Path To Atonement
Chapter Two
Been a while since I’ve driven down Avenida Revolución. The bars are blaring music at two in the afternoon, and there are still cheap souvenir shops on each corner, competing for space with KFC and taco shops,” said Nick.
“Back off from the ‘grumpy old man’ persona. This place still rocks at night and there are a few fine restaurants and high-end stores in the mix,” replied Pepe.
“Enough with the tourist commentary. We’re coming up on Mariposa, where we’re supposed to take a right and go down a few blocks,” said Petra.
Pepe drove down Mariposa. They were looking for an old, two-story building, which had, at one time, been a boarding school. A discreet sign, stating, Casa Esperanza, was supposed to be above the door. Petra spotted it first. There were ample parking spots along the jacaranda-lined street. It was surprising how peaceful the residential area was just a few blocks off busy Avenida Revolución.
Nick banged the brass doorknocker twice. The thick, carved wooden door opened slowly to reveal a dim, high-ceilinged entrance hall. Elin appeared from behind the door like an apparition from another time. She was still beautiful. She had cut her blonde hair to just above her shoulders and her eyes had a touch of sadness where, before Javier’s death, they had radiated only light.
Nick put out his hand. She grasped it with both hands and said, “Welcome. I’m so glad you came.”
“It’s good to see you again. You know Pepe, and this is DEA Special Agent Petra Gregorio, who worked with us in the Amazon. She is currently assigned to our task force in San Diego.” Petra smiled, highlighting her dazzling white teeth. Petra’s large hazel-colored eyes and smooth olive skin set off her shoulder-length, curly black hair.
“Nice to meet you, Agent Gregorio. Are all the members of your task force attractive?”
Pepe interjected, “Everyone but the boss.”
They sat around a low-level, teak table placed in front of a large, stone fireplace. Running footsteps resounded from above and laughter filtered out from a room next door.
Nick said, “Tell us about Casa Esperanza.”
“I bought the property six months ago. It was once a private boarding school. It closed because many of the rich Mexican families were moving across the border or sending their kids across the border for school. The building is perfect for our needs. There are two wings, each with 15 bedrooms. We have 40 foster kids living here, 20 from full capacity. The school had a kitchen, which I updated, and a large dining area. The laughter is coming from one of the playrooms. Outside, we have a volleyball court and room for the kids to kick a soccer ball. I have two teachers, a cook, an administrator/job placement assistant and a handyman. We take in foster or orphaned boys and girls, ages 11 to 17. We offer education, including classes in English, and try to get the kids aged 15 and older, jobs in the community.”
“I’m impressed, Elin.”
“Thanks, Mr. Drummond. This is just a start. I want to open another home in Sinaloa where La Familia had their poppy grow, and a third in the Yucatan, in Cancun. My goals are to get the kids off the streets, give them at least a rudimentary education, and get them jobs or internships that can lead them to financial independence. That way they won’t join the cartels or be abused by the cartels. Word of mouth travels fast among the children. They know they have a safe haven here with good food and a place to sleep.”
Pepe asked, “How did the girl from Nepal come here?”
“One of my boys, Alejandro, was working as a janitor in a hotel. I didn’t realize it at the time, but the hotel is a front for a high-end prostitution ring. The girls have rooms in the upper floors while the ground floor is a gentlemen’s club. The men drink, watch the dancers, and go upstairs to ‘complete’ their evening on the town. The hotel is located in Zona Norte, just a few blocks from the border. It’s the red-light district and mainly caters to Norte Americanos. The clubs and hotels advertise on the internet. Satisfied Americans write reviews. Prostitution is legal and the authorities monitor the prostitutes’ health. But no one pays much attention to age and whether the prostitutes are working against their will.
“Sorry, to get off-track. This is very upsetting to me. Alejandro got to know the Nepalese girl, Binsa, at work. They both speak enough English to communicate. He told me about her. I arranged for a taxi to pick her up at the alley behind the hotel. Alejandro quit his job a few days later.”
Nick said, “What more can you tell us about Binsa?”
“She is very intelligent and beautiful, with cocoa-colored skin, large green eyes, and long, dark hair pulled behind her ears in a braid down her back. Binsa is exotic looking, and her handlers demanded a high price. She doesn’t trust men, especially white men. She is part of an ethnic minority in Nepal, the Tharu. The Tharu are farmers and live primarily in southern Nepal. Her village is located just outside of Royal Chitwan Park.”
Nick asked, “Did you have her examined by a doctor?”
“Yes. Binsa had tears in her vagina and anus that were consistent with being sexually assaulted.”
