The Navigators (21 page)

The clerk looked up. “I’ll be with you in just a moment.”

Barry hobbled his way over to me. “Where are the fucking walkie talkies?”

The clerk stood up, pointing. “Right there…”

Barry glared at the shelf. He grabbed a box and turned for the door.

“What’s going on?” the clerk asked.

The bell clanged again as Barry threw open the door and disappeared through it.

“You’re robbing us!” The clerk’s jaw dropped as he watched Barry disappear. He looked at me. “You’re robbing us, too?”

“Uh…” I glanced at the door.

“God, can’t you two follow some simple directions?”

He turned, appearing crestfallen, to Melissa. “Are you robbing me, too, Miss Mills?”

The yellow truck appeared in front of the door. Barry honked the horn.

“Yeah, I kinda am.” Melissa shrugged. “I’m sorry.”

“Miss Mills! Don’t – don’t do it.”

She ran for the door. “Can you bill me for it or something?”

As it glided closed again, I stood there staring at the clerk. He stared back at me, his mouth open.

I reached for the door. “I… should probably go.”

The horn honked again. The clerk shook his head. “I have to call the police. You guys are in a lot of trouble.”

“Please don’t call the police.”

“I’ll lose my job if I don’t.”

Barry laid on the horn again. This time, the sound unfroze my feet and I ran.

* * * * *

Barry drove like a madman. “Jesus, what the hell happened to you guys in there?”

“What!” Melissa threw her hands up. “Why did you come barging in, John Wayne?”

“You guys were taking too long. What happened?”

“I went through the door and the guy knew who I was right away. He called me by name.”

“What?”

“Yeah. He said he knew me from my dad’s TV commercials and stuff, or from interviews or something.”

“Okay, so we had a perfect distraction.” Barry turned to me. “What the hell happened to you?”

“I panicked! I never stole anything before! I kept thinking about how mad my parents would be if I got caught. I froze.”

“Jesus, Peeky.”

Melissa pounded the seat. “You know, it was a simple plan. Stroll in and grab a walkie talkie.” She glared at Barry. “And you were supposed to stay in the car!”

I shrugged. “There were all these security cameras, too...”

Barry groaned. “Peeky, it’s a Radio Shack. They
sell
security cameras. They have them on display.” He took a deep breath. “Fuck. Well, it doesn't matter. We got the radios.”

Melissa looked at the box. “Did we?”

“What?”

“These are, like, kid walkie talkies, Barry.”

“What! Are you kidding me? I grabbed the wrong box? Shit. Hang on.” He hit the brakes and pulled over. “Let me see it.”

Barry scanned the box for a moment. It was pink with a castle on it.

Cinderella
.

“God damn it.” Barry’s cheeks turned red. He pored over the box. “Well, it doesn't matter, they’ll still work for what we need done. They’ll have enough power.”

“They’re freaking Cinderella walkie talkies, Barry.” Melissa said. “I had a set like this when I was a kid. They fucking suck.”

“I'm sure they have some kind of decent range. They’ll work just fine as long as we don’t have any interference. Which we shouldn’t, in an empty basketball stadium parking lot.”

Melissa stomped her foot. “Jesus Christ, we really are the gang who can't shoot straight. If we can't even pull off a simple robbery of a Radio Shack, how the hell are we gonna shut down the Sun Dome? And that clerk’s going to call the cops. This is not good, you guys.”

“Nothing has changed.” Barry’s voice was even. “We don’t have any time? We didn’t before, either. The cops are gonna get called? They were already after us. What’s a few more?” He poked the dashboard with his finger. “This all comes to a head tonight, whether we like it or not. If we can get the machine, we can clear our names. It’s that simple. If we get the machine, people will believe us when we tell our story. But
we
have to tell it, not Findlay, and not Dean Anderson.”

He smiled, looking resolute in his words. “And believe it or not, I think shutting down the Sun Dome will actually be easier than robbing Radio Shack.”

Sandwiched against the truck door, I had only one thought.

It better be.

Melissa flipped the pink box over. “Do these things need batteries? Should we go back to Radio Shack, or do you wanna knock off a 7-11?”

Chapter Twenty-Four

“T
he burglary gods took pity on us.” Barry pulled batteries from the Cinderella walkie talkie box.

Melissa and I stood under the trees at the soccer field, overlooking the Sun Dome parking lot. Barry sat in the truck a few feet away.

“Robbery gods, not burglary gods, Barry.” Melissa snapped a battery into one of the pink princess radios. She turned it on and held it up to her mouth. “Burglary is when you take things from a person. Robbery is when you take things from a place.
Over
.”

There was a little static, but otherwise the radio sounded fine. Barry adjusted his volume and answered Melissa. “10-4, good buddy. So we burgled Jonesy when we took her clock?
Over
.”

“I burgled Jonesy?” I laughed. “I don’t like the sound of that. Very… unwholesome.”

Melissa frowned at me. “No, she wasn’t there.” She put the radio up to her mouth again. “Negatory, negatory. We robbed her.”

