Powered by RedCircle
Thaddeus had just completed his research shift at the hospital. His current work was an experiment to help doctors better visualize the way a patient’s medications would interface together. It had been a long day, with so much data to interpret that he had to defer running several reports and a raucous interruption when the microbiologists next door broke several beakers of chemicals. He was ready to be home and alone.
As he drove home, the city skyline in his rearview mirror, he noticed a strange figure on the side of the road up ahead. It was a hitchhiker. The man looked friendly enough, dressed more like he had been walking in town than hiking the local trails, so Thaddeus, against his better judgment, pulled over, “Need a ride, man? I can take you a few miles.”
“Wow! That would be great! My girlfriend got injured and is back at our campsite. I’m just trying to get to the nearest pharmacy…wait…you work at a hospital? Are you a doctor?”
Thaddeus carefully placed his work badge in his pocket, noting the stranger’s attire seemed strange for a camping trip. “No, I’m not a medical doctor, but I can give you a ride to the pharmacy. Where is your campsite?”
“About two miles up that trail.”
Thaddeus knew that trail and knew there were no legal campsites anywhere along the route. Something was suspicious, so he continued to dig deeper. “Oh, up Baker’s Canyon? Good hiking. What’s your girlfriend’s name?”
“Um,” the hitchhiker stumbled, “Anne. She’s, uh, sprained her ankle. She’s resting in the tent on the air mattress.”
“Ugh. Sprained ankles are no fun, especially when you still have to hike back. Do you want me to get you in contact with the rangers out there?”
“No, thanks. That’s not necessary. So, uh, do you think you can give me a ride back to the trailhead from the pharmacy?”
“No. I’m beat, so I do have to keep going, but a buddy of mine may be able to help. I’ll call him while you are getting the supplies.”
Thaddeus parked at the pharmacy and called his friend Luke, a city police detective and fellow avid hiker, and explained the situation.
“That sounds fishy. Stay where you are. I’m on my way,” Luke responded.
Luke arrived at the pharmacy just as the hitchhiker was exiting the building. He recognized the man immediately as matching the description of a person of interest in a bank robbery the night before.
After calling for backup, Luke approached Thaddeus’s car, “Hi, I hear you are looking for a ride back to Baker’s Canyon. You camping out there?”
“Yup. My wife Amy is back there with a broken toe…”
“Interesting. Is she able to walk?”
“Some.”
“I thought it was your girlfriend Anne with a sprained ankle?” Luke said.
With that, the hitchhiker dropped his bags and tried to run away. Other officers arrived on the scene in that moment and were able to zap him with a taser and take him into custody.
Thaddeus resolved to weigh empathy against evidence and let both guide his choices from then on.
Leave a Reply