It was just another day at work like most others. I rolled through the parking lot on the electric security golf cart around the employees' cars and trucks that filled the spaces. I glanced in and around them as I passed. I got off the cart and tugged on the various doors around the building, making sure they were secure. The keys jingled on my belt as I trudged onward. My breath formed fast dissipating clouds around me as the cold made me tuck my head a little bit farther down into the fur collar of my winter uniform coat. It was still early in the afternoon as parked the cart and made my way around the back of the building. The parking lot did not extend around where I now ventured, but there were still emergency exits to be checked.
"Oscar-One this is Mike-One. I'm headed around to the back." I radioed to my partner.
I was letting my partner in the security office know where I was going so he could make the log entry on the computer. In the event that something happened, he would know where to start looking. He could follow my progress on the building's cameras if he wanted to, but there were enough other things for him to do to keep him occupied rather than track my movements. I walked along the narrow strip of grass between the building and the unkempt line of bushes, shrubs, and trees. Tugging on the doors along the back, I finished that mundane task and headed back towards the parking lot. A noise caught my attention and I paused as I strained to hear. Peering into the tangled bare vines and leafless branches, I thought I spotted something but couldn't tell what it was. I moved along the path and kept a close eye on the area. I could now discern a shape. It was a person.
"Security." I called out.
There was no answer.
"Come on out of there. Don't make me call the cops."
The brittle dead leaves and branches that littered the ground snapped and crunched as the form finally moved to come out onto the pathway. It took a minute, as the undergrowth was thick. The trespasser finally emerged to stand near where I waited. There wasn't much I could make out in the way of features under the layers of old and tattered clothing.
"This is private property. Unless you're an employee, vendor, or visitor you can't be here."
"No problem. I'll leave. I was just trying to get out of the wind."
I was a little surprised at realizing the voice belonged to a woman. I had made that same warning plenty of times, but until now they were all guys I had dealt with. Obviously poverty is not a sexist condition. It can affect anyone whether male or female. She moved past me and I followed her back to the parking lot where she headed down the street away from my building. I notified my partner of the encounter as was usual in that situation. With that incident over, the remainder of my day went on without any further issues. After I was relieved by the next shift I went home.
Two days later I was patrolling the parking lot again. The day after my homeless woman encounter I had been the one in the office watching cameras and dealing with the minor issues inside while being able to stay comfortably warm. Now it was once again my turn outdoors. Patrolling the grounds always dragged by with periodic walks around the property while checking doors, vehicles, security lighting, and looking for anything out of place worth noting. The security cart was used to zoom along the vast parking area, but foot patrols were required for areas the cart could not go. The sun was finally up by the time I was checking the back of the building. As I walked the path I came across a shallow hole dug into the hard ground. It was lined with small rocks which created a makeshift fire pit, and the charred remains of a fire were clearly visible.
"Oscar-One this is Mike-One. Did you see anything along the back of the building yesterday?" I called over the radio.
"Mike-One, yeah. It looked like someone had a little fire going back there." my partner replied.
"You didn't mention it to me."
"I didn't think it was a big deal. I kicked the dirt back into it and checked around for any homeless, but there was nobody back there."
I grumbled to myself as I did the same. Clearly it had been used the day before, but after my partner had found it. The evening shift obviously didn't come back here to check on things like my shift did. That wasn't unusual. I made sure my job was done right. They just half-assed things on the way to collect their paychecks.
I finished checking the doors along the back of the building and then took my time coming back along the path. I kept scanning the brush as I passed. I almost missed it, but I caught sight of something as I walked by. I stopped and peered closely trying to pierce through the chaos made by Mother Nature.
"Security. Come on out of there."
"Damn!" I heard a voice softly cuss.
It took a minute for the person to extricate themselves from the brush before they were standing in front of me. The size was familiar and the clothing was unchanged from two days prior. It was the same woman hiding out in approximately the same spot. She was bundled up in such a way that the only thing I could make out was the area around her eyes. I couldn't even tell her hair color due to the hat and thick scarf she wore.
"Yep. Me again." I said. "You know the deal. You can't be on the property. If I find you out here again I'm gonna have to call the cops."
She didn't argue or make any excuses this time. She simply made her way along the building and then off down the road. I called the incident in to my partner as I had the last time and then continued on my rounds. The rest of my day proceeded as normal as most of them did. Even though I checked that same area several more times during my shift, she had not returned. I notified my relief before I went home, advising them to make sure to check the back of the building as they should already have been doing.
The following day I was back. My regular partner called off, and the interior guard was now working a double, so I got stuck outside again. Luckily being outside was not a big deal to me, even in the cold weather. I enjoyed the increased freedom that the roving patrol position afforded me. It was good to be inside during bad weather, but I could easily handle simple cold weather. Besides, I had to deal with less employee issues while I was outdoors. I've never been accused of being a people person, so the whole thing worked out fine for me. I zoomed around on the golf cart for the first few hours. I switched out to the interior position to relieve the other guy for his break, then took mine after he had returned. After that it was back outside for me. There was no set times I had to be in any specific location, so I made my check around the back of the building a little earlier than usual. I found the makeshift fire pit had been used again, but there was no sign of its user. I had to assume it was the same woman I had now twice encountered, but maybe this time she had left before I got back there. I still reported the issue for logging purposes, and continued my day.
"Mike One this is Oscar-One. Your relief called and said that they are gonna be a little late today. Just giving you the heads up." my current partner advised.
"What else is new?" I responded.
I was hardly ever relieved on time. The only difference this time was that they had called to say they were going to be late; later than the normal ten to fifteen minutes anyway. That could mean twenty minutes or two hours. I had no way of knowing and couldn't leave until they arrived without putting my own job in jeopardy. I was amazed these people still had jobs as often as they would call off, be late, or no show. I guess my company was short enough on officers that they had to try to retain the ones who would actually come to work, late or not. I was walking around the back of the building for the final time of my shift when I heard something. It sounded like snapping twigs. I looked around and easily spotted her this time. I guess she hadn't found a different hiding spot in time and was trying to get where she thought I wouldn't see her. I saw her freeze up when I looked directly at her.
"Might as well come on out." I called.
She noisily made her way out onto the path. She wouldn't even look at me this time. She just shuffled from foot to foot in front of me. I pulled out my cellphone to make good on my previous warning.
"Please don't call the police."
Her plea stayed my hand temporarily.
