"Jamal and Kate Jackson." Warrick pulled the fake I.D's out of a brown envelope he kept in his pocket. Gemma glanced over at them and looked confused.
"They don't have pictures."
"We have to do that after we change our look." Warrick pulled out a small camera from the glove box.
"How?" Gemma questioned.
"For you, easy! It's hard for a black man to disguise himself without attracting attention. We gotta do some shopping first. We need a major shopping center, like a mall."
"I think there might be something up ahead." Gemma nodded.
"Good."
Gemma pulled into the parking lot to the mall and grimaced. "What?" Warrick questioned, looking around for what might have irritated her.
"I hate malls."
"Why?" Warrick was shocked, he'd never known a woman who didn't like spending money at a mall. "Is it because I destroyed your credit cards?"
"No. I hated those too. Malls are so not, me. Tony made me shop there. It was the chic thing to do. I hated everything there, still do."
"Where do you like to shop at?" Warrick questioned. It was the first time Tony Latruse had been mentioned, and he hoped she would add more.
"There" Gemma pointed across the street. "Leroy's Thrift O'Rama"
"Ugh!" Warrick visible shuddered. He had a flashback of the years he wore hand me downs from his cousins, church basement collections and thrift stores. "What is it with you rich girls, enjoying slumming in places like that?"
"Rich girls?" Gemma repeated. "What do you mean by that? I've never been rich! I grew up shopping in places like that!"
"What about boarding school?"
"Scholarship. My grandmother was the head cook there for twenty years. She lived in a cabin on the edge of the property. I lived with her, not the school. Grammie arranged it after my mother died. I spent a year living with my dad and it wasn't working, so I went to Annie's"
"Annie's?" Warrick questioned as they got out of the car.
"My school. Annie Wright School in Tacoma."
"Oh." Warrick frowned, looking over at the thrift store. "And you like that type of place?"
"Yes! You're wanting clothes right? Let's just look, please?" Gemma pleaded as she got Jessica out. She looked so eager, Warrick nodded in agreement, albeit reluctantly. Gemma smiled happily and hurried across the street. Warrick felt an old tingle of embarrassment as he followed her inside, but once inside, her obvious enjoyment caused him to relax. She was actually having fun, digging through someone else's garbage.
"Isn't this better then a stinky ole mall?" Gemma teased, her smile was captivating, and Warrick found himself returning it with real feeling. He gave a noncommittal shrug, reluctant to admit that she was right, they found just about everything he had planned on getting and only spent a third of what he'd thought they would.
Stashing their new purchases in the trunk, they headed into the mall for a few more things. Inside the mall, Warrick played the devoted suitor. Keeping his arm around her or holding her hand as they shopped. He could almost believe they were a couple when she smiled up at him.
Gemma was pliant and cooperative as they strolled the mall. He would have never guessed that a trip to a thrift store would cause her to lighten up. She did give him a funny look when he drug her through the hair salon and came out with a big bag of hair.
Warrick noticed that his little outing had also reenergized Jessica. The poor little girl had spent the last few days stuck in the car. She had to have been going stir crazy. Now she held his hand, pointing out things that she found exciting.
Loading back into the car, they all seemed reluctant to confine themselves again. Warrick drove two towns over before he began to search for the type of motel that didn't ask questions. A motel that didn't require a proof of identification. The kind that only dealt with John Smiths."
Finding the place, he cringed at taking Gemma and Jessica into the place. Gemma glanced at him nervously but didn't say a word. He locked them into the car and went into the office. It disgusted him to even consider bringing them into this place, but he knew he had to in order to keep them safe.
With a disgusted frown, he led Gemma into their room, carrying the exhausted tot. He reluctantly put Jessica down in the room. "I'm sorry about this place."
"It's not your fault." Gemma was understanding. "It's only for one night."
"Let's get her to bed, then we can start on getting our new looks." He went back out to gather their new purchases. He returned, dropping it all on the bed closest to the door.
"What about her?"
"She'll be fine this time. Next round we'll do something to disguise her." He explained. Taking up his bag, he went into the bathroom while she changed her daughter.
"Oh my!" Gemma gasped as Warrick came out of the bathroom an hour later. He looked like a completely different man. He'd died his hair black. He now sported long black dreadlocks.
