Johnny, a houseboy at the Blueline Hotel, nervously made his way down the hall on the 3rd floor, hoping the guests wouldn't hear him as he worked to finish the rounds. He heard some commotion from a room near the end of the hall, and he couldn't help himself; he put his ear to the door to see what was going on. As he stood there, he heard the distinct sound of a gun being cocked and the click of the hammer. Johnny knew he had to act fast and jumped back in surprise before taking off towards the staircase.
At that same moment, the door opened and the guest emerged with his gun in hand. He was angry, calling after Johnny, demanding he stop and take responsibility for putting his ear on the door trying to listen and invading his privacy. Johnny only increased his speed as he heard the guest thundering down the stairs behind him.
As Johnny approached the front office, he could see the manager and several guests already in the lobby, looking surprised. The manager spotted Johnny and stepped in front of the desk. "What's going on?" the manager asked.
The guest that was chasing him suddenly appeared at the top of the staircase, gun in hand and yelling "Arrest this man! He had his ear up to my door and was listening to me!"
The manager stepped forward, calmly but firmly saying "Sir, I understand your anger, but there are more appropriate ways of resolving this. Please, put your gun away and let us take care of it".
The guest slowly lowered his weapon, but not before giving Johnny one more cold hard stare and calling him a name. The manager quickly dialed the police, informing them of the situation and promising to stay until they arrived.
Johnny had never been so frightened in his life. As the police entered the building and handcuffed him, Johnny silently wondered what he had gotten himself into this time.