Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 145803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
“Be careful,” Vienna cautioned, sitting up carefully. She held on to her head just in case it decided to explode on her. Fortunately, her head stayed on her shoulders, where it was supposed to. “It could be someone else violent. Look through the peephole.”
“Oh, no. I do hate these places. We should have just taken Vienna home with us,” Mitzi said. “Surely they have security guards watching over you now.”
Vienna had forgotten her mother’s aversion to casino hotels. She looked so distressed that Vienna loved her all the more for braving her fears to come to help her. Mitzi had always had near panic attacks if she had to go close to the casinos. Vienna’s gaze jumped to her mother’s face. Mitzi’s voice trembled. She looked very pale, and sweat beaded on her forehead. She looked close to panicking now. Looking back, it had always been that way.
Vienna slipped her hand into her mother’s. “I love you, Mom. Thank you for coming to help me. I know it must have been difficult for you, and it means even more that you did.”
Mitzi broke into a smile, the one Vienna hadn’t seen in years. “I would always come to you, Vienna, if you were in trouble, no matter where you were. I’d find a way to get to you.”
Vienna leaned her head against her mother. “I’m sorry we fought and I let so much time go by without telling you I don’t care if I dropped out of the sky. You’re my mother. That’s enough for me, and it always will be. I have a full life with you in it. I want to be close to Ellen.”
“We’ll find a way to make that happen. She wants that too,” Mitzi reassured.
“He says he’s the owner of the hotel, Vienna, a Mr. Wallin,” Ellen called out. “Daniel Wallin. He’d like to come in for a minute and see for himself that you’re all right.”
“He just wants to make certain you aren’t going to sue him,” Mitzi cautioned. “They’re like that. Ellen, don’t let him in. Just tell him to go away.”
“Mom, this wasn’t his fault. If he wants to come and apologize on behalf of his hotel, I don’t mind. Maybe I’ll get free coffee for the rest of my life or something cool like that.” She pressed her palm over the lump, which seemed to be thumping in irritating time to her heartbeat.
“If you don’t mind, then, dear, I saw that lovely bathtub, and I’m going to run you a bath while you talk to him. Ellen can order dinner for all of us. Make it very short with this man. He shouldn’t take up your time when you need rest. I’ll get you a robe, because you certainly aren’t going to meet him in your skimpy pajamas.”
Mitzi hurried to the closet and pulled one of the hotel’s luxurious ankle-length robes from a hanger and covered Vienna’s offending pajamas with it.
Vienna burst out laughing. “Zale had to help get me dressed, Mom. He chose my pj’s.”
Mitzi was halfway to the master bath and she turned. “It’s like that, is it?”
“The police are with him,” Ellen reported. “They’d like to take your statement. They also want pictures of the damage.”
“Just lovely.” Mitzi rolled her eyes. “Ellen, would you mind staying with her while I run her a bath? I’ll take a phone in with me and order us dinner. Get them out of here as soon as possible. She needs to eat, get in the bath and then rest. And watch what she says, apparently she let Zale dress her earlier.”
“He had to undress me first,” Vienna teased.
Her mother made a shooing motion and indicated to Ellen to watch over her before she disappeared into the master bath.
Ellen nodded and helped Vienna to the main room, then allowed their visitors to enter. Vienna was happy the room was so spacious. They’d sent both a male and a female officer. Wallin’s personal physician accompanied them as well. Her heart sank when she was introduced to him. Dr. Miller looked kind enough, but he carried a large medical bag with him and seemed prepared to send her straight to the hospital if she blinked wrong.
Daniel Wallin was a man who looked to be in his sixties, although she knew from reading about him that he was older. He appeared to be of Scandinavian descent with his thick, wild shock of white hair falling into his faded blue eyes. He had one dimple on his left side that was barely noticeable because of the lines in his face. He was a handsome man, tall, dressed impeccably in a suit. He carried himself as if he were athletic, or had been at one time. Vienna didn’t know much about him, other than he had one son, and he’d made a fortune in cards.