Out of the corner of her eye, Kim saw the purse fall onto the floor and disgorge some of it's contents. The pretty young woman whose lap it was on didn't wake up. Kim looked at the old man with the medical id bracelet. His attention was on the sleeping girl too, but that was nothing new. Kim had noticed him eyeing her before the purse fell.
She was on a graduation celebration weekend with her husband and was waiting for him to return from the car with the their bags. Kim had just graduated nursing school. The hotel lobby seemed small for a hotel, but there was an ocean on the other side, and the room rates reflected a degree of elegance that must have been saved for the rooms. The husband and wife had read good reviews of this hotel while planning their celebration trip.
"Where did you purchase your id bracelet?" she asked the old man. She had become uncomfortable with his interest in the sleeping woman and part of her wanted desperately to distract him.
He smiled and fingered his wrist and the metal clinging to it. "This thing? Oh I..."
She figured his memory was a bit foggy from the way his voice trailed off in thought. Her last clinical rounds had been in the senior ward, and all old people were now suspect.
"It was a gift from my lovely wife." He smiled again, but turned his attention back to the fallen purse. After a furtive glance in Kim's direction, he called to the sleeping woman. "Miss?" He reached through the space above the purse and touched her shoulder, but still there was no response. He pushed a little harder. "Miss!"
Kim saw that his face was turning red and felt embarrassed for him. She knelt next to the purse and gathered up the lipstick, envelope, big fat wallet, loose change, and car keys that had spilled out, put them back inside, and leaned the purse against the leg of the chair.
She sat back in her seat and stared at the womans chest. It was not rising and falling.
"Oh my God! I think that woman might be..." Kim quickly returned and touched the woman's neck, gently at first, and then pushing enough to find a carotid pulse. She looked at the uniformed hotel clerk behind the front desk and said "Call 911!". He was pale as a ghost, so she took out her cell phone and dialled it herself.
"Is she warm?" asked the old man,
"She has no pulse," she said while she dialled.
"Oh my Lord!" said the clerk.
The old man stood up quickly, thinking there might be something he should do. He looked around furtively and noticed a police officer outside. His fist rapped the window glass, catching the officer's attention. He pointed to the pretty lady.
Officer Cash entered the hotel lobby at 15:30. He suspected a problem inside due to the behavior of a senior citizen. His weapon was unholstered and his radio was at hand in case he needed to call for backup.
"What seems to be the trouble?"
Another lady sitting across from the one the senior had indicated said "She has no pulse," also pointing. No backup necessary, but this did call for some radio work. He lifted the lightweight device to his ear, pressed the button, and reported, "Possible 10-54 at 3531 Beachfront."
"Dave, 10-54 means possible, so you only have to say '10-54'," came back a sweet female voice. "I'll send an ambulance over."
"I called 911 and they're already sending one," said the lady who had pointed and reported the 10-54.
"Dave? An emergency dispatcher has already sent an ambulance to that location," came the sweet voice over the radio again.
"Oh Lord." The hotel clerk was white and his voice was weak, but everyone suddenly looked at him. He disappeared from behind the front desk.
"Hey!" beckoned Officer Cash, "Do you know anything about this woman?!" But the clerk did not respond.
"This situation here is secure," he assured himself. "I'm going to find that clerk."
The officer scanned the front desk to see if there was a way to get back there. He leaned over the partition and looked from one side to the other, but couldn't see a way in, or even how the clerk could have gotten out. The entrance and exit to the clerk's station were very well hidden. He started walking slowly away from the front desk, scanning the walls for other possible escape routes or some way to locate the elusive clerk.
Just as he turned a corner, the lady called out, "The clerk is back."
"I'm sorry officer, I... I had a sudden panic attack."
"Do you know anything about this woman?"
The clerk's voice was so weak that no one could hear him.
"It's ok. Just tell me what you know."
"I gave her an envelope. Maybe it..." but his voice had become too squeaky and slight for him to continue.
"Ok, sir. Take a deep breath, and tell me about the envelope."
"I t-touched it," he stammered out.
"You think the envelope may have killed her?"
By this time, Kim had the young lady on the floor and was performing CPR on her. As she did compressions, she said "I touched that envelope too, and I feel fine."
The old man was enthralled by the scene.
"It- it it... it smelled funny." said the clerk.
"Where is the envelope now?" asked the officer. Kim pointed to the purse while the clerk said "Ogod ogod ogod."
He was back on the radio and soon a HazMat team and an FBI squad arrived (before the ambulance) and removed Kim from the body. The hotel was evacuated. All the people were directed into a large tent erected in the street where they stood in lines to be "washed down" by some HazMat agents. While the last of the hotel patrons were exiting the fire escape doors, the ambulance arrived and one of the paramedics sweet-talked his way to the dead body where he drained a small amount of blood, shook the vial it flowed into, and then held it up.
"She died from sleeping pills. It's common at this hotel." He then looked in the purse, and turned to the nearest gloved agent, holding it open. "I suppose that's evidence, eh?" The agent reached in and produced an empty prescription bottle from the purse.
