It was recently suggested for me to chronicle my experiences as a rookie private investigator. Many women think my work is "cool and exciting" and want to know what a day in the life is like. I have 1100 hours remaining until I am fully licensed in NC. Each experience is a breadcrumb added to the training hours. I'm recalling past experiences gone very much bad, some, where I escaped by the "skin of my teeth," some, I was hired to surveil, others I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. This is one of those instances.
After a long day, I looked forward to getting much needed sleep in a comfortable bed, that wasn't lumpy. It was early, about 3:30pm and I just had an early supper. I decided to test out a hotel chain near the Greensboro airport, off a main road. It was quite the adventure!
As I drove up to the hotel, I tuned into the energies to ensure that I did not pick up or sense any harmful vibes. Things seemed ok. The firm I was with at the time, required me to be proficiently trained in the use and carry of a firearm; however, I preferred to have available, nonlethal weapons. I carry them with me at all times. Checking in didn’t seem to be a problem. That is, until I was waiting at the elevators to go to my floor when I heard something to the effect of, “better not give us trouble.” Did I just hear that?
Arriving in my hotel room, as soon as I closed the door, my spidey senses kicked in. Something in the room seemed off, something didn’t seem quite right. I felt like I was being watched. As I began unpacking, and about to go to bed, I overheard the dreaded words outside my room, “we have a problem.” Insert my one syllable expletive. I heard a group of men outside my door, and enough to make me feel fearful. Even though there was no sign indicated weapons prohibited, the manager could ask me to leave the premises. I’d know in the next 1-2 hours if I needed to leave or if I’d be OK.
The Mustard Seed
As a concealed carry permit holder, I have every right to defend the rented room that I am in, especially if someone broke in. A sense of unease crept in. I prayed and asked for protection. I thought about faith the size of a mustard seed, and felt that I had failed, because I didn’t have faith that I would be protected. Well, there’ll be plenty of time to build faith in the future.
Then, the unthinkable occurred. I could literally hear them outside or in the room next door – “let’s look her up.” Oh, no, they are going to find out I’m a PI. “I heard her call her husband.” By now, my heart is pounding. I began to silently pack my stuff back into my duffle and hear them saying, “She told her husband she was only staying one night.” Like the Tom Petty song – “No, I won’t back down… Gonna stand my ground.”
Travelin’ music for me was when I heard, “ambush her when she comes out” and “pound some sense into her.” I began feeling nauseous, my head feeling dizzy, my hands sweaty and shaking, my temple pounding. All of these signals were my body’s way of telling me, that a series of steps needed to be implemented to execute a strategic plan to get out of the room, unscathed. There were multiple men, tones of voices, some older, some younger. Geez. I wasn’t going to get any sleep tonight. I was unable to get on the internet, so I tried to call the front desk, but the phone did not have a dial tone. For a temporary time, I could not use my mobile to call out. Texting worked, but it took time for it to go through. The best that I could do was use the room’s barricades – the walls, the countertops, the mattress, and the furniture – if it wasn’t bolted to the floor to slow or stop any bullets or weapons flung at me if a break-in occurred.
Panic began to set in and I had to consciously take a step back and focus on the present, installing one of Wim Hof’s breathing techniques until I could calm down. It took several minutes to just stay present, and not create additional panic and anxiety by running what-if scenarios or manufacturing catastrophic play-by-plays. By acknowledging to myself that, I have fear in me, that I have anxiety in me, I began to see the feelings as temporary, and with that, my body relaxed and I returned to homeostasis almost immediately so that I was back in control of my emotions.
Helen Keller said, “Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. The fearful are caught as often as the bold.”
I rolled out of bed, got dressed, put my gun in an accessible area of my suitcase and tried again to call my husband to “come rescue me.” The call went through and I gave him specific directions on where to park, how to navigate the hotel and to come straight to my room. We created a plan A if things went smoothly, and a plan B, if they didn’t.
The Rescue
My husband came and escorted me to my car. I kindly informed the polite young man that the room was unacceptable and I would like a refund. He stated that the manager would refund the reservation immediately. We walked out of the lobby into the covered area outside the front of the hotel, and there you have it, people right outside the entrance, in the driveway, high and zoned out. Ugh. hookers and drug dealers. A vehicle right outside the hotel reeked of sweet-smelling grass. And since I wasn’t the usual customer, it raised suspicion and red flags.
As you can imagine, I felt like I had to take this on myself. It’s very difficult to be brave in a challenging situation in which anything and everything can go wrong. Much gratitude to my husband answering his phone and coming for me. All in all, I lasted a total of six hours. It’s a start. I knew I did the best I could in the moment. Marie Curie once said, “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” When faced with a hostile environment, weak leadership will not prevail. In this particular situation, it was safer to maintain the distance until backup arrived.
(This is a work of fiction. Any names or characters, business or places, events or incidents are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.)
PC: Ninelutsk
