lot looked like it had been there maybe half a century—and probably had been.
Rob cranked the wheel to the left and started in that direction.
“Pull in at the gas station.”
Rob turned in at the Shell’s lot, angling the Galaxie toward one of the pumps.
Roxie slugged his shoulder. “Not here. Side of the building, toward the rear.”
Rob steered the car away from the pumps and parked where Roxie indicated, in the last slot on the side toward the rear of the building. A metal door marked men stood opposite the front of the car. Roxie took the keys from the ignition and the Galaxie’s engine ground to a rumbling halt. She dropped the keys in her tote bag, pulled the bag up on her lap, and began searching through its contents. She’d slid her sunglasses up over her forehead and her face had a pinched look of concentration. She made little noises of frustration. Whatever she was looking for, she was having a hard time finding it.
The sound of an approaching engine drew Rob’s attention back the way they’d come. An old lime green Fiat turned into the Shell’s parking lot and pulled up alongside the pump closest to the front of the store. An overweight guy of about forty heaved himself out of the car, took out his wallet, and inserted a debit or credit card in the pump’s card slot. He punched in some numbers. His PIN, probably. So, a debit card. He stood there watching the digital display until the sale was approved. He then removed the pump handle from its cradle and inserted the nozzle in the Fiat’s gas tank. He held the pump handle as he watched the digital numbers tick by.
“Not worth robbing.”
Rob looked at Roxie, face drawing down into a frown.“Do we really need to rob anybody? I mean…I’ve got money. A couple hundred in my wallet. A few thousand more in my bank account. You don’t even have to shoot anybody to get it.”
“Oh, I’ll be taking all that. Count on it. I’m just saying, this fucking schmuck wouldn’t be worth the bother anyway.”
Despite himself, Rob was curious. “Yeah? Why?”
Roxie nodded in his direction. “Look at him. The way he’s holding the pump handle and watching the numbers. This is a guy with overdraft concerns. A sad sack of shit just scraping by on a daily basis. Only reason I’d shoot that poor bastard would be to put him out of his misery.”
Rob looked at the guy again, noting saggy, grime-encrusted jeans and a faded, raggedy T-shirt that looked like something retrieved from the reject bin at a Goodwill outlet. His face was unshaven and doughy. There was a wide, shiny bald circle at the crown of his skull, but the hair he did have was long and scraggly.
“Huh.”
She was right. He wouldn’t be worth robbing. He tucked this fact away in his mental file of Information I’ll Fucking Never Need. Still, it was sort of interesting. She had a sharp eye for things an experienced criminal would know at a glance. Which made sense, what with her being exactly that.
“Aha!”
The exclamation drew his attention away from Mr. Downward Spiral. His brow knitted as he studied the slim, silver object pinched between the thumb and forefinger of her right hand. “Is that what I think it is?”
“Yes.”
She unlocked the cuff attached to the steering wheel.
“You’re letting me go?”
“Don’t be an idiot.”
“Right. That was stupid. What is happening?”
She nodded at the bathroom door. “We’re going in there.” She hoisted the tote bag. “I have to change into regular girl clothes. I can’t very well go around dressed like this when I’m off on a spree, now can I?”
Rob shrugged. “I don’t have a lot of experience in that area. I am not a ‘spree’ person. But that sounds…smart?”
“You don’t sound sure.”
Another shrug. “Like I said…”
“Yeah, yeah, lack of experience, et cetera. Look. Here’s what’s happening. Obviously I can’t leave you out here while I’m changing. You’re gonna get out. Do it nice and
Rob cranked the wheel to the left and started in that direction.
“Pull in at the gas station.”
Rob turned in at the Shell’s lot, angling the Galaxie toward one of the pumps.
Roxie slugged his shoulder. “Not here. Side of the building, toward the rear.”
Rob steered the car away from the pumps and parked where Roxie indicated, in the last slot on the side toward the rear of the building. A metal door marked men stood opposite the front of the car. Roxie took the keys from the ignition and the Galaxie’s engine ground to a rumbling halt. She dropped the keys in her tote bag, pulled the bag up on her lap, and began searching through its contents. She’d slid her sunglasses up over her forehead and her face had a pinched look of concentration. She made little noises of frustration. Whatever she was looking for, she was having a hard time finding it.
The sound of an approaching engine drew Rob’s attention back the way they’d come. An old lime green Fiat turned into the Shell’s parking lot and pulled up alongside the pump closest to the front of the store. An overweight guy of about forty heaved himself out of the car, took out his wallet, and inserted a debit or credit card in the pump’s card slot. He punched in some numbers. His PIN, probably. So, a debit card. He stood there watching the digital display until the sale was approved. He then removed the pump handle from its cradle and inserted the nozzle in the Fiat’s gas tank. He held the pump handle as he watched the digital numbers tick by.
“Not worth robbing.”
Rob looked at Roxie, face drawing down into a frown.“Do we really need to rob anybody? I mean…I’ve got money. A couple hundred in my wallet. A few thousand more in my bank account. You don’t even have to shoot anybody to get it.”
“Oh, I’ll be taking all that. Count on it. I’m just saying, this fucking schmuck wouldn’t be worth the bother anyway.”
Despite himself, Rob was curious. “Yeah? Why?”
Roxie nodded in his direction. “Look at him. The way he’s holding the pump handle and watching the numbers. This is a guy with overdraft concerns. A sad sack of shit just scraping by on a daily basis. Only reason I’d shoot that poor bastard would be to put him out of his misery.”
Rob looked at the guy again, noting saggy, grime-encrusted jeans and a faded, raggedy T-shirt that looked like something retrieved from the reject bin at a Goodwill outlet. His face was unshaven and doughy. There was a wide, shiny bald circle at the crown of his skull, but the hair he did have was long and scraggly.
“Huh.”
She was right. He wouldn’t be worth robbing. He tucked this fact away in his mental file of Information I’ll Fucking Never Need. Still, it was sort of interesting. She had a sharp eye for things an experienced criminal would know at a glance. Which made sense, what with her being exactly that.
“Aha!”
The exclamation drew his attention away from Mr. Downward Spiral. His brow knitted as he studied the slim, silver object pinched between the thumb and forefinger of her right hand. “Is that what I think it is?”
“Yes.”
She unlocked the cuff attached to the steering wheel.
“You’re letting me go?”
“Don’t be an idiot.”
“Right. That was stupid. What is happening?”
She nodded at the bathroom door. “We’re going in there.” She hoisted the tote bag. “I have to change into regular girl clothes. I can’t very well go around dressed like this when I’m off on a spree, now can I?”
Rob shrugged. “I don’t have a lot of experience in that area. I am not a ‘spree’ person. But that sounds…smart?”
“You don’t sound sure.”
Another shrug. “Like I said…”
“Yeah, yeah, lack of experience, et cetera. Look. Here’s what’s happening. Obviously I can’t leave you out here while I’m changing. You’re gonna get out. Do it nice and
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