AMAZED

It was May 13 2008 and apparently a deadly normal Tuesday morning in San Francisco. Adam and Sally Cartwright were having breakfast with their 3 oldest children (Mitch of 15 and the 6-year old twins Lisa and Benji).

“I am later at home this afternoon because I have baseball practice till tot 5 o ’clock”, Mitch suddenly said.

“Alright. Eat on boys. Then I bring you to school”, said Adam.

“Me too?”, tried Mitch.

“You can go on your bike. Besides the twins go another direction than you are”, reacted his father.

They ate on where after they left. Sally cleared the breakfast table and did the dishes where after she looked after the youngest Cartwright, baby Rose of almost 5 months old.

Adam brought the twins to school where after he came home to work. He worked as a baseball coach and owner of a company which was in hands of the Cartwright family.

Mitch rode unsuspecting to school. Today it was a short school day because most of the afternoon he had baseball lesson. The boy looked forward to it the most. He was thrilled with the sport and also very good at it as well. But when he was riding on a main road suddenly Mitch got knocked down by a car who didn’t give him priority The boy flew over the hood and on top of that disaster the car drove over his left ankle and foot. Mitch remained lying on the street. The female motorist just drove on until she saw a police car. Meanwhile someone had called for an ambulance. Detective Tim Larson was there too and recognized the young victim. Mitch got brought to the Memorial Hospital.

“Madam, may I see your driving license?”, Tim asked the female driver.

In the confusion the woman gave a false driving license. Tim looked at and knew right away that it was a false driving license was. Though he didn’t let anything show.

“Do you want to get out for a moment?”, asked Tim.

The woman did that and asked, “May I have my driving license back?”

“No, you are coming along to the police station and your car is being confiscated. Agent, take this lady down town”, answered the detective.

The woman got taken along.

“Tim, why has she been taken along to the police station?”, asked Jack Simpson, the partner van Tim.

“Because she can never be Mary Watts. I knew Mary for years and the man also whom she was married to early 90’s. Are you coming to the parents of the boy who just got drove over?”, asked Tim.

Jack nodded. On the way to the house of Adam and Sally Cartwright Tim told everything.

“So that lady isn’t Mary Watts at all? Who is she then and why did she drove over a child?”, Jack asked amazed.

“We will find out”, answered his partner.

Tim rang the bell and Adam answered it. Of course he was amazed to see his friend from the police.

“Adam, this is my partner Jack Simpson. May we come in for a moment?”, asked Tim.

“Of course. Come in”, said Adam.

In the living room said Tim, “Mitch has been hit seriously by a woman who had a false driving license of Mary Watts had. The boy has a broken ankle and foot and has been taken to the Memorial Hospital. His bike is totally destroyed.”

“She had a false driving license on the name of Mary Watts? That’s impossible because Mary got her driving license when we just got married. The name on it is Mary Cartwright”, reacted Adam.

“First I ‘m going to call Jean to ask if she wants babysit Rose. After that I pack a bag for Mitch”, said Sally.

She did that and Jean came at once.

“You just go to the hospital. I have left a note at home behind for Chad and Johnny. The children are in good hands with me”, said Jean.

She was a good friend of

Adam and Sally because their sons Mitch and Johnny were also good friends. The police had gone away too with the promise to keep the Cartwrights up to date of the case.

Mitch was brought in exactly at the moment that doctor Trapper John McIntyre walked into the hall. He stopped the stretcher, looked at the patient and recognized him.

“Make sure that this boy ends up in room 11. When his parents come warn me then. They are called Adam and Sally Cartwright”, said the surgeon.

The receptionist nodded.

After the examination and treatment Mitch woke up in room 11. Trapper sat by him and looked at him Mitch recognized the surgeon at once because he quite looked like his father Adam Cartwright. Besides last year Trapper had operated the boy twice.

“You do everything to see me, don’t you”, Trapper said teasing.

“I missed you so”, reacted Mitch.

“And I must believe that? You have ran over and the car drove over your ankle and foot. Try to get some sleep”, said the surgeon.

