Chương 35: Now You See Me, Now You Don’t

"Do you love it?" Regina asked, smiling brightly at her sister.

"Yes, Gee Gee, it's phenomenal," Roxie replied, as they walked out of the bathroom.

"Careful, though, your girly side is showing," she said playfully, winking at her sister. Regina gave her sister a slight shove, "Oh, stop!" she said playfully.

"Just because I wear power suits and carry a weapon…" she broke off.

"Well, used to carry a weapon," she corrected, "doesn't make me any less a woman and you know it."

"I know, sis, I just couldn't resist," Roxie said, looking at her watch.

"Well, I really should be hitting the road," she said walking to her purse.

"I'll give you a call when I get back and don't forget to put that food away," she said casually, before giving Regina a hug.

"Thanks, Roxie, for everything. The food was amazing. Stay safe on your trip and if you run into any problems or need a roadside rescue give me a call," Regina said, smiling as her sister walked out the door. Roxie made her way down the hall, reaching in her purse for her keys. She noticed a man standing in the hallway pretending to read a newspaper. Amateur, I spotted you the minute I opened the door, she thought, heading in his direction.

"Lovely night, isn't it?" she asked as she passed him.

"Sure is, Ma'am," he replied.

"Have a pleasant evening," he said, nodding to her. Roxie made her way to the elevator, keeping him in her peripheral vision. She watched as he lifted his arm and started talking to his wrist. Where on earth were you trained? A cereal box? Dr. Obvious' school for Agents, honorary junior agent reporting for duty... she thought, snickering to herself. She got into the elevator and gave the man a little wave as the door closed.

She pressed the button for the ground floor, then the button for the third floor, then the basement.

"Let's see how good he is," she snickered. When the elevator doors opened to the third floor, she checked to see if she had a tail, but the hall was clear. She quickly went to the stairwell, checking over her shoulder before opening the door. Clear, she thought, then checked the hall again through the small window on the door. Still clear, she said to herself, grinning.

"Idiots," she whispered before morphing into an old lady. She carefully opened the door to the stairwell and headed back to the elevator. Good luck boys, she thought, waiting for the elevator to arrive. When the doors opened, Roxie stepped aside and watched as two men got out and looked frantically up and down the hall.

"Ma'am?" one of the men asked.

"Did you see a woman get off the elevator on this floor?" Roxie looked blankly at the man.

"What?" she said, placing her cupped hand in front of her ear.

"What was that, young man, my hearing isn't what it used to be," she yelled. He rolled his eyes, then asked loudly, "Did you see a woman get off the elevator on this floor?" She pretended as if she was thinking.

"No, young man, but I did see a woman that way," she said, pointing down the hall. The man took off running. Roxie got in the elevator and pressed the button for Garage. Once the doors closed, she giggled.

"Well, that was easier than I thought it would be." A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. When the elevator doors opened into the garage, she noticed three more agents scoping the place out. Crap, she thought, then she remembered the car was parked in the offsite lot down the street. Turning to press the button for the elevator, a man approached. Damn it! she thought as he got closer. She turned around to face the elevator.

"Ma'am?" he called out but she ignored him.

"Ma'am?" he said, running to catch up.

"Ma'am?" he said, reaching for her arm. She turned quickly to face him, doing her best to look dazed and confused.

"Young man, unhand me now!" she yelled.

"Sorry, Ma'am, I called out for you, but you didn't respond," he said, releasing her arm.

"What?" she yelled.

"I'm afraid I am hard of hearing, what did you say, and please speak up!" He huffed loudly.

"I said I called out for you, but you didn't respond."

"Oh," she yelled.

"What can I help you with, young man?" she asked louder this time, attracting the attention of several passersby. The young man became keenly aware that they were being observed, smiled and nodded at the onlookers.

"You looked confused, I didn't know if you required assistance," he yelled, being sure that everyone could hear him.

"Well, isn't that sweet," she gushed.

"No, young man, I'm fine, I just got off on the wrong floor. My son said to meet him in the lobby and well, this obviously isn't the lobby," she laughed.

"Okay then, have a nice day," he shouted, turning and walking away. Roxie's heartbeat slowed as she watched him leave. In the elevator, she sighed a heavy sigh of relief. She pressed the L button, waiting for the elevator to make its ascent. She got off in the lobby and casually walked to the exit. Roxie made her way down the street, keenly aware of the agents. Unsure if they were tailing her, she ducked into a little restaurant and sat down at a booth.

Her seat was strategically located where she could observe the passersby on the street through the window as well as who entered and left. A young woman approached the table with a menu and placed it in front of her.

"Just emberbrew, please," she said at a level that maintained her facade of an old woman who was hard of hearing. The young woman nodded at her and smiled before heading toward the counter. Time to regroup here, s he thought as her emberbrew arrived. There you are, she thought, spotting an agent sitting on the opposite side of the room. Clever bastard, she mused as she assessed his vantage point. He can see the window and the front door but not the back exit or the restrooms.

Roxie sat casually sipping her emberbrew, watching him out of the corner of her eye. He began speaking into his wrist, looking intently at people as they walked past the window. They are waiting for Roxie to walk by, she thought, taking another sip. The waitress came to check to see if she needed anything, then put the bill down. Roxie casually went into her purse, pulled out some money, then left it on top of the bill. She stood up, carefully watching the agent to see if he was watching her.

His eyes never left the window. She darted to the restroom and quickly locked the door.

"Can't be too careful," she whispered as she morphed again, this time to a middle aged, haggard looking housewife. She left the bathroom and shuffled out the back exit into the alley, confident that she wasn't being watched. She emerged from the alley, then ambled down the street. Despite looking disinterested, she was evaluating everything. She watched as people walked by her, not so much as casting a glance in her direction. The closer she got to the garage, the more keenly aware she became of her surroundings.

If they were watching the vehicle, she would have to figure out another way. She was beginning to feel more confident that the bumbling buffoon squad didn't begin their surveillance until after she arrived, therefore they would have no idea where the vehicle was. She walked up to the ramp in the garage, and as suspected, the place was deserted. There were cars scattered through the structure, but because it was primarily used for the office building beside it, it was virtually a ghost town at this time of day.

There's the travel pod. She sighed, relieved that there was not a soul in sight. Her heart virtually stopped as another door to the garage opened. She held her breath and ducked down behind the closest vehicle, watching to see who emerged. She sighed heavily when she saw the young couple making their way from the building and headed to their vehicle. She stood up as they turned the corner and rushed across the parking lot to the familiar travel pod. She did a quick look around before jumping in and starting it.

turning out of the building, she smiled smugly.

"Time to get the hell out of the city," she mumbled, heading for the expressway.