Chapter 4 – Revelations
Waking up with a hangover was not the best way to start out a workday. Sariah stumbled into the kitchen for a light breakfast consisting of a tall glass of orange juice, two aspirin, and a single slice of toast – make that a single bite of toast. She soaked in the shower for ten minutes too long and didn’t have time to make her lunch. Then, remembering that Janet was available for the task, Sariah had her prepare a lunch while she got dressed. It was waiting on the credenza in the foyer when she came back downstairs to head off for work – thank God for domestic servants.
On the way out the door, she tossed her dirty clothes into the laundry bin, noticing that her black hoodie and jogging pants had been put into the basket. She didn’t recall wearing them recently, but thought little more about it as she was already running late for work. She asked Janet to wash clothes for her as she dashed out the door to her car.
Tom, her lawyer, called her as she was on the way to work.
“Good morning, Tom,” she answered as his face popped up on the screen.
“Hi, Sariah. I have some good news and some bad news.”
Sariah’s heart sank a little. “Good news first,” she replied.
“We have a remote video hearing with a judge for the restraining order at 3 p.m. today. You’ll need to be online to answer any questions the judge may have.”
“O.k., great. Oh, I hadn’t thought about calling you yet, but Jerry came to my place last night and demanded that I let him in. He beat on the door so hard I thought he might break in.”
“You’re serious?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you o.k.?”
“Yeah, I’m o.k. I called the police, and they put a uniformed officer outside my condo all night.”
“Well, I’ll need a copy of the police report ASAP. This will really bolster our case with the judge. Can you send that to me now?”
“Yeah, hold on,” Sariah replied, and then tapped several keys on her phone. “O.k. You should have it now.”
“Great. Now for the not-so-good news.”
“Don’t tell me. He’s the son of a senator?” Sariah asked.
“No, nothing so glamorous, I’m afraid. It seems this isn’t Jerry’s first run-in with domestic violence. His former ex-girlfriend filed a restraining order on him about two years ago after they broke up.”
“Isn’t that good for our case?” Sariah interjected.
“Well, let me finish. She supposedly left town, but has never been seen or heard from since.”
“So... is she dead?” Sariah asked.
“The police never found a body, but her parents still haven’t heard from her. They investigated Jerry, but found no evidence of foul play, and with no body, they didn’t have enough evidence to prosecute him. The case is still open.”
Sariah said nothing for several seconds. “Oh my God...”
“Yeah. Sariah, this guy probably killed the poor girl... and you could be next on this psycho’s list. You should probably consider getting a gun.”
“How?”
“Well, I’ll email you the paperwork. It normally takes six months; then there’s the ten thousand dollar bond you have to put up – assuming, of course, you pass the background check. You don’t have any parking tickets or felonies within the past six years, do you? I mean, they are really strict on that sort of thing in Garden City.”
“Tom, when is the last time you heard of someone getting a permit to carry a gun who wasn’t a police officer?”
“...I know it’s a long shot, but...”
“I could be dead before the background check gets done...” Tears formed in her eyes as she sat in silence, wondering if she was going to be the next missing person on Jerry’s ex-girlfriend list.
“You could always go for a Taser permit. Those go through more quickly – maybe two months.”
“Yeah. Send me the paperwork for both. If I’m still alive in two months, maybe it will help.”
“Sariah...” Tom let out a long sigh. “Look, I’m doing the best I can here. I wish there were more I could do.”
“Yeah. I know you’re doing all you can, Tom, thanks.”
“I’ll send you the link to the secure conference website for the hearing today, o.k.?”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
“Alright. Chin up, kid; see you then.”
Sariah could feel a wave of depression beginning to creep up her back, trying to swallow her brain in its deadly maw. She’d battled depression before, even going on medication for a while, but she hadn’t been able to think straight on the meds, so she had stopped. Her mother had emailed her a copy of the Lord’s Prayer once, thinking it might help her. Even though Sariah wasn’t convinced that Jesus could answer her prayers, it had seemed to calm her down. And if there was a God in heaven, she could sure use His help right now.
She thumbed through her email folders on her phone until she found the prayer and opened it up, and then read it aloud.
“Our Father,
Who art in Heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name,
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
On earth, as it is in Heaven,
Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us,
Lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil...”
She couldn’t read any further. Tears started to run down her cheeks. Then she prayed, really prayed, for maybe the first time since her mother had stopped praying with her at bedtime when she’d been nine or ten years old. “God... please deliver me from evil...”
* * * * *
By the end of the day, Sariah was feeling much better. As soon as she had arrived at her desk, there had been more rush work to be done for the traffic drone updates. That had kept her busy until lunch time, which she’d used to fill out the forms required to obtain the Taser and handgun permits. Three o’clock had rolled around, and there had been the video conference with the judge, which she’d been able to take in her office. After Tom’s more than adequate presentation, the judge had only had one question for her. “Do you feel your physical well-being is being threatened by Jerry Baldachi?” to which she gave a resounding and enthusiastic, “Yes,” in response. The judge subsequently issued the restraining order, and she now had a copy on her phone to show to any police officer, as needed. She wondered how Jerry was going to react when he received notice of the restraining order. He was probably going to be upset; the thought made her smile.
It felt empowering to be moving, busy with proactive tasks to address the problem, even if the Jerry issue was still in play. At 6:00 p.m., she clocked out for the day and headed to her car, having stayed a bit late to make up some time that she had used for the video conference with the judge. Per her request, a security guard escorted her to her car. There was no sign of Jerry, but after the revelations and experiences of the past twenty-four hours, Sariah wasn’t taking any chances.
Once she was safely ensconced in her vehicle and headed back home, she dialed Jasmine.
“Hey, Jaz. How are you doing?”
“I’m doing good, girlfriend. How’s the situation with your crazy ex?”
Sariah filled Jasmine in on the evening festivities from the night before, as well as the news concerning the gun applications and the restraining order.
“Well, I’m glad you have the restraining order, but I wouldn’t trust that to save you. You need a piece.”
“Really. Do you know somebody who could get me something to use while I wait for my permit – I mean, an actual gun?” Sariah had whispered the word ‘gun’ like there was someone sitting right next to her whom she didn’t want to hear what she was saying.
There was a pause on the other end of the line. The normally festive Jasmine sounded the most serious that Sariah had ever heard her when she responded. “You don’t have anyone else in the car with you, do you?”
“No.”
“You for real now? I mean it. No one else is listenin’ or anything?”
“No, Jaz, I’m telling you the truth.”
“O.k... I can help you out. It may take me a day or so, but I know a guy.”
“How much?”
“It won’t cost you a thing. You’re my friend, and I care about you. Like I said, us girls gotta stick together.”
Sariah felt like a weight had just been lifted off of her shoulders. “Jaz... you are the best.”
“You know it, girl. You’re gonna owe me a steak dinner cooked by that little miss robot thing the next time I come over.”
“You got it. Prime rib and the best bottle of wine they have at the market.”
“Alright, now we’re talkin’.”