KAZBEK and the ATM

KAZBEK STOPS A ROBBERY

Kazbek and I loved to wander at night. We would hop in the van around 8:00 p.m., take off to the burger stand (I admit to a one-time addiction to the Inn-n-Out Double-Double burger). After a feast, we would head off to a park, or to the wilderness of Vasquez Rocks, a desert recreation area which was a vast and magical terrain under the full blue moon.

One evening, around 11 p.m., I realized my purse was empty and decided to stop by the sidewalk ATM outside the bank. This particular machine was next to a large grocery that stayed open until midnight. When we drew up to the well-lit parking lot, I noticed a decent number of shoppers were still out and about - a comforting sight.

Like so many women, I cannot just park and get out of the car. I have to rummage in my purse first, maybe put on some lipstick, check to see if I have my keys, and so forth. Kazbek, a very relaxed and pleasant passenger in the car, laid low in the back seat while I was doing all this.

While fumbling through the before-I-exit routine, I saw some young people horsing around. The "game" didn't seem to make much sense but I couldn't help notice it. It went like this: an older teenage girl stood next to her car with her cell phone, making a call. Down another part of the parking lot, away from the grocery and not well lit because the surrounding stores were closed, stood a young man - also on a cell. In the meantime, a teenage boy on a banana bike rode up and down in the same general area. Gestures and eye contact made it apparent that the girl on the phone and the guy in the shadows were talking to each other. Why the kid was bicycling at 11:00 p.m., I did not know. None of it made much sense to me. "Kids!" I thought.

I got out the bank card and started to exit but hesitated; on a whim, I decided to walk Kazbek over to the ATM with me. He walked wonderfully on a leash and you would never believe such a huge animal could be like a feather on leather! I loved going places with him and seldom thought of his built-in utility factor.

We were about 10 car lengths and a driveway distant from the ATM, so it took a minute to get there. The card buzzed in its slot while I waited for the cash.  Just as I took the money out, bicycle boy came riding fast, straight at us. Kazbek immediately charged the boy on the bike - a full frontal assault. The youth hit the brakes hard, skidded and fell sideways but didn't crash. I took my time putting the cash in my wallet, allowing Kazbek to posture and growl while I continued to look into the boy's eyes, letting him see that I understood what he was about and had no fear of him.

As I returned to the car with Kazbek, the youth followed at a distance. He asked me if I could "spare some change" and I said, No. He asked me if the dog would bite him, and I said, Yes. He then asked if he could "borrow" some money!

I told him to ask the dog.

Of course, after the event I could see the whole ploy: the innocent looking girl in the visible area of the parking lot uses her cell to tell the guy in the shadows she has spotted a likely target. That man then alerts the boy on the bicycle; they watch for the right time, give a signal and the boy rides in to grab the purse, or the cash, or whatever, from the intended victim.

Victim profile: woman - with wallet - alone in the  night. But not so alone as they thought.