Petra asked, “Can we see her and try to get to know her?”
“I can bring her down, but she isn’t ready for an interrogation.”
Nick replied, “We understand. We’ll have Petra commence the conversation.”
During the few minutes that Elin was upstairs to get Binsa, the team discussed how they would approach the interview. Petra would take the lead and try to establish rapport. Petra would ask her about her home life in Nepal and try to discover her interests. If it were possible, they would try to lead the conversation to human trafficking. They would not go into detail. Just try to get an overall picture of the operation. Pepe would take notes.
Binsa trailed behind Elin. She was about Elin’s height, five feet, nine inches, and slender. She was wearing gold-color, dangling earrings, which swayed beside her long neck as she walked. They stood up as Binsa approached and Elin made introductions. The team was careful not to shake her hand nor touch her. They slightly bowed their heads in greeting.
“Binsa, we’re here to get to know you. We want to put a stop to what happened to you and the other girls. We need to investigate the people who brought you to this country and made you work at the hotel. We’ll do everything we can to put them in jail where they can’t harm anyone else. But first, I’m interested in your homeland. Where does your family live?” asked Petra.
“We live outside of Chitwan Park in Nepal. Our family used to live inside the park. The government made it a park when my parents were children. They removed the villagers from the park by burning their homes and destroying their fields.”
“That’s terrible. Has your family been able to farm outside the park?”
“Yes. We farm the land. But, they won’t allow us to own the land.”
“It must be difficult for your family to make a living.”
“It is. I helped out at the tourist lodge in the park, Tiger Tops. My eldest brother works as a mahout, an elephant keeper. He takes care of an elephant at the lodge.”
“That’s exciting. I love elephants. They’re so smart. It’s amazing what they do with their trunks—spray water on their backs and pick up food to put in their mouths.”
Binsa brightened. “My favorite animal is the elephant. My brother used to let me ride his when the tourists weren’t there.
We’d go to the dirt airstrip a few kilometers from the lodge for him to pick up tourists with his elephant.”
“Have you seen any scary animals in the park?”
“We see mugger crocodiles all the time. If you are in the river near them, especially if you are crouching down with your hands in the water, they’ll attack you. More lives are lost by crocodiles than any other wild animal in the area around the park, including rhinos and Bengal tigers.”
“There are Royal Bengal tigers there? They are so beautiful. Have you seen one?”
“Only once. I went into the forest in search of herbs we use for seasoning. It was early evening, just before the sunset. I was on my hands and knees by a tree, picking herbs. I heard a soft growl behind me. I turned and saw a large tiger by a small creek, 100 feet away. I knew I couldn’t outrun him or climb a tree to get away. So, I stayed absolutely still, barely breathing. We looked at each other for what I thought was the longest time. Then, I was no longer afraid. The tiger lowered his head, took a drink and walked away. Before coming into the woods, I had asked our deities who live in the forest to take care of me. I knew they would and they did.”
Nick lowered himself down so he was eye level with Binsa.
“You’re so brave. I’d never have wanted to go into the forest again.” “I didn’t go for several weeks. But, once I went back, it was fine.”
“I went to your country long ago. It was so beautiful and the people were very friendly. I stayed in Kathmandu for a few days. I loved the marketplace streets with stores on either side, selling clothes, rugs, and fresh produce. So much activity and so many people dressed in different clothes. And, no cars, just people walking.”
“I like Kathmandu. It’s such a big city. That’s where I met the woman who sent me here.”
Petra said, “Can you tell us a little about that? Who first suggested you travel here?”
“I met Mister Rick and his wife, Miss Susan, at the lodge. They stayed there for almost a week. Mister Rick wanted to see a Bengal tiger. He finally did. He took photographs of it. I heard him tell his wife he would have liked to have shot and stuffed it instead.
He added that it would have gone in his den with all his African wildlife heads.”
“How well did you get to know Mr. Rick?”
“Pretty well. He seemed to like me. He told me that I should come to the United States. I could make a lot of money taking care of children. I could send money home to my family. I also could go to school. I talked to my parents about it. Mister Rick bought me a bus ticket to Kathmandu to meet Miss Daxa Bandari.” “What was she like?” asked Nick.
“She was older. I stayed at her home for a few days. She talked to me about America and how to act. She told me how I would travel to San Diego and what a beautiful place it was. She gave me money for my family. She told me I could pay her back from all the money I would make.”
Nick followed up, “How did you get to San Diego?”
