Not So Easily Broken

by Annalisa Simon

  Within three hours he planned to be on a plane to Trinidad where he would catch a connecting flight leaving for New York, leaving no trail of his work for her. Marsha was a deranged woman and he did not want to be anywhere on Derrien Island when Ramon Belham woke up to discover that his well-laid plans had been foiled. He dared not remain on any island where Ramon Belham would wake up entangled intimately with his secretary in a bed he only shared with his wife. Bile rose in his throat when he recalled how Marsha would then claim to be pregnant with his child later to force him to stay with her. She was truly a sick and insane woman! But the real question was, what did that make him then? He had questioned himself about why he was allowing her to do this to him, and why he couldn't say no to her. The truth was that he just needed the money to pay off some bad gambling debts that hung over him for some time now. He already had to walk around looking over his shoulder to see if one of the bookies he owed had someone following him. This was another reason why he needed to leave the country quickly. But as the plans with Marsha deepened he decided that instead of paying his debts, he would just leave his life on Derrien Island far behind him and start over somewhere else.

  He had installed in the arrangement of roses on the side table in the bedroom of room 307, a motion sensitive diffuser filled with a medium dosage of nitrous oxide gas. This gas was used by dentists to anaesthetize their patients and he hoped it would keep Ramon under until Marsha could get there. He was not sure how Marsha would get him to the bed and he did not care. He was not sticking around. The number of crimes he committed in this one day were enough to put him away for a long time. From impersonating a courier to adding sleeping pills to Ramon’s customary welcome punch, to stealing the gas from his dentist. He knew if he was discovered he would be in big trouble with the law. Ramon Belham was an important man in this country with many social connections that ranged even as high as friends who were in the government. He was positive that his old college friend Marsha had lost her marbles for sure this time but he needed the money and this was just a faster way to get it.

  Rob surveyed the hotel lobby one more time and did not see Ramon come back downstairs and leave. He was really supposed to find a reason to go upstairs and do a final check in room 307 to confirm that Ramon was indeed in there but he decided against it. That would take too long and he did not want to have to answer any questions should the plan have failed. Marsha need not know that he did not follow through with the final aspect of the plan. This was getting too dangerous and he just wanted out.

  Checking the computerized bookings he noted that no one was scheduled to check into the hotel for another thirty minutes so Rob took his cellular phone and walked quickly across the marbled tiles at the Derrien Island Hilton and entered the men’s bathroom. His replacement should be arriving in about ten minutes which would allow him to leave and head to the airport. Making sure that he was alone, he threw his cell phone into the garbage can and checked his watch knowing that it would be emptied almost immediately. He did not want to be caught in possession of that phone should plans go awry. He then splashed some water on his face in an effort to calm his nerves before exiting the bathroom.

  As he came out of the bathroom he collided with the broad solid frame of Ramon Belham. All of the colour drained from his face and he felt a wave of nausea as he realized that he had just thrown out his only connection to Marsha and that the plan was suddenly on very shaky legs. He knew that Ramon had no way of knowing that he had any connection to anything he may have experienced so he steeled himself not to show any undue emotions. If he played his cards right he could be outside and gone in a few minutes.

  “Mr. Belham sir, I, I, I did not see you there, was the room to your liking?” stammered Rob.

  “Actually, I did not go to the room, but I needed to clear something up with you. I am quite sure that I requested room 310, not room 307,” said Ramon authoritatively. I need you to check the computer and confirm this so I can have the correct passkey.”

  As Rob observed Ramon, he could see that he was a man that knew exactly what he wanted and was determined to get it. Deep inside he felt that somehow they were similar in that regard but unfortunately for him he lacked the integrity that Ramon displayed, which gave his character a solid foundation.

  “Ok certainly, come with me and I will check the system to see if there was a mix up.” replied Rob.

  “Good let’s go, I need to be somewhere else in forty-five minutes”, replied Ramon looking at the watch on his wrist.

  Both men walked briskly across the foyer and as Rob reached the desk he checked his watch and knew that any minute now the garbage in the men’s room would be emptied and all hope of retrieving his phone would be lost. He would have no way of warning Marsha that her ‘man’ as she loved to call him was wide awake and walking around in the lobby demanding to be given the room he requested. This was bad and it was then that he began sweating profusely.

  Ramon observed the nervous front desk clerk with narrowed eyes and sensed that something was not right. When he went up to the room a few minutes ago, he had a gut feeling that somehow everything just did not add up. He clearly remembered asking Marsha to call the Derrien Island Hilton and told her to arrange to have flowers delivered to room 310 today at 2:30 p.m. He wanted to go upstairs to ensure that everything was set out just as he had ordered. It was the perfect suite because of its contemporary decor of white wicker furniture with thick overstuffed cushions accentuated with accents of turquoise, blues and greens in the throw cushions, rugs, and vases. Knowing how much Courtney loved water and nature themes he wanted the room that boasted of the best view of the sparkling calm ocean on the west coast of the island. It even had a wide covered balcony with a private plunge pool and hanging sofa bed that he envisioned them using many nights as they sipped wine and looked at the stars in each other’s arms. Room 310 was the ideal and it seemed to be designed with Courtney in mind. He was on the committee that was responsible for the opening of the Derrien only six months earlier and he had been taken on a tour along with several other stakeholders to see the best rooms the hotel had to offer. After touring suite 310 he decided that he would bring Courtney there for a special occasion. So Ramon wanted an explanation and he wanted it immediately.

