PIPER'S, Inc.. Joaquin De Torres

just transpired.

      She took a number for the next available bank associate under the NEW ACCOUNTS area, then took a seat in the plush waiting room lounge. She opened the folder and scanned the documents. They were all signed and stamped. She shook her head unable to believe the change of luck she had with the meeting of that woman. She figured by the way she was dressed that she was a corporate big shot. She wondered what it would be like to have so much power and influence.

      Confident and excited, she put the envelop of cash into her bag. While securing the folder of documents, the business card Romana had given her fell on the carpeted floor. She picked it up and examined it for the first time in detail. It was simple. There was the name: ROMANA ‘VENUS’ POWERS at the top with her mobile number. There was no office address, email address, or occupation. In the center of the card in a larger font was her company: PIPER’S, Inc. And beneath that was a short statement:

      “In the end, we all must pay the Piper.”

      She grinned as she considered the clever correlation of the company name with the company slogan. Carlos had told the class of the fairy tale and legend of the Pied Piper, and thanked God she had been in his class. But what did she say in her short phone call? ‘The Piper’s been paid?’ And who is Temujin? Why did she call herself Venus? It didn’t matter. She’d just met the woman, after all. Everyone has his or her own world.

      She finally arrived at her motel room a little after 6 P.M. She had taken a nice walk through the town just to enjoy the fresh air and the fresh possibilities she now had. What a game changer Romana turned out to be! She smiled the whole way home thinking of the innocent yet powerful way this woman had entered her life. The way she was dressed showed that she must have been a very important, respected and wealthy woman. But her smile, her warmth and her empathy proved that some people can be kind souls despite their wealth.

      She dropped the documents, her bag, keys and a bottle of water on the table after entering the motel room. Like second nature, she took the remote control and turned on the TV as she stripped off her clothes and turned on the water in the bathtub. As the water warmed, she poured in various beauty oils and salts that she had brought along. She came out of the bathroom and stopped. She took the remote and turned up the volume when she saw something strangely familiar on the TV. A newscaster was standing in front of the very bank she had done business with.

      “And now back to our breaking story. Sheldon Rosenbaum, the director of operations and loans at Trust National Bank in Rochester, was found dead in his office late this afternoon.”

      “Oh, my God!”

      “Police stated that a 9-1-1 call was placed by Rosenbaum’s secretary Jenny Price, sometime after 5:30 P.M. after he wouldn’t answer his office phone. Price stated that when she entered his office, Rosenbaum was lying face down on his desk. Thinking he was taking a nap, Price tried to wake him, but after several attempts she realized he wasn’t breathing, and called for emergency services.

      “He was pronounced dead at the scene. As of this hour, no official word on the cause of death has been confirmed by the county coroner. But EMT responders said that there was an empty bottle of brandy next to Rosenbaum when he was found. There is speculation that he had suffered from what is called Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy, a type of heart attack that occurs when large amounts of alcohol hit the blood stream and then the heart at a very fast rate. People who binge drink suffer from this condition.”

      “Empty? That bottle was full when he poured me a drink!” Diana couldn’t believe that he just chugged it all when she and Romana left the building. “How could he do that? That bottle was huge!”

      “Over the last decade, Rosenbaum had been accused of racketeering, corruption, coercion, money laundering and extortion, but prosecutors were never able to prove the facts nor bring his cases to court. Many felt he paid off judges, grand jury members, lawyers and politicians to protect himself. Last fall, he was heard boasting at a fundraiser that he was “the true untouchable” in New York. Sheldon Rosenbaum is dead today at 56. We will bring you more of this breaking story when details become available. Please stay with us, we’ll be back after this short break.”

      Diana clicked off the TV. Still stunned, she returned to the bathroom where she slid herself under the warm, foamy water. As the thick, relaxing fragrance of massage oils and soothing salts began to waft in the air, she contemplated on Sheldon Rosenbaum for awhile, replaying in her mind the ghastly scenes of him threatening her, blackmailing her, and coercing her to have sex. Then she thought of the crimes he had allegedly committed in the past.

      Serves him right, she thought darkly. He will no longer victimize women. But her thoughts soon turned to that mysterious woman who helped her. Refreshing thoughts like the first rays of the sun on morning dew. She thanked the heavens for her. Romana Powers, employee of PIPER’S, Inc. . .the woman who, for all intents and purposes, saved her life.