Revelations: Roads to Redemption

1 / Wish You Were Here

 "Sak vid pa kanpe."

[An empty sack cannot stand upright.]

     It was an average Sunday night for Ms. Jaime, the night time cleaning lady for Club Escape. After dusting and sweeping the downstairs lounge area, she continued her weekly routine upstairs. However, what she was about to encounter was nothing routine. Ms. Jaime St. Pierre didn't notice the blood. Not at first. But then the door to the walk-in closet opened on its own, and a man's arm, unattached to a body, fell out onto the floor. The ring finger read "taken."

     Ms. Jaime's eyes widened in horror and her jaws locked in what should have been a scream. But no noise passed her lips. Shaken, Ms. Jaime St. Pierre nervously searched through her phone to find Amara's number. After all, Amara, her friend from church, had helped her get this job.

     The first ring was strident and seemed to reverberate. Ms. Jaime couldn't hold back her tears. The second ring vibrated to her core.

     She barely heard the voice at the end of the line. "Hello," someone said through the ear piece. Then there was silence.

     "Hello, Ms. Jaime?" the voice said again. "Is everything all right?"

     Through her fear and through her tears, Ms. Jaime said, "Sister Amara, please help me." She was dazed.

     Amara was worried. "Ms. Jaime, what happened? What is going on? Are you at the club?"

     Ms. Jaime's voice was a whisper. "There is blood coming out of the closet and I cannot clean it all." She sniffled. "I'm afraid Mr. Michael might fire me."

     Her tone urgent, Sister Amara said, "You don't need to cry, sister, Ms. Jaime. But step away from the closet."

     Ms. Jaime was in a trance. "You helped me get this job, Sister Amara, and I don't want to disappoint you. Will ICE come after me?"

     "Ms. Jaime, listen to me," Amara said vehemently. "You are not disappointing me. Walk away from the closet."

     Ms. Jamie leaned against the wall and saw the crimson stained desk.

     "Don't hang up," Amara's voice said in a manner she wanted mellow. "Stay on the line. I'm going to call for help. When the police arrive, don't talk to them. I know you've done nothing wrong, but don't tell them anything. Trust me: I've been on the force."

     Ms. Jaime, still rattled and flustered, sat on an office chair and swayed back and forth. She didn't know what to do next.

v

     From her apartment, Amara put Ms. Jaime on hold. Then she called the police.

     In a measured voice, she said, "The after-hours cleaning staff at Club Escape informed me that there appears to be blood in one of the offices."

     "Are you at Club Escape, Ma'am?" the operator asked, unfazed.

     "No, I am not. But there is someone there. Please send the police over as soon as possible. I don't know if Ms. Jaime is in any danger."

     "Ma'am, we'll send police right away to 111223 Delaware Ave, Club Escape."

     Amara breathed deeply. "Thank you."

     Ms. Jamie knew that Amara had returned to the phone when she heard the woman's heavy breathing. Even though Amara spoke in a reassuring voice, Ms. Jaime could sense her uneasiness.

     "Ms. Jaime, I just got off the phone with 911. Help is on the way. I suggest you head outside and wait for me. When the police show up, do not share anything with anyone. We don't know which cop you're going to get. Some of my former colleagues can be ruthless."