by C. Fennessy
She struggled from his grasp and ran toward the restaurant door, screaming for help.
She reached the door and grabbed the handle. Yanking it open, she raced out, still screaming for help. She heard him closing in behind her as the door banged behind him. She kept on running down the carpeted hallway.
"Help!" she cried, "Help!!"
The hallway of the second floor was deserted. Kelly ran as fast as her legs could go. His footsteps pounded behind her, and his heavy breathing grew louder. As he reached out to grab her, a woman in a housekeeping uniform suddenly appeared from around the next corner. She saw a man wearing a ski mask reaching out to grab Kelly, and she screamed.
Instead of running away, the woman ran towards Kelly.
As soon as Sam saw the other woman running towards them, he turned and ran in the opposite direction. A door opened down the hall. Sam knew he couldn't risk fighting off two people, and others might join them. He dashed back through the restaurant and into the kitchen where Steve was waiting with his laundry basket.
"Come on!" Sam yelled, running toward him, "Get in the elevator!"
Quickly, they shoved the laundry basket into the service elevator. Sam tore off his ski mask and jammed it into his pocket. The elevator seemed to take forever to reach the main floor of the loading dock.
Making sure there was no one around, they ran to Sam's car, got in, and sped away.
Kelly was crying on the shoulder of the woman who had come to her rescue, now comforting her. The maid called for security, and soon Daniel Simon was there. The maid told him what she saw and he began asking questions.
"Did you see what he looked like?" asked Dan.
Kelly shook her head, sobbing, "No, he wore a black knit ski mask and gloves."
"How big was he?”
Kelly told him that he was about Dan's height but slighter in his build. He wore a black ski jacket, ski mask, and black leather gloves. That was all she remembered. She described how he had dragged her from the piano toward the kitchen, but then she had pushed him down backwards by putting her feet up on the bar.
"Smart girl," Dan said, patting her shoulder. He made a call to his security team and told them to search for the man.
"Come on. Let's get you back up to your room. Do you want me to call a doctor?"
"No, please. I'm all right. Just scared, that's all," Kelly said tearfully.
"Then let's get back upstairs."
Kelly turned to the maid and gave her a hug, "Thank you so much for helping me," she told the woman.
"You're very welcome. I am so sorry this happened to you!" the woman replied sympathetically.
The security guard escorted Kelly back to her suite. Before they arrived, Jan and Cindy were watching television in their robes. When they saw Kelly's face they knew something was wrong. Dan told them what had happened, and they both sat on the sofa next to her, putting their arms around her shoulders.
Dan made another call while Kelly described her experience to her friends. Then Dan gave her his phone number if she needed anything, and left.
Ever since the incident, Kelly felt icy cold and couldn't stop shaking. Jan brought Kelly's robe for her. Cindy made a cup of hot tea with extra sugar and brought it to her.
"This should warm you up," she said, handing Kelly the cup.
The girls sat with her and assured her that they wouldn't leave her side for the rest of the trip.
"I guess Dad was right when he told me to stay with you two," Kelly said, "I wish I'd listened to him. I thought I was safe in this hotel, but I guess you can never really be safe anywhere."
That thought scared her as much as the attack had done, and she shivered again.
The girls ordered room service and stayed in their suite until lunch time. They watched a little television, but Kelly's thoughts were elsewhere. The hotel manager came to their suite to check on her and to return the sheet music that she had left in the lounge. He also expressed his apologies.
"We'll get this man, I promise you. And wherever you go, I will have a security guard close by keeping an eye on you girls," he promised.
He left, and within minutes, two sheriff's deputies showed up to take a statement. Kelly told them exactly what had happened. They promised that every square foot of the resort grounds and immediate area was being searched.
One deputy said, "As soon as we find out anything, we'll let you know."
Kelly thanked them, and after they left she knew she had to call her father.She made the dreaded call and told him what had happened. Her father was clearly very upset.
"I'm driving up there to get you girls," he said firmly, "I should be there in three hours."
"Please, no, Dad," Kelly pleaded, "We have only one day left. The hotel manager has assigned a security guard to follow us everywhere, and I want to stay. We'll be leaving tomorrow morning. I promise you that I won’t be alone for the next 24 hours. Please don't bring us home. It would spoil everything."
There was silence as Kelly's father deliberated. Finally, he spoke.
"If you give me your promise that you will not go anywhere alone, and I mean not even to the ladies room, I'll let you stay. I will speak to the hotel manager personally and make sure that you have two guards watching you at all times. You must not go anywhere where the guards can't go with you, and that includes the ski slopes."
"Okay, Dad. I promise. I love you," she added.
"I love you, too, Kelly. I couldn't bear it if anything happened to you or your friends. Please be very vigilant for the rest of the trip. And call me again later on, will you?"
"I promise. Thanks, Dad. I'll call again later."
She hung up the phone and told her friends what she had promised to do.
Jan shrugged, "Well, not skiing is okay with me. We still haven't checked out the free spa and salon treatments that we have. Why not do that today?"
"That's a great idea!" Cindy agreed, "A nice, relaxing spa treatment might do you a world of good, Kelly! I'll call to make an appointment for us."
Cindy was able to get appointments for them in one hour. In the meantime, Kelly called Keith and told him what had happened while Jan and Cindy got ready. When they left the suite, they found two big security guards standing outside their door.
They introduced themselves as Gary and Tyrone, from hotel security, and showed their identification cards. They told the girls that they would accompany them to the spa.
"Gee, this is like being somebody important…like the Queen of England or something," Cindy said smiling.
The others chuckled and continued down the hallway to the elevator.
When they reached the elevator, the guards told them to wait while they checked the inside of the elevator first, and then they were allowed inside. The guards rode in the front near the doors, and checked the hallway outside the spa before the girls came out. Jan and Cindy giggled at the extreme precautions that were being taken. Kelly was glad her two friends were there. Their jokes helped her feel better and to see the humorous side of everything.