I parked the bike in front of the apartment and went in. I didn’t see my roommate Matt, so I dropped off my helmet on the couch. I decided to take a walk to the Basha’s grocery store across the street and use the phone in the mall as it was a cool afternoon for a walk and the phone in the complex was out of order. I was dressed in my daily wear of tattered blue jeans, cowboy boots, tee-shirt and my leather and Wayfarers.

I crossed I10 and walked onto the sidewalk of the open-air mall. About half way to the payphone I noticed that there were a lot of Sherriff’s cars circling around the parking lot.  I remember thinking that they must be looking for someone.

I reached the payphone and called my girlfriend Laura. I told her that there were a half dozen squads circling the parking lot.  I told her it was really freaking me out. She told me to go home, now.

I turned back towards the apartment at a brisk pace. I got about as far as where the mall makes a ninety-degree turn. From every direction came a squad car. There were 6. All of them came to a screeching halt about 10 feet away from me. In unison, they all jumped out of their cars, and with guns drawn, one screamed “Freeze”.  I froze in my tracks and put my hands over my head. Three came up to me forward and three came up behind me. “GET ON YOUR KNEES! NOW!” screamed one from behind me. I got on my knees. “Arms behind your back!” shouted one.  I did, and was promptly cuffed. “Can I ask what the hell is going on please?” I pleaded. “Shut up.” Said one. I shut up.

A boot was in my back, and I was forced to the concrete face first, slamming my forehead to the concrete. “Where were you for the last two hours?” demanded one of the deputies. “Well, I was at work in Phoenix, then I stopped at my apartment and dropped off my helmet, then I left to walk across the street.” I said “Who can vouch for that?” One of the deputies demanded. “Well, maybe my roommate” I said. “What’s the address?” demanded a deputy, and I gave it to them.  Two squads took off.

About fifteen minutes later, the squads returned with a dazed Matt in the back of one. They asked him to identify me and when was the last time he saw me. He said that he knew I’d been at the apartment because my helmet was there when the deputies roused him.

The deputy in front of me seemed to be in charge. He was having an animated conversation over the radio with someone whose yells I could almost hear. He ended the conversation with a “yes sir” and a “Twenty minutes”. He yelled “twenty minutes” to the assembled deputies and everyone seemed to relax a bit. Twenty minutes to what? I thought. What the fuck was going to happen in 20 minutes. Other than my arms getting more and more numb in the cuffs.

In what I guessed was twenty minutes, I was yanked to my feet and slammed against the wall facing the parking lot. A sheriffs deputy car pulled up along side me. The driver’s side rear window rolled down to reveal a twenty something dark haired woman with puffy eyes and looking the worse for the wear. She stared intently at me for a long while through the open window. Then she shook her head no and rolled up the window. The car pulled away.

“Stand down” shouted the deputy in charge. My wrists were un cuffed and the phalanx of deputies around me melted away. One remained. “You were dressed a lot a like and looked a lot a like the man that attacked the lieutenant’s daughter.” he said.

The words sunk in slowly. Had that woman ID’d me wrongly, I’d have ended up out in the desert beaten to a pulp.

I turned around and went to Basha’s, as Basha’s didn’t card. I bought my case of beer and limped home. Once home, I sat on the couch and opened up 6 cans of beer in a row. I proceeded to drink them all, by about the 5th the shakes subsided.

I realized that I’d left Laura hanging a couple hours ago, so I put my leather back on and got on the bike to ride across the street to the pay phone. I relayed the story to her, and she freaked out. “You really need to come home.” she said. I was willing to consider it.