The Knife in the Briefcase

An urban legend

As told by Barb Thaine...

A young woman was leaving a local shopping mall only to find that she had a flat tire. A well-dressed young man carrying a briefcase came up to her and asked if she needed help changing her tire. She told him she would call AAA but when she did she was told it would be over an hour before a truck would be dispatched to her site. The gentleman urged her to let him fix her flat and she finally allowed him to do so.

When he was finished, he asked if she would give him a ride to the other side of the mall, as his car was parked there. Looking at her watch, she realized how late it was and apologized to the young man saying that she needed to get home as it was her daughter's birthday and her husband was at home with the two children awaiting her arrival. The man went on his way.

The Not-So-Good Samaritan Other variants of this legend bear titles such as 'The Hatchet in the Handbag' and 'The Hairy-Armed Hitchhiker.' Their common motif is a close call with a murdering madman disguised as a harmless stranger. An Internet version set at a shopping mall in Ohio (and elsewhere) has circulated since April 1998. Further reading: Another Close Call at the Mall - From the Netlore Archive The Hairy-Armed Hitchhiker - Granny's got a hatchet! J.H. Brunvand, Too Good to Be True (W.W. Norton, 1999)

When she returned home, she told her husband what had happened at the mall and about the man who came to her aid. The husband went out to look at the tire and saw that the man had inadvertently left his briefcase in the trunk of the vehicle. The husband brought it into the livingroom and he and his wife opened it to see if they could find the man's name and phone number.

Upon opening the briefcase, they found only five items: a rag, chloroform, duct tape, a body bag and an icepick (which was probably used to cause the flat tire).

As told by Ann MacDonald...

One summer day in Southampton, New York, a woman pulled into a gas station. As the attendant pumped gas, the woman told him she was in a hurry to pick up her daughter, who had just finished an art class in East Hampton.

A very well-dressed man walked over to her car and started talking to her. He explained that his rental car had died, and he needed a ride to East Hampton for an appointment. She said she would be happy to give him a ride. He put his briefcase in the backseat and said he was going to the men's room quickly.

The woman looked at her watch and suddenly panicked. She drove off quickly, having forgotten that the man was coming back to the car for a ride.

She thought nothing of him again until she and her daughter pulled into their driveway. She saw his briefcase and realized she had forgotten him! She opened the briefcase looking for some form of identifcation so she could notify him about his belongings. Inside she found nothing but a knife and a roll of duct tape!

* * *

Previous Legends of the Week:

The Hijackers' Misfortune
"Crime doesn't pay" is an understatement!

The Kangaroo Thief
Stunned kangaroo gets revenge on drunken drivers

Skinned Tom
Ghastly specter of a man skinned alive still haunts Lovers' Lane

The Heavenly Bodyguards
Testament to the power of prayer and the brawn of angels

Have you heard an outlandish story you'd like to share in your own words? Just click here to contribute a Legend of the Week (or compose it in an email with "Legend" in the subject line). All submissions are welcome!