Spotlight on: “Wanted”

See that relaxed couple in the third row, center—ready to enjoy opening night of Driving Miss Daisy here on the Fourth of July? They barely made it back home to Twisp in time for the parade earlier today, and you won’t believe what they’ve been through since last spring.

This couple — Min and Mona, as I’ve always known them — were down at their Pacific Coast home when a new guy showed up. He said he was a surfer from Hawaii, interested in buying some local beachfront property. Seemed nice enough. He hung around for a day, left a thank-you note, and even a pricey bottle of vodka as a parting gift.

Some time later, Min and Mona got a call from friends in Bellingham who’d heard about the mysterious surfer. These friends had done a little digging and discovered the visitor was actually an escaped criminal—wanted by the FBI. Turns out, he’d fled during his trial and sentencing.

Well, Min and Mona did the right thing: they contacted the FBI… who, surprisingly, didn’t seem too interested in following up or taking them up on their offer to help. But Min and Mona weren’t ready to let it go. They got in touch with a bounty hunter who had been chasing this guy for months. Together, they laid a trap.

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Min and Mona reached out to their visitor, claiming a piece of prime property had just gone up for sale. He agreed to come back—unaware that the bounty hunter would be waiting. What followed was a crash course in how bounty hunters operate. Apparently, the bounty hunter has to handle the takedown solo, with his cameramen rolling behind him to catch the moment for his own promotional reel.

After some Keystone Cops-style hijinks, their plan worked. The escapee was back behind bars, and the bounty hunter walked away with his reward—and a few reels of great marketing footage.

And Min and Mona? After their fifteen minutes of fame on a couple of East Coast TV shows, they’re just happy to be here at the Merc Playhouse, ready to enjoy our great summer show.

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