Barry’s staticky voice came over her radio again. “
Negatory?
Is that a word? There was a clerk present at Radio Shack. Did the three of us burgle him?”

I covered my face. “Oh, I hope not.”

Melissa chuckled. “I think you burgled him all by yourself, big guy. We just watched.”

“10-4. And, yuck.”

The parking lot of the Sun Dome was big, empty and dark. On game nights the lights were bright enough to illuminate every square inch of asphalt over the acres of parking, making it bright as daylight. Tonight, only about one in ten of the parking lot lights were on, and the empty lot was beginning to accumulate a nighttime mist. The top of the stadium, however, glowed. The stadium lights inside caused the canvas roof to light up, making an eerie white crescent-bubble against the backdrop of a black sky.

Barry spoke over the radio again. “Okay, you guys. It's zero hour.”

We walked over to the truck.

“Just remember, it's all pretty simple.” Barry was a stickler for details, despite his demonstrated impulsiveness during the Radio Shack heist. “You boost each other up onto the gutter, climb your way up to the roof. Then you just want to poke a few holes—you know, make some slashes. You'll start to feel the air coming right out.”

I observed the stadium in the distance. “That thing’s not gonna pop like a balloon when we stick the knife in it, is it?”

“No, it won't be anything like that. Kind of slice at it with the blade from the bottle opener.” He made a sawing motion with his hands. “It’s an old canvas. There are probably little holes all over it. Find one and open it up.”

Melissa eyed at the tiny blade on the opener. “And it'll just slice?”

“I'm sure it'll put up some resistance. I mean, it's not thin like a bed sheet. You’ll have to put some muscle behind it.” He took the bottle opener from her and examined it. “Just don't break the blade and all should be well.”

She nodded. “How big of a hole should I cut?”

“I don't really know.” Barry sighed. “If I were to guess, I’d say a hole the size of a door.” He glanced at the dome. “They’re always worried about people leaving a door open. The rumor is an open door will deflate the roof in about fifteen minutes.” He rubbed his chin. “That sounds a little fast, but I'd say a door-sized hole would still do the trick.”

“A door-sized cut.” Melissa took the bottle opener back and shoved it into her pocket. “Okay.”

“Just be sure not to fall through the hole while you’re cutting it.”

She glared at him. “How am I supposed to do that?”

“There's a skeleton frame underneath the roof. You'll see it because the inside lights are on and it’ll cast a shadow against the canvas. Now, moving around up there isn’t going to be like bouncing on a mattress. It’s not a giant bounce house. The whole canvas will be firm and hard, but the supported places will be extra solid. The canvas attaches there. Just sit on the frame area and cut next to it, okay?”

She nodded.

“You don’t have to cut one big hole, either. Five or six big slices would probably work. If you can do more, do more.” He shifted his weight and lifted his broken foot off the ground, wincing. “Pay attention to the roof, though. If it starts to feel soft at all, get the hell off it.”

I cleared my throat. “Uh, why do we need two of us on the roof?”

“You don’t.” Barry cocked his head and pointed at the dome. “But it will take two of you to get onto the
gutter
, and at the top there’s a buttress. You’ll have to boost each other over that to get onto the roof. Besides,” he turned to me and smiled, “you don't want Melissa running around up there by herself, do you?”

“I have absolutely no problem with her being a Lara Croft badass all by herself.”

“You'll be fine, Peeky.” Melissa snickered. “Come on, let's go.”

“One more thing.” Barry put up a hand. “Come down the same way you went up. Not every gutter goes down to the ground. Some go onto other roofs, like the ticket office. You’d be stuck there.”

I looked down. “I’ll mark it with one of my socks or something.”

“Okay. Once you’re down, start picking the lock for the overhead door, so we can drive the truck in when it’s time. Do you have the pins?”

“Got ‘em.” Melissa patted a pocket. “It won’t be easy, but they should work . . . eventually.”

I shook my head. “That’s not funny.”

Folding her arms, she eyed Barry’s cast. “You make this all sound so easy—considering you’re going to be just sitting in the truck.”

“Maybe we'll get lucky and one of them smokes.” I gestured to the side doors. “He'll come outside for a cigarette and leave the door open.”

“Then what?” Barry laughed. “You overpower him and take his gun?” He squinted at the stadium. “How many do you think are in there?

“Three or four,” Melissa said. “That’s what I saw when they unloaded this afternoon.”

Barry climbed out of the truck, leaning on it for support. “Okay, remember. It’s a college campus. All kinds of kids go jogging around here at all times of the night. Nobody will think much of two of you running alongside the stadium.” He pointed at the far edge of the parking lot nearest the dome. “Run down the sidewalk until you’re close to the big downspout, then cut over and hide in the shadows.”

He reached through the window and picked the pink princess radio up off the seat. “When you’re ready, let me know on this.” He clicked the talk button a few times, causing the one in Melissa’s hand to crackle. “I’ll be waiting for you down here and directing you as best I can.”

