one of them and lifted his badge.
“I’ll just take the escalator,” he stated to no one and walked toward the terminal.
Hiding in a cubby of vending machines, Cooper watched the locker room door as staff squeezed by each other going in and out. It looked like a shift change. While he waited, he clipped on the badge he had taken and hid the picture with his collar. When the majority had cleared out, he stepped in and went over to the restrooms. Hiding in a stall, he waited for everyone to leave.
After the lights went out, Cooper stayed still for an extra minute to be safe. When he left the stall, triggering the lights back on, he walked over to the rows of lockers with benches in between them. There sure were a lot of them. He sneered at them. How was he supposed to figure out which one was hers? He didn’t have time to break into every one; the agents would be there soon. Shaking his head, he started searching the back row, hoping for a clue.
After getting halfway through and finding nothing, he grimaced again at this roadblock. With the lockers unlabeled and nothing left out, he felt discouraged and ready to give up. Then, his stubbornness took over. There had to be something! A few more rows and he noticed one locker door not completely flush with the rest. He jiggled it and it opened.
Inside, Cooper went through the purse and found a keychain with a scrollwork letter
A
. It had to be Audrey’s. Maybe he’d found some luck. He went through the rest of the contents of the locker, felt inside her shoes, and then checked her purse again. Nothing. He heaved a sigh.
Come on, Audrey. Tell me you left me something!
In the Security office, Joel adjusted and readjusted his glasses every five seconds as he finished giving his account of what happened to an agent. His stomach gurgled, and he twisted his face. He hated lying. Even just omitting the truth brought on his acid reflux.
As he turned toward his station, he caught a glimpse of Cooper searching a locker on one of his monitors. With his eyes wide, he motioned for Trey, at the next desk, to switch the screen before an agent noticed Cooper snooping.
When Joel reached his desk, he leaned over and told Trey to get Cooper out of there. No sooner did Trey get permission from the Feds to be excused than Joel noticed a pair of agents in the Concourse A camera walking up the hall toward the locker room. The agents he just spoke with must have informed their colleagues about Audrey going to her locker before the incident. They would be at the locker room in a few minutes. Joel hoped Trey would be able to intercept the agents in the hall before they found Cooper.
Cooper knew he pushed his luck staying in there so long, but he wasn’t ready to give up yet. He grunted at the locker and punched it in frustration. He was so close and didn’t want to go away with nothing, especially since Audrey had died trying to help. The least he could do was risk getting caught to find whatever might still be there before the FBI did.
He felt along all the inner parts of the locker. The sides, the top, the lips of the door, and finally, he found something. Underneath the upper shelf, he felt a metal box stuck to it. Inside were two stick drives.
Cooper’s ears twitched at the squeak of the door. Someone had come in. Cooper took the drives and dropped the little metal box into Audrey’s purse. He quickly reassembled the rest of the contents and shut the locker. When he finished, he stood and listened. Nothing.
Knowing someone stalked him there, hiding and watching, Cooper stretched his arms up and reached down behind his head to scratch the base of his neck. He released the tiny cylindrical drives into the back of his tucked shirt.
Turning to leave, he heard the door open again. This time there were footsteps and voices.
Greeting them as if he belonged there, Cooper met the two agents and two security guards who had come in together.
“Hey, guys.”
“Didn’t we talk to you at
“I’ll just take the escalator,” he stated to no one and walked toward the terminal.
Hiding in a cubby of vending machines, Cooper watched the locker room door as staff squeezed by each other going in and out. It looked like a shift change. While he waited, he clipped on the badge he had taken and hid the picture with his collar. When the majority had cleared out, he stepped in and went over to the restrooms. Hiding in a stall, he waited for everyone to leave.
After the lights went out, Cooper stayed still for an extra minute to be safe. When he left the stall, triggering the lights back on, he walked over to the rows of lockers with benches in between them. There sure were a lot of them. He sneered at them. How was he supposed to figure out which one was hers? He didn’t have time to break into every one; the agents would be there soon. Shaking his head, he started searching the back row, hoping for a clue.
After getting halfway through and finding nothing, he grimaced again at this roadblock. With the lockers unlabeled and nothing left out, he felt discouraged and ready to give up. Then, his stubbornness took over. There had to be something! A few more rows and he noticed one locker door not completely flush with the rest. He jiggled it and it opened.
Inside, Cooper went through the purse and found a keychain with a scrollwork letter
A
. It had to be Audrey’s. Maybe he’d found some luck. He went through the rest of the contents of the locker, felt inside her shoes, and then checked her purse again. Nothing. He heaved a sigh.
Come on, Audrey. Tell me you left me something!
In the Security office, Joel adjusted and readjusted his glasses every five seconds as he finished giving his account of what happened to an agent. His stomach gurgled, and he twisted his face. He hated lying. Even just omitting the truth brought on his acid reflux.
As he turned toward his station, he caught a glimpse of Cooper searching a locker on one of his monitors. With his eyes wide, he motioned for Trey, at the next desk, to switch the screen before an agent noticed Cooper snooping.
When Joel reached his desk, he leaned over and told Trey to get Cooper out of there. No sooner did Trey get permission from the Feds to be excused than Joel noticed a pair of agents in the Concourse A camera walking up the hall toward the locker room. The agents he just spoke with must have informed their colleagues about Audrey going to her locker before the incident. They would be at the locker room in a few minutes. Joel hoped Trey would be able to intercept the agents in the hall before they found Cooper.
Cooper knew he pushed his luck staying in there so long, but he wasn’t ready to give up yet. He grunted at the locker and punched it in frustration. He was so close and didn’t want to go away with nothing, especially since Audrey had died trying to help. The least he could do was risk getting caught to find whatever might still be there before the FBI did.
He felt along all the inner parts of the locker. The sides, the top, the lips of the door, and finally, he found something. Underneath the upper shelf, he felt a metal box stuck to it. Inside were two stick drives.
Cooper’s ears twitched at the squeak of the door. Someone had come in. Cooper took the drives and dropped the little metal box into Audrey’s purse. He quickly reassembled the rest of the contents and shut the locker. When he finished, he stood and listened. Nothing.
Knowing someone stalked him there, hiding and watching, Cooper stretched his arms up and reached down behind his head to scratch the base of his neck. He released the tiny cylindrical drives into the back of his tucked shirt.
Turning to leave, he heard the door open again. This time there were footsteps and voices.
Greeting them as if he belonged there, Cooper met the two agents and two security guards who had come in together.
“Hey, guys.”
“Didn’t we talk to you at
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