ever had his own store, that’s what he’d call it, but it didn’t exist. He’d just made it up. She was sure of it. “You have an address?” she asked.
“Yes,” I answered, keeping my voice low. Felt had inched closer while we talked, and was now less than three feet away. Probably close enough to hear what we were saying. I pulled Emily into the office, and closed the door. “I’m going to check it out. You want to come with me?”
“Yes,” she said. Glancing at the clock on the wall, she grabbed her purse and keys. “It’s close enough to call this a lunch break, but you know, the nice thing about owning my own business is that I can take a break whenever I want.”
“True,” I agreed. I liked her spunk. “But Felt will probably follow us.”
“Not if I can help it,” she said with determination. “Stay here. I’ll get rid of him and lock up. We’ll go out the back and take my car. That should put him off long enough for us to make our escape.”
“All right,” I said. She left the door ajar, and I heard her telling Felt that she was closing the store for lunch. He didn’t protest, just left in a hurry. I glanced around, looking for a back way out, and found a door that opened into a large room filled with plastic-covered inventory hanging on rolling racks and stacked on tables.
“Is this the way out?” I asked Emily, motioning toward the double-doors where trucks unloaded merchandise.
“One way, but not the way we’re going. Right down here…” she motioned ahead, “is a staircase that leads to the underground parking lot that connects with the hotel behind my store. We have parking privileges since we were here first.”
“Ah-hah.” I chuckled. “Now I understand how we’re going to lose Felt.”
She smiled, and I followed her down the stairs to a door that opened into the parking garage. “My own private door,” she said, holding up her key. “And the key to let me back in.”
She led the way to a little red car parked nearby and unlocked the doors. We settled inside, and I told her the address. “It looks like it’s across town on the west side close to Spring Hill. Do you know this area?”
“No,” she shook her head. “Keith moved around a lot, so maybe he lived there. But even then, he’s been gone for over a year, so I can’t imagine anything of his still being there.”
“True,” I said. “But that doesn’t mean the money couldn’t be hidden there somewhere.”
She nodded, thinking how awesome it would be to find all that money. Of course, she couldn’t keep any of it, but still…maybe there was a reward? She glanced at me, thinking she’d have to share it, but half was better than nothing. How much money would she get?
I tuned her out. Thinking about getting a lot of money for nothing, and what you could do with it, was never a good thing. I had five million dollars once, and all it ever brought me was trouble and a couple of near-death experiences. Just thinking about it gave me the shivers.
We turned the corner onto a street with lots of little shops and fast food joints. “It should be right in there,” I said. And there it was, Betty’s Bra Bar. I could hardly believe it was real. The tiny storefront featured a small window with Betty’s Bra Bar painted across the top and showing bras strapped around torso mannequins. “It’s really here,” I said with surprise. “I thought for sure it would be bogus.”
“Me too,” Emily said. She was thinking the layout looked a lot like her store, and it was making her mad. Had Keith set up a store just like hers, using her inventory? This was outrageous!
“I don’t think it’s as nice as your store,” I said. “And it looks pretty small too. Plus, they probably just sell bras.”
“Yeah, maybe.” She sniffed. She was eager to go inside and see who was running the place. The parking to all the shops was in the back, and we found a place by some dumpsters.
“Before we go in, we need a
“Yes,” I answered, keeping my voice low. Felt had inched closer while we talked, and was now less than three feet away. Probably close enough to hear what we were saying. I pulled Emily into the office, and closed the door. “I’m going to check it out. You want to come with me?”
“Yes,” she said. Glancing at the clock on the wall, she grabbed her purse and keys. “It’s close enough to call this a lunch break, but you know, the nice thing about owning my own business is that I can take a break whenever I want.”
“True,” I agreed. I liked her spunk. “But Felt will probably follow us.”
“Not if I can help it,” she said with determination. “Stay here. I’ll get rid of him and lock up. We’ll go out the back and take my car. That should put him off long enough for us to make our escape.”
“All right,” I said. She left the door ajar, and I heard her telling Felt that she was closing the store for lunch. He didn’t protest, just left in a hurry. I glanced around, looking for a back way out, and found a door that opened into a large room filled with plastic-covered inventory hanging on rolling racks and stacked on tables.
“Is this the way out?” I asked Emily, motioning toward the double-doors where trucks unloaded merchandise.
“One way, but not the way we’re going. Right down here…” she motioned ahead, “is a staircase that leads to the underground parking lot that connects with the hotel behind my store. We have parking privileges since we were here first.”
“Ah-hah.” I chuckled. “Now I understand how we’re going to lose Felt.”
She smiled, and I followed her down the stairs to a door that opened into the parking garage. “My own private door,” she said, holding up her key. “And the key to let me back in.”
She led the way to a little red car parked nearby and unlocked the doors. We settled inside, and I told her the address. “It looks like it’s across town on the west side close to Spring Hill. Do you know this area?”
“No,” she shook her head. “Keith moved around a lot, so maybe he lived there. But even then, he’s been gone for over a year, so I can’t imagine anything of his still being there.”
“True,” I said. “But that doesn’t mean the money couldn’t be hidden there somewhere.”
She nodded, thinking how awesome it would be to find all that money. Of course, she couldn’t keep any of it, but still…maybe there was a reward? She glanced at me, thinking she’d have to share it, but half was better than nothing. How much money would she get?
I tuned her out. Thinking about getting a lot of money for nothing, and what you could do with it, was never a good thing. I had five million dollars once, and all it ever brought me was trouble and a couple of near-death experiences. Just thinking about it gave me the shivers.
We turned the corner onto a street with lots of little shops and fast food joints. “It should be right in there,” I said. And there it was, Betty’s Bra Bar. I could hardly believe it was real. The tiny storefront featured a small window with Betty’s Bra Bar painted across the top and showing bras strapped around torso mannequins. “It’s really here,” I said with surprise. “I thought for sure it would be bogus.”
“Me too,” Emily said. She was thinking the layout looked a lot like her store, and it was making her mad. Had Keith set up a store just like hers, using her inventory? This was outrageous!
“I don’t think it’s as nice as your store,” I said. “And it looks pretty small too. Plus, they probably just sell bras.”
“Yeah, maybe.” She sniffed. She was eager to go inside and see who was running the place. The parking to all the shops was in the back, and we found a place by some dumpsters.
“Before we go in, we need a
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