Awhile back, I received a call from the minister wondering if I could take someone to Lansing in the morning on my way to work.

He went on to explain that this guy’s car broke down at the Lowell exit as he was returning to Detroit. If I could give him a ride to the bus station in East Lansing, he had enough money to buy a ticket home. He would come back for his car on the weekend.

I told him that it would be fine but that the person needed to be at the church at 6:45 AM. The pastor said that person needing the ride was staying with a friend of his near the church.

I had an uneasy feeling about the whole thing. The story didn’t seem right. A bus ticket from Grand Rapids to Detroit couldn’t be that much more expensive than one from East Lansing. And, if he didn’t have enough money, couldn’t he borrow it from his friend? Plus, I didn’t know if I would be dealing with a big guy with an attitude or some young kid.

At 6:45 AM, I arrived at the church looking for my pickup. No one was in site. I drove around the church but still didn’t see anyone. I looked up and down the street. Not a soul. Declaring him a no show, I hit the road.

Two days later when the local paper arrived, the front story was about a robbery suspect who had fled from the Lowell police. And as you have probably guessed, he was the guy that I was supposed to take to East Lansing.

It seems that the would be rider had taken a fancy to some of the electronics at his friends house and decided to take them with him when he left. Unfortunately, he spent too much time stealing the stuff and thus missed his ride to East Lansing.

He was still at the church when the police arrived. Upon seeing the police, he fled the scene leave his booty behind. He alluded the Lowell police but given the fact that his friend knew who he was, it wouldn’t be too hard to find him.

Well, like I said, I thought that there was something fishy about his story and I could have driven the getaway car.