“I took a bus with Miss Bandari and three other girls from Katmandu to Varanasi, India. In Varanasi, four girls joined us. Miss Bandari put us on a plane on a small airfield like the airfield near the lodge. We landed in Thailand near a big river. Then, they put us on a boat. We changed boats once and traveled all the way to Vietnam. We waited there a few days. A man took our photos and later gave us passports and other papers. The passport from Thailand had my photo on it. I also got a student visa. The documents said I was 18 years old. We flew on a huge plane, stopped at an airport and changed to another big plane. Then we flew for the longest time and finally landed in Los Angeles, where we went through customs. It was a short flight in a smaller plane to San Diego.”
Petra asked, “What happened when you got to San Diego?”
“There were two vans at the airport. I, and three girls got into one van and were driven to a hotel in Tijuana. The other four girls went in the second van. I heard the man who flew with us say that the second van was staying on this side and the other was going across the border.”
Petra continued, “What happened at the hotel?”
Binsa looked at Elin. Her eyes began to fill with tears. She put her head down and turned away. Elin said, “That’s enough.”
Nick signaled for his agents to get up. He said to Binsa, “Thank you for talking to us. I know it’s hard. You’re very brave. You have such a pretty name. What does it mean?”
Binsa looked up. She dried her tears. “It means, ‘woman who
is fearless’.”
“You are well-named.” Nick bowed slightly to her with his open hands pressed together in front of his chest. Binsa returned the gesture.
As Elin walked them out, Nick said, “I’d like Petra to come back with a female sexual assault counselor from our office. They can come back as many times as it takes for Binsa to tell her full story.”
“Okay. I will see how she is doing and let you know. Thank you, Mr. Drummond.”
“Isn’t it about time you called me Nick?’
Elin flashed a faint smile, “Okay, Nick.”
On the return drive to San Diego, Pepe asked, “Is there any place on earth you haven’t been to?”
Nick replied, “There are way too many places I haven’t been to. But I’ve done pretty well on my travel bucket list. Many years ago, before serious attachments, I crossed off parts of Africa, the Middle East and Asia, most of Europe, almost all of Latin America, and Australia and New Zealand. You never know when travel comes in handy.”
“I’ve always wanted to be handy in that way. Before chasing Javier around South America, my traveling was pretty much limited to Imperial County. Maybe we’ll find a witness from there.”
Path To Atonement
Chapter Two
Been a while since I’ve driven down Avenida Revolución. The bars are blaring music at two in the afternoon, and there are still cheap souvenir shops on each corner, competing for space with KFC and taco shops,” said Nick.
“Back off from the ‘grumpy old man’ persona. This place still rocks at night and there are a few fine restaurants and high-end stores in the mix,” replied Pepe.
“Enough with the tourist commentary. We’re coming up on Mariposa, where we’re supposed to take a right and go down a few blocks,” said Petra.
Pepe drove down Mariposa. They were looking for an old, two-story building, which had, at one time, been a boarding school. A discreet sign, stating, Casa Esperanza, was supposed to be above the door. Petra spotted it first. There were ample parking spots along the jacaranda-lined street. It was surprising how peaceful the residential area was just a few blocks off busy Avenida Revolución.
Nick banged the brass doorknocker twice. The thick, carved wooden door opened slowly to reveal a dim, high-ceilinged entrance hall. Elin appeared from behind the door like an apparition from another time. She was still beautiful. She had cut her blonde hair to just above her shoulders and her eyes had a touch of sadness where, before Javier’s death, they had radiated only light.
Nick put out his hand. She grasped it with both hands and said, “Welcome. I’m so glad you came.”
“It’s good to see you again. You know Pepe, and this is DEA Special Agent Petra Gregorio, who worked with us in the Amazon. She is currently assigned to our task force in San Diego.” Petra smiled, highlighting her dazzling white teeth. Petra’s large hazel-colored eyes and smooth olive skin set off her shoulder-length, curly black hair.
“Nice to meet you, Agent Gregorio. Are all the members of your task force attractive?”
Pepe interjected, “Everyone but the boss.”
They sat around a low-level, teak table placed in front of a large, stone fireplace. Running footsteps resounded from above and laughter filtered out from a room next door.
Nick said, “Tell us about Casa Esperanza.”
“I bought the property six months ago. It was once a private boarding school. It closed because many of the rich Mexican families were moving across the border or sending their kids across the border for school. The building is perfect for our needs. There are two wings, each with 15 bedrooms. We have 40 foster kids living here, 20 from full capacity. The school had a kitchen, which I updated, and a large dining area. The laughter is coming from one of the playrooms. Outside, we have a volleyball court and room for the kids to kick a soccer ball. I have two teachers, a cook, an administrator/job placement assistant and a handyman. We take in foster or orphaned boys and girls, ages 11 to 17. We offer education, including classes in English, and try to get the kids aged 15 and older, jobs in the community.”
