door. “Thanks for coming in,” the woman said with a cheerful wave.
“That was weird,” Emily said. “She won’t make any money selling her stuff that cheap. I wonder what’s really going on.”
“Me too,” I agreed. “Let’s drive around the block and park across the street for a minute. I want to see who her next client is.”
“What next client?” Emily asked.
Oops. “I just want to see if she has more clients, and if no one comes after a few minutes, we can go.”
“Okay,” Emily sighed, thinking I was kind of odd. It was like I was making things up just to stick around. “But only for a few minutes. I have to get back to my store.”
After she parked across the street, we sat quietly. “So…did any of those bras look like they came from your inventory?” I asked.
“No,” she said. “But they looked like knock-offs from Victoria’s Secret. Either that, or the real thing. I don’t know how she does it, unless they were stolen or something.”
“Look,” I said, motioning toward the store. “Someone’s going in.”
A man dressed in jeans with a jacket, baseball cap, and dark glasses rounded the corner from the parking lot, and entered the store. A minute later the shop owner glanced out the window, and turned the open sign to closed.
“I don’t know what she’s doing,” Emily said. “But it’s not selling bras.”
What if her store were a front for something else? That might explain the reason she wanted to sell some bras to us. But what did she do? I could imagine all kinds of things, but I wouldn’t know for sure unless I got close enough to hear the thoughts of that guy who’d gone in.
“We’d better get back,” I said. “I don’t know what’s going on over there, but I intend to find out.”
“When you do, will you let me know?” Emily asked. “It’s got to be related to Keith somehow. And I’d like to know what’s going on.”
“Sure, but I can’t guarantee anything.”
We got back to her store in less than ten minutes, and I was hoping I could make it back to the shop before the man left. I figured that if I stood in front of one of the shops beside Betty’s Bra Bar, I could follow him to the parking lot and hear his thoughts. He could get in his car, and I could get in mine. It should work as long as he didn’t suspect me of following him.
I exited from the front door of Novelty Creations, and hurried to my car, making it back to Betty’s Bra Bar in record time. Pulling into the parking lot, I hoped I hadn’t missed him already. I jumped out, and walked around the back of the store beside Betty’s to the front sidewalk. This was a hardware store, with lots of knobs and handles. I glanced next door, and was relieved to see the closed sign still up. That meant he was still there.
I leaned over, examining the display in the window with great care. From the corner of my eye, I glimpsed the man leaving the shop. He walked straight toward me, instead of going to the parking lot. As he passed I ‘heard’ him thinking how funny it would be to give my butt a swat since it was sticking out so far.
I straightened, but kept my indignation to myself, and waited until he was a few yards ahead before I started following. I didn’t know how long I could stay behind him before he noticed, but my luck held out as he turned toward the convenience store on the corner. This was perfect. I could get a Diet Coke, and listen to him at the same time.
There were several other people in the store, but I concentrated on him and tuned the others out. He moved to the cooler and grabbed a six-pack of beer, thinking it was time to celebrate. What he had in his pocket held his freedom, and it was worth every penny.
He noticed me standing nearby and grew suspicious. Was I following him? I grabbed the package of beef jerky in front of me, and made my way to the soft drink dispenser. After filling my cup with Diet Coke and two squirts of cherry flavoring, I stood in line to
“That was weird,” Emily said. “She won’t make any money selling her stuff that cheap. I wonder what’s really going on.”
“Me too,” I agreed. “Let’s drive around the block and park across the street for a minute. I want to see who her next client is.”
“What next client?” Emily asked.
Oops. “I just want to see if she has more clients, and if no one comes after a few minutes, we can go.”
“Okay,” Emily sighed, thinking I was kind of odd. It was like I was making things up just to stick around. “But only for a few minutes. I have to get back to my store.”
After she parked across the street, we sat quietly. “So…did any of those bras look like they came from your inventory?” I asked.
“No,” she said. “But they looked like knock-offs from Victoria’s Secret. Either that, or the real thing. I don’t know how she does it, unless they were stolen or something.”
“Look,” I said, motioning toward the store. “Someone’s going in.”
A man dressed in jeans with a jacket, baseball cap, and dark glasses rounded the corner from the parking lot, and entered the store. A minute later the shop owner glanced out the window, and turned the open sign to closed.
“I don’t know what she’s doing,” Emily said. “But it’s not selling bras.”
What if her store were a front for something else? That might explain the reason she wanted to sell some bras to us. But what did she do? I could imagine all kinds of things, but I wouldn’t know for sure unless I got close enough to hear the thoughts of that guy who’d gone in.
“We’d better get back,” I said. “I don’t know what’s going on over there, but I intend to find out.”
“When you do, will you let me know?” Emily asked. “It’s got to be related to Keith somehow. And I’d like to know what’s going on.”
“Sure, but I can’t guarantee anything.”
We got back to her store in less than ten minutes, and I was hoping I could make it back to the shop before the man left. I figured that if I stood in front of one of the shops beside Betty’s Bra Bar, I could follow him to the parking lot and hear his thoughts. He could get in his car, and I could get in mine. It should work as long as he didn’t suspect me of following him.
I exited from the front door of Novelty Creations, and hurried to my car, making it back to Betty’s Bra Bar in record time. Pulling into the parking lot, I hoped I hadn’t missed him already. I jumped out, and walked around the back of the store beside Betty’s to the front sidewalk. This was a hardware store, with lots of knobs and handles. I glanced next door, and was relieved to see the closed sign still up. That meant he was still there.
I leaned over, examining the display in the window with great care. From the corner of my eye, I glimpsed the man leaving the shop. He walked straight toward me, instead of going to the parking lot. As he passed I ‘heard’ him thinking how funny it would be to give my butt a swat since it was sticking out so far.
I straightened, but kept my indignation to myself, and waited until he was a few yards ahead before I started following. I didn’t know how long I could stay behind him before he noticed, but my luck held out as he turned toward the convenience store on the corner. This was perfect. I could get a Diet Coke, and listen to him at the same time.
There were several other people in the store, but I concentrated on him and tuned the others out. He moved to the cooler and grabbed a six-pack of beer, thinking it was time to celebrate. What he had in his pocket held his freedom, and it was worth every penny.
He noticed me standing nearby and grew suspicious. Was I following him? I grabbed the package of beef jerky in front of me, and made my way to the soft drink dispenser. After filling my cup with Diet Coke and two squirts of cherry flavoring, I stood in line to
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