the times she’d been strapped to the orphanage crib. “He’s not going to turn me into a spineless victim. You have to find him, Andrei. There has to be a way.”
A hard rap on the door silenced her.
Andrei peered through the eyehole. “It’s hotel security. I called them.” He opened the door.
The security director entered the room and introduced himself. He had an air of self-importance. His eyes widened when he looked at the bed. “Jesus! Is that a sex doll?” He addressed his remark to Andrei as if Maria and Lillian were invisible.
“Yeah.”
“Any idea who did it?”
Maria interrupted the man, irritated by his attitude. “I’ve been getting threatening e-mails. Whoever’s harassing me must have done this too.”
He took in the three of them. “And what’s the relationship here? Are you all guests? I need to see some ID and your key cards.”
“We’re all hotel clients,” Andrei interjected, giving their names and individual room numbers, clearly disliking hismanner as much as Maria did. “Do you have cameras in the hallways? Any chance there’s video of whoever did this?”
“A very good one.” He whipped out his phone and asked one of his staff to check the cameras on their floor. He suggested all three of them wait in the unoccupied room next door until the film was ready. “Have you called the police yet?”
“No need to,” Andrei said. “This is vandalism, pure and simple. Believe me, I’ve seen hotel rooms trashed much worse than this. No one’s been hurt and I imagine the hotel would prefer to avoid the negative publicity. If you don’t mind, we’ll wait right here until we see that camera footage.”
The director hesitated for a moment, unable to make up his mind, then said, “All right, I see your point. Let’s keep this a private matter.”
Maria silently thanked Andrei for his quick thinking. If the local police were called and decided to dig deeply enough, an investigation would reveal that she was more than just an exotic dancer. She stood a greater chance of being arrested than the sick stalker who was messing with her.
When it finally arrived, the video proved disappointing; it showed only a heavyset male around six feet tall, wearing a knapsack, keeping his head down, approaching Maria’s hotel room. A glimpse of his face shrouded by a hoodie showed he was probably Caucasian. He took a quick look around to make sure no one was in the hall, slapped on latex gloves. The time stamp for the figure’s entry into her room read 12:30 A.M .—the point Maria commenced her second act with the tiger man. He used some device to unlock the door, stayed inside for twenty-two minutes, then exited the room and strode down the hall to the elevators.
“Guy’s clever.” The security director’s eyes raked Maria’s figure.
“Why do you say that?” Maria demanded.
“He’s avoiding the cameras, that’s why. What are you people doing in town?”
Maria had mentioned to some of the other hotel staff that she was performing at the club; he’d find out soon enough if she lied to him. “I’m a dancer. I had a gig tonight at Show World Live!”
He made a sucking sound with his lips. “Well, you girls are ripe prey for this sort of stuff. These guys can get worked up. Put a few drinks in them and a couple of hits of coke and they go a little haywire. It goes with the territory.”
“You’re saying staging a fake murder is going a little haywire ?”
“Loonies are attracted to the sex stuff. I’m just being realistic.”
“I’ll try to remember not to go topless when I’m out shopping, then. Too bad. With the hot weather coming up and all.”
He straightened up. “Listen, ma’am. I’m sorry this happened to you in our hotel. We’ll put you up in one of our exclusive suites for however long you were planning to stay. I’ll call a porter right now to take up your things.”
“My room’s across the hall,” Andrei said. “I’ll move to the suite as
A hard rap on the door silenced her.
Andrei peered through the eyehole. “It’s hotel security. I called them.” He opened the door.
The security director entered the room and introduced himself. He had an air of self-importance. His eyes widened when he looked at the bed. “Jesus! Is that a sex doll?” He addressed his remark to Andrei as if Maria and Lillian were invisible.
“Yeah.”
“Any idea who did it?”
Maria interrupted the man, irritated by his attitude. “I’ve been getting threatening e-mails. Whoever’s harassing me must have done this too.”
He took in the three of them. “And what’s the relationship here? Are you all guests? I need to see some ID and your key cards.”
“We’re all hotel clients,” Andrei interjected, giving their names and individual room numbers, clearly disliking hismanner as much as Maria did. “Do you have cameras in the hallways? Any chance there’s video of whoever did this?”
“A very good one.” He whipped out his phone and asked one of his staff to check the cameras on their floor. He suggested all three of them wait in the unoccupied room next door until the film was ready. “Have you called the police yet?”
“No need to,” Andrei said. “This is vandalism, pure and simple. Believe me, I’ve seen hotel rooms trashed much worse than this. No one’s been hurt and I imagine the hotel would prefer to avoid the negative publicity. If you don’t mind, we’ll wait right here until we see that camera footage.”
The director hesitated for a moment, unable to make up his mind, then said, “All right, I see your point. Let’s keep this a private matter.”
Maria silently thanked Andrei for his quick thinking. If the local police were called and decided to dig deeply enough, an investigation would reveal that she was more than just an exotic dancer. She stood a greater chance of being arrested than the sick stalker who was messing with her.
When it finally arrived, the video proved disappointing; it showed only a heavyset male around six feet tall, wearing a knapsack, keeping his head down, approaching Maria’s hotel room. A glimpse of his face shrouded by a hoodie showed he was probably Caucasian. He took a quick look around to make sure no one was in the hall, slapped on latex gloves. The time stamp for the figure’s entry into her room read 12:30 A.M .—the point Maria commenced her second act with the tiger man. He used some device to unlock the door, stayed inside for twenty-two minutes, then exited the room and strode down the hall to the elevators.
“Guy’s clever.” The security director’s eyes raked Maria’s figure.
“Why do you say that?” Maria demanded.
“He’s avoiding the cameras, that’s why. What are you people doing in town?”
Maria had mentioned to some of the other hotel staff that she was performing at the club; he’d find out soon enough if she lied to him. “I’m a dancer. I had a gig tonight at Show World Live!”
He made a sucking sound with his lips. “Well, you girls are ripe prey for this sort of stuff. These guys can get worked up. Put a few drinks in them and a couple of hits of coke and they go a little haywire. It goes with the territory.”
“You’re saying staging a fake murder is going a little haywire ?”
“Loonies are attracted to the sex stuff. I’m just being realistic.”
“I’ll try to remember not to go topless when I’m out shopping, then. Too bad. With the hot weather coming up and all.”
He straightened up. “Listen, ma’am. I’m sorry this happened to you in our hotel. We’ll put you up in one of our exclusive suites for however long you were planning to stay. I’ll call a porter right now to take up your things.”
“My room’s across the hall,” Andrei said. “I’ll move to the suite as
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