“I’m impressed, Elin.”
“Thanks, Mr. Drummond. This is just a start. I want to open another home in Sinaloa where La Familia had their poppy grow, and a third in the Yucatan, in Cancun. My goals are to get the kids off the streets, give them at least a rudimentary education, and get them jobs or internships that can lead them to financial independence. That way they won’t join the cartels or be abused by the cartels. Word of mouth travels fast among the children. They know they have a safe haven here with good food and a place to sleep.”
Pepe asked, “How did the girl from Nepal come here?”
“One of my boys, Alejandro, was working as a janitor in a hotel. I didn’t realize it at the time, but the hotel is a front for a high-end prostitution ring. The girls have rooms in the upper floors while the ground floor is a gentlemen’s club. The men drink, watch the dancers, and go upstairs to ‘complete’ their evening on the town. The hotel is located in Zona Norte, just a few blocks from the border. It’s the red-light district and mainly caters to Norte Americanos. The clubs and hotels advertise on the internet. Satisfied Americans write reviews. Prostitution is legal and the authorities monitor the prostitutes’ health. But no one pays much attention to age and whether the prostitutes are working against their will.
“Sorry, to get off-track. This is very upsetting to me. Alejandro got to know the Nepalese girl, Binsa, at work. They both speak enough English to communicate. He told me about her. I arranged for a taxi to pick her up at the alley behind the hotel. Alejandro quit his job a few days later.”
Nick said, “What more can you tell us about Binsa?”
“She is very intelligent and beautiful, with cocoa-colored skin, large green eyes, and long, dark hair pulled behind her ears in a braid down her back. Binsa is exotic looking, and her handlers demanded a high price. She doesn’t trust men, especially white men. She is part of an ethnic minority in Nepal, the Tharu. The Tharu are farmers and live primarily in southern Nepal. Her village is located just outside of Royal Chitwan Park.”
Nick asked, “Did you have her examined by a doctor?”
“Yes. Binsa had tears in her vagina and anus that were consistent with being sexually assaulted.”
Petra asked, “Can we see her and try to get to know her?”
“I can bring her down, but she isn’t ready for an interrogation.”
Nick replied, “We understand. We’ll have Petra commence the conversation.”
During the few minutes that Elin was upstairs to get Binsa, the team discussed how they would approach the interview. Petra would take the lead and try to establish rapport. Petra would ask her about her home life in Nepal and try to discover her interests. If it were possible, they would try to lead the conversation to human trafficking. They would not go into detail. Just try to get an overall picture of the operation. Pepe would take notes.
Binsa trailed behind Elin. She was about Elin’s height, five feet, nine inches, and slender. She was wearing gold-color, dangling earrings, which swayed beside her long neck as she walked. They stood up as Binsa approached and Elin made introductions. The team was careful not to shake her hand nor touch her. They slightly bowed their heads in greeting.
“Binsa, we’re here to get to know you. We want to put a stop to what happened to you and the other girls. We need to investigate the people who brought you to this country and made you work at the hotel. We’ll do everything we can to put them in jail where they can’t harm anyone else. But first, I’m interested in your homeland. Where does your family live?” asked Petra.
“We live outside of Chitwan Park in Nepal. Our family used to live inside the park. The government made it a park when my parents were children. They removed the villagers from the park by burning their homes and destroying their fields.”
“That’s terrible. Has your family been able to farm outside the park?”
“Yes. We farm the land. But, they won’t allow us to own the land.”
“It must be difficult for your family to make a living.”
“It is. I helped out at the tourist lodge in the park, Tiger Tops. My eldest brother works as a mahout, an elephant keeper. He takes care of an elephant at the lodge.”
“That’s exciting. I love elephants. They’re so smart. It’s amazing what they do with their trunks—spray water on their backs and pick up food to put in their mouths.”
Binsa brightened. “My favorite animal is the elephant. My brother used to let me ride his when the tourists weren’t there.
We’d go to the dirt airstrip a few kilometers from the lodge for him to pick up tourists with his elephant.”
“Have you seen any scary animals in the park?”
“We see mugger crocodiles all the time. If you are in the river near them, especially if you are crouching down with your hands in the water, they’ll attack you. More lives are lost by crocodiles than any other wild animal in the area around the park, including rhinos and Bengal tigers.”
