If you've watched even a
If you've watched even a ten-minute stretch of any of the 24-hour news networks this past month, you know that the number two story out there is the case of Laci Peterson, the 27-year-old lady who has been missing since Christmas Eve. It's classic News Network mystery fare, complete with the cheating husband and a baby on the way, keeping literally dozens of Americans glued to their screens waiting for the story to unfold.
Me? I care only in a distant sort of way; however, the latest twist has surely seized my attention. Seems a grocery clerk in Washington state may have seem Mrs. Peterson with another older man as they passed through the store:
The woman was accompanied by a much older man with "strong features" and a ruddy complexion, the clerk reported.After the man stepped out of line to get something he forgot, the clerk remarked to the woman that she should be wearing a coat on such a chilly day. The woman told the clerk she didn't have time to take a coat because she was kidnapped. She also told the clerk that the man had a weapon.
The clerk told police she wasn't sure whether to take the woman seriously.
When the man returned, he asked what the two talked about while he was gone, the police report says.
"She said you kidnapped her," the clerk said.
Bwuhhh??? Good move, there, Clerky. In the Cashier's Emergency Handbook, under the heading "When a Distressed Pregnant Lady Says She's Been Kidnapped," Step One is always -- and I cannot stress this enough, people -- Try to ascertain whether the subject is, in fact, kidnapped, or merely having fun at your expense. The best method to do this, of course, is to ask the alleged kidnapper, as he will surely set you straight if it is a joke.
The clerk said the statement seemed to make the man angry, and she teasingly added that her husband always kidnapped her to take her to dinner. The man relaxed and laughed.And well she should! Congratulations, Unnamed Grocery Cash Register Clerk! You're the recipient of this week's DURRRRRR!!! award!"Yeah, I guess I kidnapped her," she recalled him saying.
After they left, the clerk unsuccessfully tried to find a phone book to call police, then became distracted and forgot about the incident. She told police she feels terrible about it now.
Posted by Matt at January 31, 2003 11:01 AM
