The Scene of the Crime

(Insert typewriter sounds here.)
It was a cold, dreary night. The clock on the car radio read half past ten and all seemed quiet and calm. Women with endless grocery lists and sleepy babies passed by with their shopping baskets while workmen washed windows and cleared carts from the parking lot.

The girls in the car longed to be home, warm and snug in their beds. The day had been long and weary and a stop at the grocery store only made them more exhausted. Due to sore feet and aching calves the girls rested inside the car and left the shopping up to their hardworking mother. But little did they know their sleepiness would turn them into primary witnesses at the scene of a crime.

50 year old "Sally" was having a day like any other only empty cupboards had sent her on a late-night run to the supermarket. After gathering what she needed Sally checked out and headed for her car. Poor, unsuspecting Sally wheeled her basket to her trunk and began unloading bags into her car. The girls in the car were parked almost directly in front of Sally. However, hardly noticed Sally seeing they were dancing to random pop songs on the radio.

Catching a bit of commotion out of the corner of her eye the elder of the girls glanced up just in time to see a tall dark figure sprint past Sally snatching her purse from her cart. Sally was quick to react and jumped at the purse thief. The women began playing a game of tug-of-war over Sally's purse.

Back in the car the girls didn't react. Being as sleepy as they were they figured the women were just friends playing a game. As they watched they thought the game began to get a little violent and they became confused. The two struggling women disappeared behind a mini van and the girls lost sight of them. The next minute the tall figure, clutching the purse, jumped into a dark vehicle parked a car over from the girls' car. This didn't stop Sally. She dashed over to the car and threw the door open, reaching for her purse. She caught hold of it and held on tight. Again, each woman had and end of the bag. Only the thief wasn't about to give up her winnings. She shoved the stick into drive and hit the gas. All of Sally's important items were in her purse: phone, check book, debit card and all. Sally decided to put up one last fight and held tight her end of the purse. The car was in motion and Sally was too. The car drove full speed ahead with Sally dragging behind.

Sally didn't hang on long and was soon left lying injured in the parking lot. The girls, realizing by this time it was no game, jumped from their car and ran to Sally's side. One of the girls helped Sally to her feet while the other dialed 9-1-1. The girl shakily sputtered out her location to the dispatcher on the other end of the phone and was assured the police and EMS would be there in a matter of minutes. By this time a small crowed began to form. The other girl sat with Sally and asked a bystander to fetch a bottle of water. Another woman and her two children who had seen the car drive off came over to giver their assistance while a store worker flagged down the approaching police car. The EMS had also arrived to care for Sally who was in much pain. It just so happened that the Paramedic was the grandfather of the two children in the crowd.

As Sally was being looked after the police officer pulled the girls off to the side and asked for details of the crime. They were also asked for their contact information. They gave it, hoping it wouldn't be needed. By this time the girls' mother had exited the store and was making her way to the car. The younger girl dashed off to tell her what had happened while the other girl stood by to see if she was still needed.

Think began to wrap up and the girls were dismissed. Back inside their car they could finally catch their breath. With shaking hands and trembling voices they described to their mother all that had happened. But soon they were back home and left their worries behind them.

Two days had past when the girls returned home from an afternoon outing to find a calling card left on their door. It read "Ms. Moore, PLS contact Det. Allen as soon as possible". The girls were less than pleased and quite frightened. A detective? What would a detective want with them? Being too nervous they had their mother call the Detective for them. He wanted to speak with them at his office. That day. So the jittery girls loaded up in their car and headed to the police station.

Once there they were asked to wait. Detective Allen was on the phone. 45 minutes passed and they were still waiting. To pass the time one of the girls talked to friends on the phone who proved to be no comfort to her fluttering stomach. Her friends told her that she'd be hooked up to a lie detector and all!
Time was ticking and the girls had other appointments that day. They told the clerk they'd have to come back another day. That very moment a side door opened. There stood the detective ready for his witnesses.

The girls swallowed hard and followed him through the winding hallways to his office. They all took a seat and stared at one another. Detective Allen started: "I've asked you here because there's a problem. The story you told the police conflicts with the stories of other witnesses." The girls gulped for air. "I have here the footage from the surveillance camera at the grocery store". He pushed play on the tape. The girls sat and rewatched robbery. As far as they could see their story matched with the footage. The detective began again: " In your report you both told the police that the thief entered the car from the passenger's side door. This video shows that she entered from the driver's side door."

Was he serious? He had called them in for that? But to him it was all very important. He asked the girls to rewatch the video and make a statement agreeing with him that the thief had in fact entered the car from the driver's side door. The girls were happy to state it so. After a correction to his report and a bit of friendly chit chat the detective sent the girls on their way.

Until next time,
Juliana.