He got up and left the room. He almost bumped into Adam and Sally.

“There lies your son. Shall we have a chat in my office?”, asked Trapper.

Adam nodded.

In his office said Trapper, “Mitch has broken his left ankle in 2 places and his foot. An operation is not needed for the time being. We do keep him here a few days for observation.”

“That will be about 6 weeks of complaining that Mitch can’t play baseball”, reacted Adam.

“We will send him to the ranch as soon as he has left the hospital”, said Sally.

Trapper said, “Mitch had the luck that he wore his helmet and his rucksack on his back because otherwise he might have been dead. You can see him now. He is still a bit daze though.”

They said goodbye to each other and the Cartwrights went to Mitch who was awake again.

“Hello son”, said Sally.

“Hi daddy and mom”, Mitch said still a bit sleepy.

Of course Adam couldn’t resist by asking his son, “Did you have to be noticed by just lying on the street, didn’t you?”

“I was just riding when I got hit by that car. I don’t know anything else about it anymore until I came here”, said the boy.

“Fortunately you only have broken your left ankle in 2 places and your foot is also broken. Your bike is completely destroyed”, said Sally.

“We will buy you a new bike. The officer who handles this case is a friend of mine”, said Adam.

Mitch fell asleep again so that his parents went home again.

At the police station the unknown woman got questioned.

“Examination had turned out that your driving license is false. What is your real name?”, asked Tim.

“I am Mary Watts! That child didn’t look out where he was riding”, snapped the woman.

She rumbled a bit in the bag and another driving license fell out. Jack saw that and got it. He read the name and showed then the driving license to his partner.

“Give me back my driving license!”, she said.

She tried to get it but that failed.

Tim held het driving license up high and said, “Not so fast! On this is the name Lucy Watts. The photo on the driving license of Mary is 20 years old. The one on your driving license is more recent.”

“Alright. I confess everything. I am Lucy Watts and had to ran over the Cartwright boy in order of my parents. A few years ago they lost by him their only son, daughters-in-law and grandchildren. It cost them a few years to get over it. We discovered that last year Adam came to live here with his son so we made up this plan. Hopefully the boy has died”, confessed Lucy.

“Where do your parents live?”, asked Jack.

Lucy gave the address and got arrested then and dragged away. An arrest team also went to the house of Carl and Sharon Watts.

When they were alone for as moment Tim asked, “Adam won’t like this. Mitch was 11 months old when Mary died. His family-in-law has caused him and Mitch only trouble. Are you coming to tell them?”

Jack did that at once.

Adam and Sally were just home when the police rang the bell. Adam answered and was again amazed to see them.

“Adam, we have news about the accident of your son”, said Tim.

“We are just back from the hospital. Come in”, said Adam.

In the living room the detectives told what Lucy Watts had told. Adam was deep shocked about the confession of his ex sister-in-law. Sally was shocked too by the news. She only knew Mary from stories and pictures. Though she knew how special Mary was for Adam and Mitch.

“What happens to his bike or what’s left of it?”, asked Adam.

“The bike has been taken to the police station for examination”, said Tim.

Adam nodded satisfied.

Suddenly Mitch got a visit at the hospital. He was awake and had his baseball glove and 2 balls tight.

The man walked to the bed and said angry, “So you took care that my dear wife and I lost our son, daughters-in-law and grandchildren in 2002? Now I’m going to make your father glad to kill you!”

Mitch understood at once who the visitor was and threw a baseball to his head. Carl Watts, the visitor, avoided it and dragged his grandson out. Mitch fell but couldn’t grab the ball. Carl stood laughing on the broken body parts where after he got the 2^nd ball against his head. Carl fell on the ground and lost his consciousness. Outside in the hall Trapper and his assistant Gonzo heard the fight and they ran inside.

“Mitch! Who is that and what has happened?”, asked the surgeon.

“That is my unknown grandpa. He tried to kill me. First I threw a ball but missed. Then he dragged me out of bed and he went to stand on my broken ankle and foot. I could grab the ball and this time I hit him”, said Mitch.

