Midvale, UT

I work the night audit at [an] inn, in midvale ut. (suburb of Salt Lake City.) the hotel was close to empty only about 15 people in house and it was around 2 am. I usually walk the halls some nights to kill time and keep awake. I had finished walking the halls and entered the lobby. I had propped the bathroom door open with a chair earlier because I was carrying water in out to boil the eggs for breakfast with.

I noticed 2 luggage bags sitting outside the door and what sounded like someone washing their hands. I took my post behind the desk and waited for the person to come out. A black woman came out, dressed fairly professional, purple pants suit and a black overcoat. She looked to be simply tired (as are most people on my shift). She begins "please tell me that you are the night auditor, or night manager." I replied "Night auditor. Why? What can I do for you?" She told me that she needed help that the local women's abuse center would not take her, and she needed somewhere to stay. I assumed she was running from either a husband, boyfriend etc.

I believe myself to be a fairly compassionate person and reluctantly told her I could help her out. She asked me if I could keep some stuff behind the desk for her. She handed me two large luggage bags with papers in protective covers safety pinned to them. She asked me: "Please keep them in a locked room, covered. I can't have them get to them." I replied "They being...." "A cop, well he's not a cop. But he looks like one. They have everything about me. There are letters in the post office box at the post office I mailed. Please call the postmaster as soon as possible to make sure they get mailed. They are very good at what they do, they can get the mail, they are that good. The invisible men will come for my stuff. They are quiet and sneaky you will never see them coming, and never know they were here. When stuff starts moving around you, you will know."

She told me to look through her papers and handed me a page protector full of papers, and books taped tightly together at the top. She then left to her hotel room. I set all the stuff behind the desk and sat back down dumbfounded and sympathetic. I figured this lady probably needs help but I don't necessarily have the means to do so. So I let her go hoping that I have helped her out. A couple minutes later she came back down because she couldn't get the door open. (which happens to almost everyone, we have keys that look electronic but have to be left in the door and then removed after the door is opened.) So I escorted her to her room opened the door for her and told her to get some rest.

She handed me the room key back and said "I won't be coming out." I said "Excuse me?" She said "I won't be back out. Thank you, goodnight." The door shuts quickly and I hear the deadbolt, and security latch close, along with what sounds like a chair being pushed up against the back of the door. I shake my head and just head back to the desk. Curiosity gets the better of me and I read the outside of her page protector. Like many my jaw drops and utter disbelief hits me. I think back to the remark, that "I won't be back out." I feared that she may take an attempt on her life, or never leave... After chatting with the security guard we decided to contact police dispatch. So I called and basically said "I just wanted to make sure that she hasn't escaped from a hospital, or that she is not supposed to be here." I told them she wasn't really doing anyone any harm, and I was concerned about her remark that she wasn't coming out.

The police and I go up to her room, knock on her door and ask her if she is ok. She tells us that she is ok and getting ready for her bath. So we say ok, and just leave her alone. The police tell me that she more than likely conned me out of room. I said ok no big deal, hopefully for every 5 people that con me, 1 really needed help. The police leave, and curiosity gets the best of me again, and I open her packet. (only because she told me it was ok to look through her papers, all of her bags smelled really odd by the way.)

She picked up her bags at 7 am and left me with only these words.

"I own your town, I own your jobs. We will meet at the end of the line."