“There are Royal Bengal tigers there? They are so beautiful. Have you seen one?”
“Only once. I went into the forest in search of herbs we use for seasoning. It was early evening, just before the sunset. I was on my hands and knees by a tree, picking herbs. I heard a soft growl behind me. I turned and saw a large tiger by a small creek, 100 feet away. I knew I couldn’t outrun him or climb a tree to get away. So, I stayed absolutely still, barely breathing. We looked at each other for what I thought was the longest time. Then, I was no longer afraid. The tiger lowered his head, took a drink and walked away. Before coming into the woods, I had asked our deities who live in the forest to take care of me. I knew they would and they did.”
Nick lowered himself down so he was eye level with Binsa.
“You’re so brave. I’d never have wanted to go into the forest again.” “I didn’t go for several weeks. But, once I went back, it was fine.”
“I went to your country long ago. It was so beautiful and the people were very friendly. I stayed in Kathmandu for a few days. I loved the marketplace streets with stores on either side, selling clothes, rugs, and fresh produce. So much activity and so many people dressed in different clothes. And, no cars, just people walking.”
“I like Kathmandu. It’s such a big city. That’s where I met the woman who sent me here.”
Petra said, “Can you tell us a little about that? Who first suggested you travel here?”
“I met Mister Rick and his wife, Miss Susan, at the lodge. They stayed there for almost a week. Mister Rick wanted to see a Bengal tiger. He finally did. He took photographs of it. I heard him tell his wife he would have liked to have shot and stuffed it instead.
He added that it would have gone in his den with all his African wildlife heads.”
“How well did you get to know Mr. Rick?”
“Pretty well. He seemed to like me. He told me that I should come to the United States. I could make a lot of money taking care of children. I could send money home to my family. I also could go to school. I talked to my parents about it. Mister Rick bought me a bus ticket to Kathmandu to meet Miss Daxa Bandari.” “What was she like?” asked Nick.
“She was older. I stayed at her home for a few days. She talked to me about America and how to act. She told me how I would travel to San Diego and what a beautiful place it was. She gave me money for my family. She told me I could pay her back from all the money I would make.”
Nick followed up, “How did you get to San Diego?”
“I took a bus with Miss Bandari and three other girls from Katmandu to Varanasi, India. In Varanasi, four girls joined us. Miss Bandari put us on a plane on a small airfield like the airfield near the lodge. We landed in Thailand near a big river. Then, they put us on a boat. We changed boats once and traveled all the way to Vietnam. We waited there a few days. A man took our photos and later gave us passports and other papers. The passport from Thailand had my photo on it. I also got a student visa. The documents said I was 18 years old. We flew on a huge plane, stopped at an airport and changed to another big plane. Then we flew for the longest time and finally landed in Los Angeles, where we went through customs. It was a short flight in a smaller plane to San Diego.”
Petra asked, “What happened when you got to San Diego?”
“There were two vans at the airport. I, and three girls got into one van and were driven to a hotel in Tijuana. The other four girls went in the second van. I heard the man who flew with us say that the second van was staying on this side and the other was going across the border.”
Petra continued, “What happened at the hotel?”
Binsa looked at Elin. Her eyes began to fill with tears. She put her head down and turned away. Elin said, “That’s enough.”
Nick signaled for his agents to get up. He said to Binsa, “Thank you for talking to us. I know it’s hard. You’re very brave. You have such a pretty name. What does it mean?”
Binsa looked up. She dried her tears. “It means, ‘woman who
is fearless’.”
“You are well-named.” Nick bowed slightly to her with his open hands pressed together in front of his chest. Binsa returned the gesture.
As Elin walked them out, Nick said, “I’d like Petra to come back with a female sexual assault counselor from our office. They can come back as many times as it takes for Binsa to tell her full story.”
“Okay. I will see how she is doing and let you know. Thank you, Mr. Drummond.”
“Isn’t it about time you called me Nick?’
Elin flashed a faint smile, “Okay, Nick.”
On the return drive to San Diego, Pepe asked, “Is there any place on earth you haven’t been to?”
Nick replied, “There are way too many places I haven’t been to. But I’ve done pretty well on my travel bucket list. Many years ago, before serious attachments, I crossed off parts of Africa, the Middle East and Asia, most of Europe, almost all of Latin America, and Australia and New Zealand. You never know when travel comes in handy.”
“I’ve always wanted to be handy in that way. Before chasing Javier around South America, my traveling was pretty much limited to Imperial County. Maybe we’ll find a witness from there.”