At the gas station in the heat of the afternoon, the sweaty guy lugging a red gas can came huffing along like he was going to ask a favor. Before he could open his mouth, I did my best "Yeah, I don't think so, buddy" look.

I was congratulating myself for finally, at this late age, cultivating a usable stink eye, when he walked past me to the gas pump on the other side and asked the girl standing there if she'd mind giving him a lift. His car ran out of gas, it was so hot to be walking, he was in a rush, already late for a meeting ... I tried to catch her eye with the "Hey, sista, no let the creepy guy get in your car! You never heard of Ted Bundy?!" mental vibe but though I may have developed a sufficient stink eye, my powers of telepathy need work.

He got into her car.

And all I could think about were those poor teenage girls who lost their lives recently: the 18-year-old Iris Rodrigues-Kaikana found in an alley in Kalihi, the 15-year-old Makamae Ah Mook Sang who was given so much to drink she died of alcohol poisoning.

When teenage boys die tragically, it is often by their own doing — going too fast, drinking and driving.

When teenage girls die tragically, it is often at the hands of a predator.

So I followed the guy with the gas can and his unsuspecting benefactor. Not like I was going to be able to do much, but at least the creep would know someone was paying attention. Niele people make great crime deterrents.

I caught up to him less than two miles away. There he was, pouring gas into his car on the side of the road. The girl was driving off safe and sound. Call it paranoia, but the other side of distrust is a healthy lack of naivete. Innocence is not a survival skill.

Boisse Correa's parting words as he retired as Honolulu police chief were that he felt good that he could walk down any road on O'ahu at 2 o'clock in the morning and feel safe. Though that may be true for a man who stands 6 feet 6 inches tall and carries a gun, it is not true for everyone. There are predators among us, serpents who slither through this paradise looking for the trusting and the vulnerable.

We all have to wise up and look out for one another. The bad guys need to know someone is watching, suspecting, and has a finger ready to call the cops.