The Lost Interview

Interviews with Murder-Mystery authors were hard to get these days. Especially the ever-so famous ones. But Alex Holden would say he'd gotten a great deal when Ryan Cole agreed to do an off the record interview with him at night. Eerie, yet a perfect atmosphere for an interview with a mystery author!

"Tell me Mr. Cole," Alex asked, an eager smile on his face as he jotted down everything the author told him. "Where do you get your inspiration for your murder mystery novels?"

"Simple," Ryan replied calmly, a smile on his face that was eerily calm. "I base it off true crimes that I've heard of. I have had experience in writing murder mystery, after all."

Alex was taken aback by the answer, but he wrote it down regardless. "O...kay, then, thank you Mr. Cole." He tried to keep up his smile, but the eerie feeling hung around and made him feel uneasy.

"Please, call me Ryan," the author responded slowly. "Do you need anything else?"

"I'm just gonna head to the bathroom and head out," Alex answered.

When Alex came back three minutes later, the page with his interview notes was torn out. That was odd. Maybe he was imagining things...

But no. The tear marks were right there. In the notebook. A whole page, a full interview, gone...

"It's getting late," he heard Ryan say calmly. "So either you can stay here, or you can leave."

"I need to find my interview page first," Alex replied. "And then I'll go home."

"You lost it?" Ryan blinked. "I thought it was in your notebook this whole time." There was something in Ryan's eyes that Alex couldn't pinpoint, but whatever it was, it gave him goosebumps. 

"I did too," Alex replied. "I guess someone stole it..." he gave a glum sigh. All that hard work to get that interview, all for nothing...

Silence.

"Poor, poor Alexander..." Ryan trailed off, a low chuckle escaping his lips. "I think I know where it went. You might not like it though..."

"Where?" Alex asked, desperate for answers. "Tell me! I can keep a secret!"

"It's in the garbage, where it belongs," Ryan answered bluntly. "Just like your soon to be dead body..."

"I..." Alex trailed off. "I don't understand..."

"Some things," Ryan replied, his smile becoming more vicious and smirk-like, "are meant to be hidden. And you, dearest Alex, have pushed the limits. I can't have you leaving this house alive now that you know these secrets..."

All that could be heard throughout Ryan's mansion was Alex's screams. And then, silence.

"And now, I'm afraid I have to get back to work," Ryan concluded, smirking at his success. "I thank you for your time, Alexander Holden." Giving the deceased body of Alex one last glance, he turned around with a finishing statement. "Your death was great motivation for my next novel..."

Leaving the bloodied body alone, Ryan went to go work on his novel throughout the remainder of the night.