Notary Request by a Possible Kidnapper.

LK reports:

It was late on a dark Friday night in Rosemead, California, when I had just finished notarizing a grant deed for some old customers of mine when the phone rang. It was a company that I enjoyed working for that I hadn't heard from for a while. They had a job for me in the neighboring city of Monterey Park. That's generally a safe place to be at night. What they didn't tell me was that the client was a suspected kidnapper. I guess the company company who dispatched this job to me doesn't include "Are you a kidnapper" on the list of questions they ask clients. I tried to call the location before I went there, but the phone number was incorrect. It was close, so I wasn't concerned. It was only ten minutes away, and practically on my way home. When I got to the address, it was a run down motel with only six units. I was to go to unit #5. I knocked on the door, and a very nervous man answered the door. He seemed very bony, like he hadn't eaten in weeks. His eyes were wild and deep set, and he was very agitated. As I looked around the smoke filled room I noticed that there were seven people in the suite which included a kitchenette. Two elderly ladies were in a bed. I asked him who he needed to be notarized. He said he needed a power of attorney from his mom. His mom only had a thirty year old Mexican passport. Nobody else in the room had ID to be a credible witness except for the man I was working with who was the beneficiary. I told him that I couldn't legally notarize his mom under those circumstances. Then, he pleaded with me and offered me lots of cash which he had laying on the table next to his overflowing ashtray, half empty beer bottles, and packs of cigarettes. Then he told me about the family feud he was in and how he was accused of kidnapping his mother. I started getting nervous then. I told him that he should consult a lawyer. He said he was running out of cash and couldn't afford to see a lawyer. They seemed like they were on the run. I told him I couldn't legally help him. He continued to plead looking very desperate and distraught. Finally I had to leave and apologize. This was one of the spookiest notary calls I have ever gone out on.