She was startled awake in
the unfamiliar room. What was that noise? She sucked in air and
held her breath.
She couldn’t be sure,
because she’d been sleeping so soundly, but the noise sounded like it was in
her room. It must have come from the hotel corridor. Afraid to turn on
the light, she patted the night stand, searching for her phone. She
recalled her friend’s warning. “Always secure the chain on your hotel
door.” Alarmed, she realized she had forgotten the chain.
What was that rustling
noise? Her heart raced, as she remembered her cell phone was charging in
the bathroom.
She traced the buttons on
the hotel phone and prayed that she was pressing zero. She held her
breath. No response.
She sensed movement in
the corner of the room. She could hear her heart pounding.
She forced herself to
breathe and slowly turned her head.
Someone was in the corner! If he had a gun, she knew she’d never make
it to the door before being shot. She had no valuables, no expensive
jewels, and very little money. Would he kill her?
When her eyes adjusted to
the darkness, she realized he was removing his shirt. Was that alcohol she
smelled? She meekly asked, “Who’s there?” Her voice quivered.
A deep voice
answered. “I was trying not to wake you. Damn key wouldn’t work,
but a bell boy told me I’d had a few too many at the bar and unlocked the door
for me. I bumped into the table and knocked the lamp over.
Stunned, she asked what she didn’t want answered. “What
-- what do you want?”
He staggered toward the
bed. “If I can have anything I want, I’m sure you know what that is.” She heard the sneer in his voice.
Her heart racing, the
words rushed out. “I…I…I have a little
money in my purse, and some jewelry in a pouch on the inside of my
suitcase. There’s a credit card in my wallet. I haven’t seen
your face. I can’t identify you. Please, take everything. Just leave me alone.”
He moved toward the door
and searched the wall until he found the switch. In the glare of the overhead
light, they stared at each other. “Who are you”, he shouted, “and where
is my wife?”
She sat up and said, “I
don’t know anything about your wife. Who
are…”. She slumped onto the bed.
He grimaced and collapsed.
The room was silent.
The next morning, after
the bodies were discovered, autopsies were ordered. Results revealed that
both had suffered heart attacks.
His wife spent the
remainder of her life cursing her husband for his unfaithfulness.
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