they would’ve easily spotted phone lines or cars if there were any.
Selina said, “Did we misunderstand him? He wasn’t deliberately implying that we should stay here?”
Luke said, “Well, I think the boss did more than just imply.”
The boss could have goods and supplies delivered regularly, but passersby couldn’t.
Remembering how his car and the RV both had flat tires, Luke knew what happened.
Since the hostel was right next to the road, it certainly had to take advantage of the cars passing by.
But was that all? Could the hostel be in cahoots with the tow truck service in Wolfkyle?
Luke secretly cursed as he realized that the hostel had been established here precisely to rip off travelers.
The cost of food and board, plus a tow truck – it truly was a brilliant way to make money.
No cars could possibly arrive at Wolfkyle without paying hundreds of dollars.
Luke was determined to call the police in Wolfkyle to get back at these fraudsters.
Eventually, they didn’t order any food in the hostel. Considering the boss’s personal hygiene, they feared that the food might contain lice.
They could only buy pre-packed food at the counter, like sandwiches and cans.
They were also outrageously expensive and twice what they would cost in a supermarket.
Luke and Selina paid fifty dollars for the food. Even eating in a restaurant in the city didn’t cost that much.
As usual, Luke and Selina wandered around the area before it was completely dark.
It was very important to be familiar with the basic environment of any place.
However, since they didn’t have a car, they didn’t go very far.
When they returned to the hostel, they saw four familiar faces.
A middle-aged couple, a boy and a girl — it was the family whose RV had gotten flat tires.
They had clearly decided to walk, and had also found this hostel.
The middle-aged couple greeted Luke and Selina.
After all, Luke and Selina were quite attractive. One of them was gentle and the other beautiful. Most people would be genial toward them.
Luke and Selina didn’t return to their rooms, none of which even had a TV. This hostel was isolated from the rest of the world.
While chatting, Luke learned that the husband was called Bob Carter, and he was a detective from Cleveland.
He had brought his family to Texas on vacation to appreciate the splendid views here.
The middle-aged woman was Asel, his wife. Brenda and Bobby were their daughter and their son.
Brenda was currently unemployed after graduating from high school, and Bobby was in his junior year.
Of course, Luke was only guessing that Brenda was unemployed. After all, if she planned to go to college, she should be busy submitting applications instead of enjoying herself on a trip.
Unless her family was a major patron of a college and had planned out everything for her, Brenda clearly wasn’t going to go to college.
Bobby’s high school was briefly on hiatus due to an accident.
Luke and Selina didn’t reveal that they were detectives, mostly because it was unnecessary.
They were only here to help the local detectives, not to crack the case on their own.
As they talked, Brenda grew interested in Luke.
There were only two men here other than her father and her brother.
Compared with the boss who had swindled her family of their money, she naturally liked Luke, who was younger and more handsome.
The boss didn’t say anything. He was enjoying a drink in solitude at the counter.
At ten o’clock, Luke and Selina said goodbye to the family.
Luke reminded Selina to be careful. After all, they were in the middle of nowhere, and they had to look out for themselves.
Selina rolled her eyes at him, but still nodded her head.