Seeing Mr. Joseph approaching through the glass doors gave Ms. Sanderson a surge of courage. Her heels clicked against the marble floor as she emerged from behind the desk, her professional demeanor was overshadowing her fear. Ms. Su watched anxiously as the manager approached the bar area where the man continued his disturbing behavior.
Ms. Sanderson: "No sir. No." "This is not the place for that kind of behavior. I'm going to have to ask you to leave the property. The police are on their way."
The man's response was quick and vulgar. He flashed the hotel manager his private area, then raised his middle finger shouted out some explicit words and ran out of the hotel. His half-eaten cookie fell to the floor, leaving a trail of crumbs behind him. Mr. Joseph lunged forward, but the man was quick, bursting through the doors and sprinting across the parking lot toward the interstate.
Within minutes, police had arrived with their lights flashing against the hotel's windows. Officers spreading out across the hotel grounds, and searching the surrounding area of the hotel and questioning witnesses. But the man had vanished after going through a wooded area alongside the highway, where he made his escape.
"We'll increase patrols in the area," one officer assured them, handing Ms. Sanderson a card with an emergency number. "Call immediately if he returns. We've got his description now – it shouldn’t be hard to identify him if he shows up again."
Back in the lobby, the housekeeping staff quickly cleaned the area where the man had been standing, trying to erase all evidence of the disturbing incident. Mr. Joseph stood watch by the front desk, frustrated that he hadn't reached the lobby sooner. Ms. Su brought Ms. Sanderson a cup of chamomile tea, her hands still shaking slightly as she held the cup.
"You handled that perfectly," Mr. Joseph told Ms. Sanderson. "Strictly by the book – letting him know the police were coming. That's what made him run."
Ms. Sanderson agreed, but her usual confident smile was nowhere to be seen. We all knew the incident would leave its mark on the Sunrise Suites. By tomorrow, new security protocols would be in place, and the incident would be shared during staff training and meetings as an example of how to handle dangerous situations.
But for now, we could only watch as the police cars pulled away, leaving them with an emergency number and the unsettling memory of their unwanted visitor.
To be continued...