phone back on the hook.
“Thank you,” said Peter, immediately picking up the receiver. “What do you want?”
“Oh, just some toast and coffee.”
“Nothing else?”
“Maybe some orange juice.”
He placed the order. Picking up his keys and pushing his wallet into his back pocket, he said, “I’m going to run downstairs and see if they have
The New York Times
.”
“I’m sure you could phone for it,” said Lavinia, looking him up and down, once again admiring his taste in clothes. Today he was wearing dark slacks and a designer herringbone sport coat. Not that he wouldn’t have looked every bit as fabulous in dirty overalls. But Peter had expensive tastes. So did she. As far as she was concerned, they were a perfect match.
“Nah. I need to get a breath of fresh air. The food should be here in half an hour. I’ll be back before that.”
She followed him into the living room. After giving him a kiss goodbye, she stood in the doorway and watched as he got on the elevator. Before the doors closed, he called to her, “There’s something on the floor next to your foot.”
Lavinia’s eyes dropped to the white envelope. Her name was printed in large block letters on the outside. Since no one had knocked, she knew a bellboy hadn’t brought it up.
Returning quickly to the living room, she sat down on the couch and ripped it open. Inside was a piece of notebook paper. She read the words:
Dearest Lavinia,
I don’t like being stood up. I also didn’t like seeing the police posted outside the hotel last night, waiting for me to call. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with you just yet, but, of course, I’ll have to do something. What have I ever done to you to cause you to treat me this way? I’m just a simple fan, someone who adores you from afar and wanted to get to know you better. Now I see that’s impossible. Nevertheless, you will be hearing from me.
Till then, Lavinia.
Morton “Oh, my God,” she whispered. In all of last night’s excitement, she’d completely forgotten about him. She’d filed her report with both hotel security and the police yesterday afternoon, and then she’d gone on about her business. The uniformed officer she’d talked to assured her the police would take care of everything. A squad car would be assigned to intercept him when he arrived at the hotel to pick her up. She’d have to come down to the station to file charges, but that would be the end of it. From then on, her lawyers could handle everything. She’d given the authorities a detailed description of what he looked like. The hotel representative and the police all sounded so confident, she’d walked out of that small conference room and hadn’t given it another thought.
Until now. This minute. She felt as if someone had slapped her across the face. How had he gotten in? Surely hotel security was keeping an eye out for him. Since he didn’t look like he belonged at the Maxfield, he’d be simple enough to spot So what had happened? If he could get to her door to leave a message, what else could he do without being caught?
Feeling more frightened than she cared to admit, she got up and moved unsteadily over to the phone. She had to alert security right away. Closing her eyes, she tried a few deep breaths first That always helped center her. Move her to a more rational place. She’d be damned if she’d allow some screwball to scare her into a state of inertia. She still had too much to do. Too many clues to follow and people to interview.
She’d simply have to be extra careful. Peter was staying at his parents’ home tonight. Since her new in-laws didn’t know about their marriage, she was remaining here. Tomorrow, after the last convention panel was finished, she’d join him in Edina to break the news. But until then, she was on her own. Which was just the way she’d planned it And Lavinia had no intention of changing
“Thank you,” said Peter, immediately picking up the receiver. “What do you want?”
“Oh, just some toast and coffee.”
“Nothing else?”
“Maybe some orange juice.”
He placed the order. Picking up his keys and pushing his wallet into his back pocket, he said, “I’m going to run downstairs and see if they have
The New York Times
.”
“I’m sure you could phone for it,” said Lavinia, looking him up and down, once again admiring his taste in clothes. Today he was wearing dark slacks and a designer herringbone sport coat. Not that he wouldn’t have looked every bit as fabulous in dirty overalls. But Peter had expensive tastes. So did she. As far as she was concerned, they were a perfect match.
“Nah. I need to get a breath of fresh air. The food should be here in half an hour. I’ll be back before that.”
She followed him into the living room. After giving him a kiss goodbye, she stood in the doorway and watched as he got on the elevator. Before the doors closed, he called to her, “There’s something on the floor next to your foot.”
Lavinia’s eyes dropped to the white envelope. Her name was printed in large block letters on the outside. Since no one had knocked, she knew a bellboy hadn’t brought it up.
Returning quickly to the living room, she sat down on the couch and ripped it open. Inside was a piece of notebook paper. She read the words:
Dearest Lavinia,
I don’t like being stood up. I also didn’t like seeing the police posted outside the hotel last night, waiting for me to call. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with you just yet, but, of course, I’ll have to do something. What have I ever done to you to cause you to treat me this way? I’m just a simple fan, someone who adores you from afar and wanted to get to know you better. Now I see that’s impossible. Nevertheless, you will be hearing from me.
Till then, Lavinia.
Morton “Oh, my God,” she whispered. In all of last night’s excitement, she’d completely forgotten about him. She’d filed her report with both hotel security and the police yesterday afternoon, and then she’d gone on about her business. The uniformed officer she’d talked to assured her the police would take care of everything. A squad car would be assigned to intercept him when he arrived at the hotel to pick her up. She’d have to come down to the station to file charges, but that would be the end of it. From then on, her lawyers could handle everything. She’d given the authorities a detailed description of what he looked like. The hotel representative and the police all sounded so confident, she’d walked out of that small conference room and hadn’t given it another thought.
Until now. This minute. She felt as if someone had slapped her across the face. How had he gotten in? Surely hotel security was keeping an eye out for him. Since he didn’t look like he belonged at the Maxfield, he’d be simple enough to spot So what had happened? If he could get to her door to leave a message, what else could he do without being caught?
Feeling more frightened than she cared to admit, she got up and moved unsteadily over to the phone. She had to alert security right away. Closing her eyes, she tried a few deep breaths first That always helped center her. Move her to a more rational place. She’d be damned if she’d allow some screwball to scare her into a state of inertia. She still had too much to do. Too many clues to follow and people to interview.
She’d simply have to be extra careful. Peter was staying at his parents’ home tonight. Since her new in-laws didn’t know about their marriage, she was remaining here. Tomorrow, after the last convention panel was finished, she’d join him in Edina to break the news. But until then, she was on her own. Which was just the way she’d planned it And Lavinia had no intention of changing
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