"Jamal Jackson." Warrick grinned, offering her his hand.
"You look so different." Gemma reached out and fingered a dread. "It looks real."
"That's the point. I sported real ones as a teen. Didn't cut them until college." Warrick dug into the bag. "Let's see how you look as a redhead."
"They make you look younger." Obediently, she followed him to the bathroom Gemma continued to stare at him through the mirror as he messed with her hair.
"No one would take me serious when I sported them. College professors treated me like a joke. I only got play from white girls, only black girls who were wanting to feel the African vibe." He grinned as he shared that bit of information with her. "Finally one professor told me that I'd never make it as an investigator with dreads. Didn't fit the image. So, I cut them off. People started taking me seriously after that."
"That's sad."
"It's the way the world works. Gris wouldn't have had a problem with it. He's not one for judging a person by their looks. But, other's would have."
In the morning, Warrick braided Jessica's hair into cornrows, explaining that he wanted her to look as ethnic as possible, since they were playing the happy family card.
"It's amazing how you can do our hair and it changes us completely." Gemma looked at her own reflection.
"Clothes help too." Warrick added, pointing to his outfit. He had chosen clothes that reflected on his ethnic heritage. Mixed with his dreads, he looked like he'd just arrived from Africa.
"I don't like the eyes." Gemma gave a shiver as she looked into his deep brown eyes. "They look….creepy."
"Oh do they?" Warrick laughed out loud. He looked into his reflection, paying close attention to his eyes. "Well, you were the one that told me that my eyes made me remember able."
"Creepy" Gemma muttered. Jessica stared at Warrick and nodded in agreement. "Done like Da'Oh."
Winking at the girl he informed Gemma. "We'll stay like this for now. My contact in Encino doesn't know much about me. I'm just playing the I know someone you know card. We're not that far from Encino. We've made good time. If it seems safe and the people are okay with it, we can stay there a bit. We've been pretty rough on Jessi, she's been a trooper, but she needs to get out and run."
"Da'Oh" Jessica called from the window where she was peeking out. "Dat Unca Nom!"
"What!" Warrick reached over, grabbing the girl roughly from the window. Gemma hurried over and peeked around the curtain.
"Oh God!" Warrick! It is Tom!" She whimpered. Her entire body began to tremble with fear.
"What's he doing?" Warrick pulled out his gun in his right hand, placing the little girl on the opposite hip.
"He's looking into the car!" Oh God! The car seat! He sees the car seat!"
Warrick cursed, knowing that he'd screwed up by leaving the seat in the car. "How the hell did he find us?" Grabbing up his track phone, he tried to contact Grissom. "No Damn service!" Thinking nervously and quickly, he grabbed up his cell phone and dialed a number. "Greg? Greg, wake up buddy. Yeah, it's me…. I need a favor. Yeah, I know, I'm sorry for waking you. Listen buddy, I need you to call Grissom. Just do it! Please! Tell him I'm hot and on foot. You got that buddy? Greg, I can't explain. Just call Gris. Yes, now! Call him now! I don't care if he's at home! No,…..I can't,…..no,…., I can't explain. Please Buddy! And Greg? You never had this call….okay?"
Clicking off the phone, he stuffed it back into his pocket and started gathering up the their bags. Luckily they had already gathered it all as they had used it. He grabbed the important stuff and hustled Gemma into the bathroom. Loud voices sounded out in the corridor out front as he pried the window open. He stuck his head out nervously, scanning around in all directions.
He handed Jessica to her mother then began tossing their stuff out the window. "I'm going to climb out first, then you hand her out. I check around first, so wait until I say it's okay."
"Warrick….be careful. Tom is mean…he'll kill you."
"I'll be fine." Warrick winked as he hefted himself through the tiny window. Gun drawn, he canvassed the area. Tom's men hadn't made it around to the backside yet. He returned to the window, reaching for the girl "Come' ere Jess" When the little girl was firmly in place on his hip, he helped Gemma out.
"What now?"
"Now, we run for it. I don't know how they've found us, but our plans have changed now." Grabbing up the biggest bag, he slung it over his shoulder before taking up another. Gemma gathered the remaining two and followed him through the brush.