Trapper said, “Phone the police.”

Gonzo grabbed the phone and called the police. Trapper helped Mitch back in bed and examined him.

“The police is coming. I will tie him up. How is the patient?”, asked Gonzo asked after the phone call conversation.

“I want that there will be made new x-rays of his ankle and foot. Warn his parents”, answered Trapper.

Gonzo did that at once. Mitch realized what had happened and didn’t know anything to say anymore.

Not much later the police came to drag Carl away. With them were Tim and Jack.

“Mitch, we must take the ball with us for evidence. I promise that I get you a new one”, said Tim.

“Just take it along”, said the young Cartwright who now had become a bit more at ease.

Tim put the ball in a bag and gave it along to the police. Mitch told what had happened. While that happened Adam came in.

“Son, are you alright?”, Adam asked when everything was being told.

“Yes, there only must be made new x-rays of my ankle and foot”, answered Mitch.

“Adam, I really don’t understand why such a darling of a woman like Mary could have such bad parents, brother and sister”, said Tim.

“They have never wanted her. Mary grew up with her grandpa and grandma. She told me that when I met her in Boston. When we got a relationship she moved in with us quite quickly. With this lad as result on Christmas Day 1992”, told Adam.

Now Mitch understood why there was never spoken about the parents of his mother. Then a nurse came to pick up the boy.

“Daddy, are you still here when I am back?”, asked Mitch.

“I stay here until you are back again”, answered Adam.

Now Mitch was at ease. He got driven away to let again make x-rays. Tim said goodbye so that Adam stayed behind alone.

At the police station Sharon Watts got questioned about the plan to kill their grandson.

“Of course we have paid Marvin Parker to run over and kill Mary”, Sharon said laughing.

“And u gave your daughter order to run over and kill your grandson?”, asked Jack.

“That lad is not our grandson! Yes, we gave Lucy order to do that but that bird couldn’t do it right. So now my husband had to do it at the hospital”, Sharon said triumphant.

“We know that and we have good and bad news for you”, Tim said who had come in.

“Just tell me first the bad news then”, said Sharon.

“Your grandson is still alive and that comes also because he is a very good pitcher”, said Tim.

“And the good news is?”, asked Sharon.

“That you with your husband and daughter go nicely together to prison for twice attempted murder and conspiracy of murdering a child”, said the detective.

Sharon too got dragged away.

Despite the attack Mitch didn’t have any other injury and his foot and ankle got set in plaster again.

“Mr Cartwright, we couldn’t find a new fracture so we keep you here for a week for observation. Alright?”, Trapper asked Mitch who was back in his room again.

“Alright Dr McIntyre”, answered the young Cartwright.

The surgeon went away again so that Mitch could get over everything with his father.

“Papa, are the grandpa and grandma of mama still alive?”, Mitch suddenly asked.

“No, they died when mama was 20. That was in 1984. At home at the Ponderosa is still a big box with information and photos of them and mama. As soon as you can travel I send you to the ranch so that you can sort out that”, said Adam.

Mitch agreed.

After a week Mitch was allowed to go home on crutches and with an ankle and foot in black plaster. Adam came to get him.

“Mitch, it might sound weird but I don’t want to you see here for the time being as a patient. The plaster can get off in 6 weeks time”, said Trapper.

“Alright. Goodbye for good then”, said Mitch.

“The same Mitch, Adam”, Trapper said smiling.

They shook hands and each went their own way.

That evening Tim dropped by the Cartwrights for a moment.

“Mitch, I still owe you something”, said the detective.

He gave a little package to the boy.

Mitch unwrapped it and said, “Thanks. I didn’t have this one yet.”

It was a souvenir ball of the San Francisco Giants.

Tim looked at Adam amazed and got to hear as explanation, “At home at the Ponderosa Mitch has the map of America of wood hanging on the wall and he wants to have a souvenir ball of each club from each town who plays there. The ball gets then put into a ball holder on a shelf in that town.”

Tim understood it and went away again after a cup of coffee. Both he and the Cartwrights were pleased and relieved that this case was over.