Detective Mama Henley Reports...

Yesterday I ventured out to Target while everyone was in preschool. Armed with my coupon binder, I was ready to rock n' roll. The deals beckoned me to their aisles. I completed my shopping in time for one quick errand before I needed to do the preschool pick up. As I headed out into the parking lot, a young girl with a tattoo at the base of her neck came towards me. She seemed to be about to approach me to ask me something when she diverted her attention to a nearby elderly couple. My instincts told me that she was asking for money or a ride and for some reason, my sense of fear was heightened. This is not unusual for me, as I do tend to be paranoid, especially after a neighbor's rabid cat attacked me and I had to live with an IV for a month. Throwing grocery bags in the car, I kept my eyes on the young girl. She was cute but something was awry.

The elderly couple must have refused to help her. She walked away and then began hysterics. She talked on a cell phone, put her hands to her head, and made lots of distressing motions. Again, it seemed planned and rehearsed. It did not look like someone who was really in despair. I have no idea why I felt this way, but I did. She approached more people, acted hysterically, and then asked the next person. It just didn't sit well, so I found a Target employee who was eating lunch outside and asked her to ask the manager to come out and see if this young girl needed help. My feeling was that if she was truly in trouble, she would walk in the store and ask for help. Instead, she was canvassing the parking lot.

I drove around so that I could determine if she needed help or if she was faking it. Articles in the paper recently have discussed the rise in panhandling and the fact that several of the panhandlers, specifically the young ones, make $100 or more an hour and then DRIVE HOME. A man gave the girl some money and then a second man came towards her. I thought that he, too, was going to give her money. Instead he took the money, took her phone, and must have said, "Let's Go!" because she followed him and jumped in the DRIVER'S seat and drove to the far corner of the parking lot where they sat next to another white Sedan. Her car was a Toyota Camry. I left the parking lot at this point for fear that they realized I was following them. As I drove off, I called the Target store manager to report that her parking lot had solicitation going on that looked suspicious. She explained that the parking lot has a "no solicitation" rule, so even if the girl was indeed in trouble, she could not solicit like that.
All of this reminded me that these are weird times and that it's okay to doubt the sincerity of someone who asks for money. We should all be careful AT ALL TIMES and in ALL PLACES. I pray that this young girl will get the help she truly needs.