  At first he did not fully grasp that he was given the wrong room number because his mind was filled with several of the last minute details, including a current business deal that he was working on. He really expected to be automatically given the right passkey. To tell the truth he only half-heard what Rob said to him when he took the key from him at the front desk about forty five minutes earlier. On his way to the hotel he had another appointment to attend to first and when he finally arrived at the Derrien Island Hilton, he took another phone call as he entered the hotel, still finalizing details on another event the company was planning the following week. Admittedly, it was bad manners to talk to the sandy-haired front desk clerk while he was on a phone call but he felt time getting away from him, so he took the chance to multi-task. He had a vague recollection of the clerk saying something about a room 307 and there being a change of room. Ignoring the need to understand what was said, he merely nodded took the keys and proceeded across the lobby the bank of elevators.

  To his surprise though, as he was on the way to the suite he ran in to his former secretary Lela. He had given her a cursory nod but she flagged him down just before he stepped on to the elevator and asked for just a moment to speak with him. His phone call ended just about that time to his dismay because at that moment Ramon would have preferred to trampled by a herd of elephants rather than to have to listen to anything that Lela had to say to him. Being courteous, he agreed to listen and it was then that she admitted to him how sorry she was about what happened two years earlier and that she wanted his forgiveness for trying to break up his marriage. He thought to himself then that her timing could not be worse and in an attempt to get out of the situation as quickly as possible he said that he had already pu
t it behind him. By then, they were both standing in the elevator because he had never really stopped walking and she had continued to follow him. He had selected the tenth floor when he entered and groaned inwardly when he saw that Lela was still there. To his great relief she selected the third floor. When the doors closed and the elevator began to ascend, he was thankful that she had said all that needed to be said outside when suddenly she clapped her hand over her mouth and exclaimed that she forgot her beach bag in the lobby. She explained that she saw him and immediately knew that she had to apologize and ran over to him, leaving her bag on the chair.

  Thankfully, she was only going as high as the third floor and she begged his indulgence to go back down because she had left her engagement ring in that bag and did not want it to be stolen. Seeing her concern, Ramon agreed to let her go back down for the bag and upon reaching the lobby she saw her fiancé Carl waiting outside the elevator doors with her bag in his hand. Ramon was shocked to discover that Lela’s fiancé Carl went to the same school as he did and had graduated in the same year as well. They had also grown up together in the same neighbourhood of Jacinth in the Northern mountain ranges of Derrien Island and spent many days together along with the group of boys who also lived in their neighbourhood. So, what had previously been tense minutes of uncomfortable apologies and words of forgiveness became a hearty reunion between old friends. As the elevator went up again he and Carl ended up chatting about life as they reminisced on their days growing up. He ended up getting off with both of them on the third floor as he and Carl traded stories about what they were doing and how life had changed for both of them. He had also exchanged contact information with them before wishing them all the best in their upcoming marriage.

  By then forty-five minutes had passed and he got back on to the elevator to continue up to the suite. He did not mean to chat with Carl for such a long time but they really were good friends in the past and had not seen each other in over seventeen years. When he finally reached the tenth floor, he had instinctively walked to room 310 and tried the passkey he was given in the door. It did not work and he tried it again a few more times before remembering that the sandy-haired desk clerk had told him the room had been changed to 307. He once again sensed that gut feeling that something was wrong. Ramon had walked to room 307 and paused at the door to open it. Never being a man to settle for what he did not want, Ramon put the passkey back into his pocket and decided to go back downstairs to find out why his room was changed and he was not respectfully notified.

  When he got back to the front desk, it was deserted. He was on the verge of losing his good impression of this hotel. He waited at the desk for a minute before deciding to use the bathroom before trying again. It was then that he ran into the notably nervous desk clerk while he was on his way out. He could not help but notice how his eyes shifted to the left and to the right and how he looked away when he spoke to him. At this moment, his eyes were definitely shifting again. Hundreds of business deals and daily encounters with people had taught Ramon how to identify liars and he was having difficulty believing that the front desk clerk at the Derrien Island Hilton was telling him the truth.

  “Sir, room 310 is undergoing renovations at this time and will be unavailable for the next two weeks,” whispered Rob after spending a few moments supposedly checking the computer.

  Ramon wondered to himself why the clerk was speaking in such low tones and became infuriated at the run around he was clearly being given.

  “Renovations? That’s impossible this hotel is practically brand new,” retorted Ramon deliberately raising his voice. “I attended the opening six months ago. These facilities are state-of-the-art.

