When Karma Shows Up

When Karma Shows Up

1.

Ten year old Joyce and her eight year old brother Jack were told to stay with the grocery cart by their mother because she left her purse in their car. They obeyed her and waited. After what seemed like twenty minutes Jack was getting worried.

What’s taking her so long?” he asked.

“Don’t know. Maybe Mom’s talking to a friend in the parking lot?”

“But she doesn’t like to leave us along very long.”

“It’s not that long yet, so quit worrying.”

After perhaps another ten minutes, Jack run towards the parking lot. Although Joyce didn’t want to disobey her mother, Jack was always her responsibility when their mother wasn’t with them. So she ran after him. In the parking lot she quickly understood his worry was justified. Neither their mother or the car was in the parking space where she parked it. And Jack was crying.

“Why did Mom drive off without telling us?” Jack wondered in a sobbing voice.

“I don’t know? Maybe she needed to go to the bank?” Joyce responded to reassure him.

“But Momma wouldn’t do that without telling us first,” Jack protested.

A woman, perhaps in her mid-50s, came up to them.

“Is something wrong?” she asked the children.

“Our Momma is gone and she drove off in our car, And she didn’t tell us first,” Jack told her.

“I’ll help you, but we have to act quickly,” she told them both.

“Our Momma said we shouldn’t talk to strangers,” Joyce informed her.

“I most cases you’re right," the woman told Joyce. "But in this case, maybe she’s in trouble.”

“Why should we trust you to help?”

“Two reasons, I’m a mother, too. Ad I’m a detective.”

“But Daddy said never trust a cop.”

“And Daddy’s in jail and will be there a long time,” Joyce reminded her younger brother, then added,  “If this detective can help us then we let her do so.”

After Joyce gave the detective all the details she could about their mother’s name was, what she looked like, where they lived and what kind of car their mother drove, the detective called the criminal division at the local police station passed on the information, suggesting it was a car-jacking care with the victim still in the car. When she hung up, she looked at the children.

“I was listening to what you said on your phone, Lady, so what do we do now?” Jack asked.

“Not much except wait until we hear back from them. And hope your mother stays calm and doesn’t panic. And, hopefully, she’ll be smart enough to escape when she has the chance,”

“Momma is smart enough, She teaches Science in High School,” Joyce told the detective.

“That’s good to know.”

“Are we riding with you to the police station? Jack wondered.

“I think we should stay here, because if your mother escapes she’ll come here first,” the detective told them and they both nodded yes. Then she added, “I’m Kim Collins. My daughter is Kathleen and she is thirteen now. So, let’s all wait inside until I get a call back.”

So Joyce and Jack followed Ms. Collins back into the grocery store. 

Within an hour, Judy Wells, their mother, came into the store, Her children ran to her, both hugging and kissing their mother. After a few minutes Ms, Collins made a phone call, then she told the reunited family she needs to drive them to the station.

2.

Detective Collins, Joyce and Jack listened as their mother gave her sworn statement to the lead detective assigned to the case. Because the statement was being recorded the children tried not to make a sound while their mother talk.

Mrs. Wells told the lead detective that a man jumped into her car and told her he had a gun, but wouldn’t use it if she listened to what he wanted to tell her. He called himself Harry and told her he wanted revenge against her husband because Wayne ratted on him as part of a plea bargain. That plea bargain caused Harry to spend four years in prison. 

After she told Harry that Wayne and her had been divorced for six years, she said he had every right to be angry at Wayne for what he did. Then she told him she couldn’t give him those four years, but he could have all the cash in her purse and her debit card. She even gave him it’s pin number and told him to empty out her checking account. She only asked to keep her drivers license and promised him she wouldn’t report him to the police as long as he never tried to contact her or her two children. He agreed and dropped her off a mile from the grocery store. After her car was out of sight she ran to the grocery store. And last, she told them that the debit card she gave him was no longer valid and if he tried to use it the bank would instantly know.

She was thanked for her cooperation and embraced her children. Then Judy, Joyce, Jack and Detective Collins walked to the police station break room.

3.

The four of them sat at a table, with the kids drinking soda and Judy and Kay sipping coffee. And Mrs. Wells thanked her for helping her children, calling the police and watch the children until she showed up.

“I’m curious about several things, if you don’t mind me asking?

“Of course not,” she told the detective.

“When you married did you know what Wayne was like?”

“Not really. He told me he worked for an international security firm as a courier of classified, sometimes highly sensitive, documents and sealed contracts. I know he had at least five passports and made good money. And I believed him because, at that time, I loved him.”

“And you only fond out what he was doing after he was arrested?”

“I’m ashamed to admit it, but yes.”

“Don’t blame yourself for the flaws in others. How could you know he was bringing illegal drugs into the country because he covered his tracks pretty well?” Kay reassured her, then added, “Besides, right before he was arrested you had two young children you had to take care of.”

“And I told you Momma was smart. She gave that bad guy a bad credit card, And I bet he worked for Daddy is how he knew him,” Joyce proudly told everyone.

Detective Collins nodded in agreement, but secretly she was worried because the man named Harry may seek revenge against her now. Unless he’s caught quickly enough.

They were soon served lunch brought to them by a Police Sergeant.  After they had finished lunch Mrs. Wells stared at Detective Collins for while.

“I think I remember you from somewhere. Have we met before?” she asked the detective.

“Indirectly. I was one of the detectives testifying against you ex-husband when he was charged with illegal possession and attempted murder.” 

4.

“Oh! Isn’t it weird how connected karmas shows up unexpectedly.?”

As Detective Collins was about to drive the family back to their house the lead detective came into the break room.

“Your car is fine and parked in the bank parking lot, and the man who calls himself Harry has been detained and is being driven here now,” he told them.

“Wow! That was fast,” Judy exclaimed.

“You deserve a lot of the credit, Mrs. Wells, for your quick thinking to give him the voided out debit card,” the detective sincerely told her, then continued, “Just because you’re a crook doesn’t mean you’re an intelligent crook. By chance, or pure luck in your case, he drove to the bank you use. After parking he found out the exterior ATM was out of cash. So the idiot went inside to talk to a teller. But the debit card wouldn’t work and the teller told him she could try to solve the problem. Then the teller next to her loudly told everyone the card belonged to Judy Mills. Harry panicked and quickly headed to the back door. But the bank’s armed guard had pulled out his revolver and was pointing to the security cameras.”

“And the charges?” Detective Collins wondered.

“So far we’ve got him on car jacking, kidnaping and armed robbery. With his rap sheet, which  includes being a mule, Harry will be in jail a long time."

“Thank you detective for helping me and my kids,” Judy told him. And, with a warm smile he nodded.

“You’re welcome, but sometimes tomorrow we need you here at the station at give us a positive identification,” he told here, then went back to work.

“That crook was just plain stupid,” Jack told everyone/

“I’ve not a trained psychologist, but there are certain types of men who feel more comfortable behind bars, for whatever reason, and commit crimes they expect to get caught doing,” Kay suggested.

“Well, at least that loser gets free meals now,” Joyce told everyone and her brother laughed.

“Wouldn’t it really be a weird twist of karma if Harry and Wayne became cell mates?” Judy wondered.

“Of course,” Detective Collins agreed, then said, “But now, let me drive you to your bank to pick up you car.”