Basements, Cars, Scumbags & Beer

My friend Mike, who I've known since kindergarten and who presently lives in Bellingham between treks around the Asian world, came to stay with us on Tuesday. He is in town to visit his Mom and commune with his siblings in North Idaho in the surroundings of Priest Lake.


Susan and I left Wednesday morning to go to Pend Orielle Lake (pronounced Quix-A-Hoety-Doo-Da) and while loading the car, I noticed that Mike had gotten up early and gone off somewhere. Then I noticed that the A.C. unit in his room was still running so I thought I would go and turn it off.


Mike was still in bed when I entered the room and so I had to tell him his car was not in the driveway. Yup! Asshole bandits had come in the night and adopted it. Shitheads! Mike made it slightly easier for the Scumbag by leaving an extra key in the ashtray.


We arranged for Mike to use Susan's car while we were gone for the Fourth and he called the Police and did all he was supposed to do.


We had a great time up at the lake and found it very restful in between beers and fireworks and campfires and s'mores.

In the meantime, we have all gone about our business. I rode my bike to work on Friday and Mike used my car.


With the success of last weeks' Carriage House cleaning, I set out to do the same to the basement today. Susan continued her work on the mirror, which is the last remaining piece of the Hallway Project puzzle.

Sometime after 3PM, Mike got a call from his Uncle who had gotten a call from the Police who had gotten a Scumbag driving Mike's car.


"YooHoo", was the resounding exclamation from all but the Scumbag.


It appears that in the course of an unrelated investigation, the Police where in the area of Sharp and Magnolia when they saw the blue Honda being backed out of a shaded yard at an empty rental house. The officer told me that her (the Driver) eyes got as big as saucers when she saw the cops and quickly drove back into the yard. 


That was enough to make the officers want to investigate further and by the time they caught up with her, she was through the house, out the front door and hightailing it to parts unknown.


It turns out she did not steal the car, but was given it by the guy who did steal it. She is a heroine addict and needed a place to sleep.


The Police have a lead on the guy who I am calling Scumbag and I hope soon to visit him in the local Government Facility of Incarceration.


Mike made the very generous and forgiving suggestion that God needed the car for a couple of days in order to get this woman into a treatment program. 

There is some slight body damage to the car but it is back and working and now sports a handsome new Club on the steering wheel.


So I will be telling everyone I know that the Spokane Police Department is doing their job...and I love them! That will continue right up to my next ticket.