A Missed Opportunity or Avoiding a Dangerous One?

Recently I was at church with my family and my son and I stayed to see The Fiddler on the Roof performance afterwards.  My husband is not a theater buff so he opted to go home.  We were at the Saturday Mass and were chatting with friends inside for a bit before we stepped out to go through the parking lot over to the gym where the show would be performed.

No one was in the dark parking lot when we came out besides a young woman holding a sign asking for money.  As we walked past her I noticed her sign and slowed down perplexed why she was in this parking lot.  She said nothing but simply stared at me.  My son whispered to me "What is she doing?"  He has never noticed someone begging for money before so I quickly and quietly told him.  I asked her if she went to this church even though she didn't look familiar and she said no.  I asked her if she lived in our town and she said no.

My mind flooded with thoughts and time slowed down...

...if I open my purse to give her money, will she try and grab it and run? 
...is this a scam with someone else hiding behind another car waiting to jump out and steal my purse?
...is she truly in need and I should give her money?
...is she a mentally ill woman who has gone off her medication and is trying to survive by begging?
...is she dangerous?
...would Jesus want me to help her?
...why do I feel very uncomfortable?  unsafe?

In the end, I told her I was sorry I couldn't help her and we walked on.  The money I did have was going to pay for the tickets and the dinner for our church's fundraiser.  My son was upset with me saying I should have helped her and given her something.  Instead, once we went inside the building we stopped and offered up a prayer for her.  I looked back out the window and she was gone.

Did I miss an opportunity to put into practive the virtue of charity and help her?  By walking by her and not helping, did I miss an opportunity in seeing Jesus within her?  Am I just like the priest and the levite from the Good Samaritan Bible Story?  Should I have been the Good Samaritan?  Why did I feel so unsettled and nervous about our encounter?  Did I save my son and I from being harmed in some way? 

I'll never know what her true intention was but it haunted me for awhile and all I contined to offer up prayers for her.