Note: Look, it's an actual, intentional multi-chapter fic! I can't believe it either.
Disclaimer: I don't own them.
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She'd never really understood the attraction of shopping for sport, but one of the side-effects of her friendship with Angela was that she'd learned her way around a typical mall. Even more importantly, she'd learned that at one o'clock on a Saturday afternoon, a tired woman, an old man, and an infant would be absolutely unremarkable in a mall food court.
The food court was a fascinating study of American society. A sullen preteen girl sat with her mother at the next table. Not far away, two women in their fifties dropped piles of shopping bags at their feet and settled into their chairs with a sigh of relief. In another direction, a group of three teenage boys were sitting on the backs of the chairs, preening for the group of teenage girls a few tables away. Three tables over, two uniformed police officers drank steaming paper cups of coffee, a crackling radio on the table in front of them. At the closest table to the doors, a group of elderly men sat, cackling over a box of forbidden donuts.
They'd been traveling for hours, and even a hard plastic chair was a welcome change from the saggy, broken seat in their latest beat-up old car. Max slid into the chair across from her and passed her salad and bottled water across to her, deliberately failing to notice her glare at his deluxe hamburger, fries, and soda.
They ate in silence. Days of no one but each other for company had made idle chit chat unnecessary, and in the crowded mall, any discussion of more serious topics was unwise.
Christine started to fuss as Brennan finished her salad, and she nodded towards the family restroom. "Looks like she's hungry. I'll be back in a little while, Dad", she said as she slung the diaper bag over her shoulder and picked up the car seat.
When Christine had been fed and changed, Brennan re-packed the diaper bag and walked down the narrow hall to the food court. As she got close enough to see the formerly-busy area, her footsteps slowed. The tables were deserted, with groups of people standing and talking in hushed voice. There was a man on the ground in front of the bank, one cop standing over him while the other one talked with Max.
She must have looked stunned, because a young woman smiled at her. "You missed the bank robbery. That guy on the ground came running out and smacked right into the old guy."
Brennan forced herself to smile in return. "Oh! That would be exciting." She nodded at the appropriate spots as the woman babbled on, speculating on what would happen next.
Before long, more cops arrived and started gathering names and phone numbers. Brennan readily offered the ID Max had purchased for her, explaining why she had missed the whole thing. Seconds later, she was free to go.
She meandered away from the tables, getting close enough to her father to overhear one of the cops say, "I'm sorry, sir, we'll need you to come down to the station to make a statement."
They'd talked about a plan B, what to do if it all started to fall apart, and she knew what she needed to do. She quickly found an acceptable store and picked up a few changes of clothing, a large purse, and a pair of sunglasses before walking to the mall door. Near the exit, there was a dedicated phone for a local taxi company. She picked it up and was assured that a cab would be by shortly. When it arrived, she slid into the backseat and secured Christine's car seat, saying quietly, "The airport, please."
The departure area was quieter than usual. There were the usual impatient business travelers, families with hungry and bored children, and people who hadn't flown in so long that they were confused by the changes to the security procedures. There were also the typical stores selling books, luggage, snacks, and souvenirs. She browsed through the stores until she was sure no one was following her, then bought a small carry-on bag and some scarves. She found a convenient bathroom and changed her clothes, tied back her blond hair, removed her cell phone battery, and discarded her cell phone. She then moved the clothes she had been wearing at the mall, the contents of the diaper bag, the purse, and the remaining changes of clothing to the carry-on bag. Stuffing the diaper bag into the trash receptacle, she went up to the arrivals level, where she stepped onto a shuttle for an airport hotel.
At the hotel, she walked confidently towards the elevators, ducking into the restroom when she was out of sight of the front desk. She changed into a long skirt and long-sleeved blouse, switched her belongings from the carry-on suitcase to the purse, and carefully arranged a scarf to cover her hair. When she was ready, she picked Christine up and asked the front desk to store the car seat and suitcase until evening, explaining that she had checked out earlier. She walked towards the exit, put the sunglasses on, and stepped into the afternoon sun. Five minutes later, she was in a cab speeding back towards downtown. An hour after that, she was on a bus out of town.
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He knew he was in trouble when the cop who entered his driver's license number in the computer stopped talking for a second.
That idiot Telman had promised IDs that would stand scrutiny, with full system backup. Obviously, he'd lied.
He took a deep breath and got ready to ooze charm, like that lawyer had once accused him of doing. After all, he was a law-abiding citizen, just an innocent bystander to a robbery gone wrong.
The cop who'd taken his statement was a seasoned veteran, though, and soon they were taking his fingerprints.
As he waited for the match he knew they'd find, he hoped Tempe had gotten away.
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