  “Sir, I am sorry but...”

  “Sorry? I want to speak to your manager right now. This service is unacceptable” exclaimed Ramon angrily.

  Rob saw the flash of anger in Ramon Belham’s eyes and knew he was not a man to be tested in this way. He clearly knew what he wanted and was not prepared to settle for anything less. He could see now that Marsha had underestimated her boss, and she in her blind obsession had put too much confidence in her weak plans.

  The front desk manager hearing the commotion from her office behind the counter came outside quickly to see if she could pacify the infuriated guest. As she came around the corner she recognized Ramon Belham standing at the desk. She could see that he was not pleased and knowing of his close friendship with the hotel owner, it was also in her best interest to pacify him while she was on duty.

  “Oh Mr. Belham, it is you, how can we help you? I hope that you are pleased with our arrangements for your anniversary,” smiled the desk manager when she reached the front desk area.

  “At this moment, no I am not pleased at all. I requested that room 310 be reserved for the week, and now I am being told by this gentleman here that the room is currently under renovations. I want an explanation for this right now, Mrs. Lewis,” Ramon demanded.

  Sandra Lewis the front desk manager knew that she had to resolve this issue quickly and as quietly. Already, other guests who were passing through the lobby were pausing and looking over to the front desk with curious stares. Not understanding his response based on the preparations she knew were scheduled to be made, she quickly asked Rob to stand aside as she checked through the computer system for the reservation data. By this time Rob had turned beet red and his sallow yellow complexion was too light to hide the blood that rushed to his face.

  Ramon looked at the name tag pinned to the sandy-haired man’s shirt and saw that his name was Robert Delisle. He made a mental note of the name depending on how the situation would pan out.

  “Robert, what is the meaning of this? Room 310 is not under renovations, you know that it has been reserved for Mr. and Mrs. Belham. In fact, the hotel owner briefed us all about it in the staff meeting this morning. You remember that don’t you?” asked Sandra with concern.

  Robert could not answer, and looked down at the floor under the razor sharp glares of Ramon Belham and Sandra Lewis his supervisor.

  “I knew it, I felt something was wrong about all of this!” exclaimed Ramon growing angrier by the moment.

  Robert was not sure what to do. This was not a part of the plan. Mr. Belham was supposed to be upstairs sleeping after drinking his welcome punch and when he moved near to the arrangement of roses near the canopied king-sized bed to rest from the dizziness, the motion detectors would have released the gas immediately.

  “I am waiting for an explanation!” roared Ramon

  “Mr. Belham, I am not sure what is going on here but you have my word that we will get to the bottom of this.” said Sandra.

  As Sandra stepped away from Robert to call housekeeping and to verify that room 310 was indeed prepared, Robert decided to make his move. As a former track athlete ten years ago, he hoped that he still had what it took to sprint as fast as he could out of there. He could only hope that Marsha would not find out about it before he collected his money at the airport bank. Suddenly he began to run, but Ramon seeing his intent tried to block his escape by closing the gap between the reservations desk and the wall. Unfortunately, Robert got there first and manoeuvred his lithe body so that he half ran and half dived sideways, rolled and got up running before Ramon could grab him.

  Sandra shouted after him in alarm, “Robert? Come back here!”

  Immediately she picked up the in-house phone to call for security and the police department. Robert’s rapidly retreating figure was moving so quickly that it appeared as though he flew out of the door leading out to the parking lot. He could hear the commotion of shouting and feet hammering on the marble floors behind him but the sound of the wind rushing past his ears and the blood pounding in his head urged him on. He almost thought he had made it to the open door of a taxi that had just dropped off some newly arrived tourists when he felt a huge body slam into him. It felt as though he was hit by a two ton truck on the freeway. Suddenly, his body was suspended in the air for a second before his left shou
lder slammed into the ground and he skidded and rolled to a stop about ten feet away from the taxi he was about to climb into. The next thing he knew, he was turned over roughly and restrained by the hotel security guard Leland. As he looked to the side still dazed by the impact, he saw Ramon Belham getting up off the ground near the taxi and dusting of his black slacks. It was then, as he looked into the blazing angry eyes of Ramon Belham that he knew what had hit him. It wasn’t Leland, but Mr. Belham and by all looks of it he was not about to take this lying down.

  “Games up, Robert. It is time to talk”, growled Ramon with his breathing showing signs of the chase.

  Chapter 5

  Constance helped Courtney up off the floor and led her to the aqua and lime themed seating area in the studio where her clients normally sat as they awaited their appointments. It had been designed to lift their spirits and relax any clients who might be a little apprehensive about their photo shoot. But today, the bright airy contemporary decor held little appeal for either woman. Constance had gathered the photos into a stack and brought them with her because she wanted to study them more closely. One of the photos in particular had piqued her curiosity. As they sat down, Constance leafed through the photos once again and stopped when she reached the one with Ramon dancing with the woman in red. As she peered into the background she saw something that caused her heart to leap with faith.