The HazMat and FBI scientists who were examining the envelope held up the note that it had contained. One of them mentioned that it smelled like pipe tobacco and lilacs. He turned around and read it out loud: "I'm sorry, my love. I won't forget you."
She was on a graduation celebration weekend with her husband and was waiting for him to return from the car with the their bags. Kim had just graduated nursing school. The hotel lobby seemed small for a hotel, but there was an ocean on the other side, and the room rates reflected a degree of elegance that must have been saved for the rooms. The husband and wife had read good reviews of this hotel while planning their celebration trip.
"Where did you purchase your id bracelet?" she asked the old man. She had become uncomfortable with his interest in the sleeping woman and part of her wanted desperately to distract him.
He smiled and fingered his wrist and the metal clinging to it. "This thing? Oh I..."
She figured his memory was a bit foggy from the way his voice trailed off in thought. Her last clinical rounds had been in the senior ward, and all old people were now suspect.
"It was a gift from my lovely wife." He smiled again, but turned his attention back to the fallen purse. After a furtive glance in Kim's direction, he called to the sleeping woman. "Miss?" He reached through the space above the purse and touched her shoulder, but still there was no response. He pushed a little harder. "Miss!"
Kim saw that his face was turning red and felt embarrassed for him. She knelt next to the purse and gathered up the lipstick, envelope, big fat wallet, loose change, and car keys that had spilled out, put them back inside, and leaned the purse against the leg of the chair.
She sat back in her seat and stared at the womans chest. It was not rising and falling.
"Oh my God! I think that woman might be..." Kim quickly returned and touched the woman's neck, gently at first, and then pushing enough to find a carotid pulse. She looked at the uniformed hotel clerk behind the front desk and said "Call 911!". He was pale as a ghost, so she took out her cell phone and dialled it herself.
"Is she warm?" asked the old man,
"She has no pulse," she said while she dialled.
"Oh my Lord!" said the clerk.
The old man stood up quickly, thinking there might be something he should do. He looked around furtively and noticed a police officer outside. His fist rapped the window glass, catching the officer's attention. He pointed to the pretty lady.
Officer Cash entered the hotel lobby at 15:30. He suspected a problem inside due to the behavior of a senior citizen. His weapon was unholstered and his radio was at hand in case he needed to call for backup.
"What seems to be the trouble?"
Another lady sitting across from the one the senior had indicated said "She has no pulse," also pointing. No backup necessary, but this did call for some radio work. He lifted the lightweight device to his ear, pressed the button, and reported, "Possible 10-54 at 3531 Beachfront."
"Dave, 10-54 means possible, so you only have to say '10-54'," came back a sweet female voice. "I'll send an ambulance over."
"I called 911 and they're already sending one," said the lady who had pointed and reported the 10-54.
"Dave? An emergency dispatcher has already sent an ambulance to that location," came the sweet voice over the radio again.
"Oh Lord." The hotel clerk was white and his voice was weak, but everyone suddenly looked at him. He disappeared from behind the front desk.
"Hey!" beckoned Officer Cash, "Do you know anything about this woman?!" But the clerk did not respond.
"This situation here is secure," he assured himself. "I'm going to find that clerk."
The officer scanned the front desk to see if there was a way to get back there. He leaned over the partition and looked from one side to the other, but couldn't see a way in, or even how the clerk could have gotten out. The entrance and exit to the clerk's station were very well hidden. He started walking slowly away from the front desk, scanning the walls for other possible escape routes or some way to locate the elusive clerk.
Just as he turned a corner, the lady called out, "The clerk is back."
"I'm sorry officer, I... I had a sudden panic attack."
"Do you know anything about this woman?"
The clerk's voice was so weak that no one could hear him.
"It's ok. Just tell me what you know."
"I gave her an envelope. Maybe it..." but his voice had become too squeaky and slight for him to continue.
"Ok, sir. Take a deep breath, and tell me about the envelope."
"I t-touched it," he stammered out.
"You think the envelope may have killed her?"
By this time, Kim had the young lady on the floor and was performing CPR on her. As she did compressions, she said "I touched that envelope too, and I feel fine."
The old man was enthralled by the scene.
"It- it it... it smelled funny." said the clerk.
"Where is the envelope now?" asked the officer. Kim pointed to the purse while the clerk said "Ogod ogod ogod."
He was back on the radio and soon a HazMat team and an FBI squad arrived (before the ambulance) and removed Kim from the body. The hotel was evacuated. All the people were directed into a large tent erected in the street where they stood in lines to be "washed down" by some HazMat agents. While the last of the hotel patrons were exiting the fire escape doors, the ambulance arrived and one of the paramedics sweet-talked his way to the dead body where he drained a small amount of blood, shook the vial it flowed into, and then held it up.
"She died from sleeping pills. It's common at this hotel." He then looked in the purse, and turned to the nearest gloved agent, holding it open. "I suppose that's evidence, eh?" The agent reached in and produced an empty prescription bottle from the purse.
The HazMat and FBI scientists who were examining the envelope held up the note that it had contained. One of them mentioned that it smelled like pipe tobacco and lilacs. He turned around and read it out loud: "I'm sorry, my love. I won't forget you."
