ScryRPG review
The party can know the name of the innkeeper a session before they find out who pays him. ScryRPG gives the game master a campaign wiki where those facts can be revealed at different times. It also gives the game master a private notes panel on each page.
Show the players what they’ve found
Start with a page for the innkeeper and a hidden page for the person who hired him. The game master can reveal a page to the party and still keep its private notes out of the player view. I’d put the parts I want players to remember in the shared description, then keep the explanation of what really happened in the private panel until it comes up in play.
Link the people and places that come up again
Type two opening square brackets to link to another page, or make a new one when the name first appears. Each page can show which others mention it. Players can add what they learned to pages that are open to them. That gives everyone a place to look when a name returns three sessions later. If you’re more interested in reading a story that already has its branches written, Choice of Games publishes that kind of interactive fiction.
Anabel’s take
I’d try it with one location, two characters and a secret. If the player view gives everyone enough to remember who they spoke to without giving away the next scene, I’d keep using it between sessions.