A Speed Bump on the Highway of Life

Don't Let Your Guard Down!

With all the good luck that we've been having, there was bound to be a speed bump or two on the highway of life. Today we hit a speed bump, unfortunately, a big bump. Today we let our guard down and a bad guy took advantage of us. We remember words of wisdom from family and friends and we've told many also, "do not trust others to always do what's right." We feel really bad for letting our guard down, but we want to share this with you so YOU DON'T DO THE SAME. And I'm still trying to find a positive from this, a silver lining, if you will.

We drove to a big shopping mall in Eugene and I left my purse in the car. I thought it was very well hidden on the floor behind the driver's seat and we were only going into one store and knew we'd only be gone a few minutes. (I was trying to avoid carrying anything since my surgery.) But I know a guy & girl in a truck had parked near us as we parked and they could see that I, who had driven, did not carry a purse into the mall. Rick thinks it may have been our out-of-state plates that also made us a target and they would have done it even if I would have been carrying a purse. Based upon the surveillance cameras, it took about 2 minutes for them to break out the driver's side rear window and reach in to grab my purse from the floor. They also took a rolled up jacket, but left other items not within reach. What's called a "smash and grab".

It would be hard for me to explain the shock of having someone break into your car if you've never been such a victim. It will take awhile for me to get that scene to stop playing in my mind. We have never experienced any type of break-in, auto theft, burglary, etc. And I hope we (and you) never do again. As I approached the driver's side of the car I saw a small business card stuck into my door window. I slowed down and focused on it - not the usual advertising flyer that someone usually leaves on your windshield. In fact, as I reached for the business card the hair on the back of my neck stood on end and I knew something was wrong. The asphalt was crackling under my shoes - obviously it was the broken glass from our window. As I reached for the card stuck in my driver's window, my vision zeroed in on the spider web of a window that remained and I remember thinking how terribly odd it looked. I could see through the sharp edges of the web and see into the car, through the usually dark tinted window. I could see a jacket rolled up on the seat and our papers, but the seat was covered with sparkling black diamonds. I stepped back quickly and went to the back of the car, calmly but urgently saying to Rick as he was getting to his side, "We've had a break-in". He did not speak, but came back around the rear of the car, putting himself between the car and me. I stepped back further from the rear of the car and looked around. No one around us and it seemed we were entirely alone in the gigantic mall parking lot.

I was wrong though, we weren't alone. The mall security truck with its flashing yellow light on top was coming towards us. Somehow they had seen the 'problem' and had already contacted the Eugene police department about the break-in. As they parked I said to them "someone's broken into our car" and they said "yes, we know, we left you the card." Oh, I thought, so that's what that tiny card was all about! Rick opened the car door and I immediately said "my purse is gone". I asked for Rick's cell phone (mine was in my now missing purse) and told Rick I would call the credit card/bank/insurance company if he would talk with mall security.

I got through to our credit card company and reported what had happened in the last 20 minutes - that my card was stolen and we needed to cancel it now. After a few minutes the company verified our last legitimate purchase and said the card had already been used for a gasoline purchase at a station very nearby. I quickly let mall security know and they broadcast that the card had been used at the local station 6 blocks away. (I think I hoped they would jump in their vehicle with the flashing yellow light on top and go catch the bad guys in the act. What was I thinking?) I lost the phone connection with the credit card company and redialed. I adamantly told them not to lose me and what was happening. They said the card had once again been used at a gas station a little further away, closer to downtown Eugene. We had parked our car at 2:00, we had returned around 2:30 and it was now almost 3:00. While still on the phone, the credit card company told me a charge was once again attempted, but this time it failed to go through. Thank goodness!! Finally!! I knew we would not be responsible for the charges, but I did not want these low-life criminals to get away with any more!! The card was now deactivated and when they tried to use it one last time at the grocery store for $65 it came back as lost or stolen. I think it should just say "stolen, call the police to come get this low-life."

We had parked on what we now know is the 'back side' of the mall. We parked very near the entrance of one of the major department stores, Gottschalks, and near a mall entrance and at the very end of the row. We were near the interior roadway that circles the mall. As mall security was broadcasting the stolen card purchases that were happening with our card, the manager of store security for Gottschalks heard the radio broadcast and called the manager of the local gas station for information. She also reviewed her surveillance cameras and could see us enter the mall and park. She could see a small white truck park at the same time and 2 minutes later she could see the small white truck leave the area. However, she could not see any identifiable information on the truck or the driver. They were going too fast! Image that! But it seems to confirm my suspicions that they were the bad guys.

She knew what we were going through and came out to offer her help. She took Polaroid photos for us, brought a phone book, and paper and pen for us to keep. She is a police officer in a surrounding city and has had her car broken into also. She and everyone else we came into contact with were so apologetic about the break-in.

Rick's nice rain coat was also taken, but apparently they could not reach any other items or they were in too a great hurry. Stop now and think if you can name everything that is in your wallet. We are lucky that Rick was carrying his phone because mine was gone. I was able to call the credit card company within minutes to cancel the card. I was able to report the stolen checkbook and ATM card. A couple times a year Rick removes everything in our wallets and scans it, front and back. We were able to come home and see all the missing cards and the phone numbers to get replacements. If you don't have access to a scanner, you can lay all your cards out on a copier and make a photocopy. You may someday be glad you have a record. And we're also lucky that we deal with one company for almost all of this mess. The car window was fixed the next morning and they cleaned up the remaining black diamonds that littered the car. We're also lucky that my phone was replaced at no charge. My backpack purse was a gift from my Mom and she wants to replace that for me (that was the sentimental item I hated to lose. Thanks Mom.) I also kept notes of conversations, names and numbers during the ordeal so when I gave the police report we had details that might have slipped our mind. They called us 2 days later and they said most people haven't even started the process of cancelling accounts or getting replacements. The police interviewer said we were "super heroes" for remembering so much detail and having a description of who we think is the bad guy. The compliment made me feel a little better, but not much.

This has been a very long post, for a very long and tiring ordeal. Sorry for that. I'm ending this post and hopefully it will stop replaying in my mind now. We were on yellow alert last Thursday afternoon, like we usually are while driving, but we admit that we let our guard down. After all, this is Oregon - all green, fresh from constant rain, flowers blooming, with extremely friendly and down-to-earth people. We try to be safe and alert to danger with all we do. We don't usually go to any mall, we don't go into known bad parts of town, we don't even like to be out after dark. We don't know why this bad guy picked us. It is what I call Fate. Fate that brings people together at the same place at the same time. Fate that I turned left instead of right at that exact moment. Fate that I was not carrying the purse that he so badly wanted. Fate that there was not a physical confrontation. Fate that it was us, and not someone else who couldn't handle the loss. Fate that nothing irreplaceable was taken. Fate that the car was not damaged or stolen entirely. Fate that we were given this speed bump to slow us down, making us more aware. Making us alert and able to avoid future dangerous situations. I said I wanted to find the silver lining in this ordeal. Perhaps the silver lining is that YOU will be more aware and alert to danger and avoid it. Please.