Death Knell In The Alps (A Samantha Jamison Mystery) by Peggy A. Edelheit Read Free Book Online

Nothing was accomplished other than we all agreed to disagree. No one could decide if my direct hit on the trail was accidental or really a warning. If it was a warning then who was warning me and why? Needing a break, I excused myself and left for the ladies room.
    I was in a stall when someone else entered and washed their hands. Whoever it was passed by me then left. When finished I pushed the lever on my stall door, but it wouldn’t open. I gave a little shove. Still a no go . I pushed harder…
    I was trapped inside.
    Was it another warning?
    Was it to let me know they could get me anywhere?
    Or was I becoming paranoid?
    I looked down at my formal and expensive long skirt I was wearing then stared at the spotless floor tiles and cringed. Crawl? To my relief, the door was too low to the floor to climb under. I tried the lever again, throwing my shoulder into the shove. Uh-uh.
    I hollered twice, but no one heard me over the band playing. Hmm… I surveyed my predicament. I could handle this. I looked up, smiling. I could climb over the stall door.
    I had to do something . Determined to get out, I hiked up my skirt and stepped onto the wobbly toilet seat, which was a feat in itself. My foot started to slip a little. I looked down into the toilet water and gripped the side of the stall for stability with my other hand: a delicate balancing act.
    I paused there for a second. Now what? I needed both hands to grab the door of the stall to heft myself up and over, but one of them was holding up my long skirt from falling into the toilet. With both feet straddling the edges of the seat, I let go of the one wall and lifted up my skirt as high as it would go and tried to wrap it around my neck and tuck the rest of it into the front opening of my blouse.
    Having accomplished that, I grabbed the side of the stall and door, then placed my foot on the toilet tissue holder for higher leverage and began pushing myself upward. I heard a creak: the tissue holder was coming loose. I wasn’t about to fall in the toilet water and gave a final push. …Splash.
    My hotel key! My phone was at the table. No SOS calls.
    Then the tissue holder gave way, clanking to the floor. There was no going back at that point, so I threw my one leg over the top of the door. I was halfway there! I twisted myself sideways. I was now straddling the door with both hands clinging to it: one leg was on one side and the other leg was on the other side. It was a painful straddle.
    I heard the jiggle of the ladies room door. No, no…
    I was too high up to leap and a quick glance back told me there was no going back. I clung to the wall and door, and swung my leg over. I could slide down and jump to the floor. But my skirt came loose and caught on the hinge and my dangling, exposed derrière now hung freeform.
    I was swinging like a side of beef in designer high heels.
    I heard a chuckle and reluctantly turned to look.
    “I see you finally got your new Spanx ,” said Martha.

 
     
     
    Chapter 24
    An Uncanny Situation
     
     
    “Please get me down,” I said as dignified as I could.
    “How did you get yourself caught up there like that?” she asked. “No, don’t bother explaining. What did you tell us? We should expect the unexpected, right?”
    I was gripping the door to take the weight off my pricy skirt so it wouldn’t rip. “Very funny. Now help me down.”
    “I think I’ll need some extra help,” she said, rushing out.
    Within a minute Mona, Hazel and Betty rushed in.
    “I thought she was joking,” said Mona stifling a laugh.
    “It’s not a very ladylike position, Sam,” chided Hazel.
    Betty was trying not to giggle. “It looks painful too.”
    “For who?” asked Mona, now laughing out loud. “For her, or for us for being forced to stare at her ass.”
    I was losing my patience. “Okay, you’ve all had your fun. Now please get me down. My hands are going numb.”
    “Should we call for a ladder at the front desk?”
    “No!” I shouted.