She laughed. “Cinderella, my hero.”

“I’m kinda nervous for you guys.” Barry sighed.

“Don’t be. We got this. Right, Peeky?”

I took a deep breath. The safety of my friends depended on a solid co-conspirator, and I was anything but that right now, thanks to that damned Findlay. “Actually, can you excuse me for a moment? I need to relieve myself at the back fender of the truck again.”

“Jesus, Peeky.” Barry turned back to Melissa. “Are you okay with all this?”

“I’ll be fine.” She placed her hands on his arms. “Watch me from down here and keep me safe.”

He nodded. “I will.”

He took in her face, illuminated under the nearby parking lot light. The bright eyes, the delicate curves of her cheeks. As he opened his mouth to speak, Melissa leaned forward.

A muted trumpet noise rang out from my location at the back of the truck.

“Oh, Peeky!”

“Excuse me. Just a little gas. Sorry, I’m nervous.”

Barry shook his head and dropped his arms. “You guys better get going before he explodes.”

* * * * *

“Findlay, I think we just caught another break.” Captain Ferguson hung up the phone. “That was my buddy over at Tampa PD. Guess what he said.”

“That moron Riff hung himself in his cell trying to floss his teeth?”

“Nope. He said that a Radio Shack store just north of the university was just robbed by two fellas matching the description of our guys, and they got a positive ID on the girl with them, Melissa Mills.”

Findlay’s jaw dropped. “Wait, what? They’re robbing Radio Shack stores now?”

“That’s right.” Ferguson folded his hands behind his head. “All three of them. They’re still here in town.”

“Seems odd for Melissa to implicate herself in a robbery. I thought she’d be smarter than that.” Findlay rubbed the back of his neck. “But, oh well. I’ll take my luck where I can find it.”

“That store’s not ten minutes from here.”

“I wonder what they took from it?” He glanced at Ferguson. “Cash?”

“Radios. Specifically, walkie talkies.”

Findlay sat back in his chair, his mouth dangling open.
What would they want with those? Would walkie talkies somehow be useful in scrambling a radio signal during the transfer tomorrow? No. What are those bozos up to?

Ferguson cleared his throat. “My friends at the Tampa PD want to put out an APB. It’s pretty much protocol at this point, Fin, but they’ll hold off if I ask them to. You should let them. Things are getting too big to control from here on campus.”

“We aren’t just here on campus, Ferg. Dean Anderson has some powerful friends in the wings helping pull strings.”

“They better be damned big.”

“They are. Big enough to make a call to the fire captain and let me walk on an arson charge, and big enough to prevent some police paperwork from ruining my manhunt.” He rubbed his hands together, pacing. “Still, we ought to up the ante. Things are taking too long.”

The captain reached for his coffee cup. “What did you have in mind?”

“Well . . .” Findlay smiled. “We have a prominent local politician whose daughter is out robbing the citizenry. Maybe the press would find that interesting. Let’s give ‘em a call. See what some outside pressure does to our lab rats. They’re out of money and out of time. Soon, they’ll be out of options. When they have nowhere else to go, they’ll come crawling to me on their hands and knees.”

“You sure?” Ferguson sipped his coffee.

“Ferg, it’s like this. Melissa Mills, daughter of the likely next mayor, possibly being involved in taking a time machine that has already been recovered? Her lawyer father will have a rational explanation for that before the newscaster finishes reading the announcement.” Findlay waved his hands. “ ‘It’s all a big misunderstanding, folks.’ It’s embarrassing, but it mostly just hurts Melissa. Now, a news story about Melissa robbing a Radio Shack? Maybe getting arrested? Oh, that hurts Daddy. Big shot wants to be mayor but can’t control his own daughter.” He chuckled. “She won’t want that to happen. Trust me, when word of that gets out, she’ll fold in an instant.” He plopped into a chair, a grin stretching across his face. “And she’ll get the rest of them to fold, too.”

Invigorated, he rocked forward and pulled the computer keyboard close. “Let’s see what the after hours number for the Tampa Tribute is.”

* * * * *

As we jogged to the stadium, Melissa in front and I enjoying the view, I considered at what point I might switch sides.

I wasn’t at all sure Barry’s plan to reacquire the time machine would work, and if it didn’t, there was a good chance it would disappear for good. I’d never get my chance for a trip and all my hard work would be wasted. I’d never be able to pay back all the money I’d borrowed. I’d disgrace the family name just like my grandfather did, something I wasn’t sure I could live down. It ruined him.

My stomach was a knot. I wasn’t sure I could trust a deal with Findlay, either. He might take my money and run off with it, leaving me just as disgraced and even worse off financially.

Worst of all, I was in too deep to bail out.

We neared the Sun Dome sidewalk. I was almost out of breath. Melissa’s bouncing booty showed no sign of slowing.

“Peeky, can you keep up?”

I gasped. “I… have a rule… about talking… while I run.”

“Oh yeah?” She glanced over her shoulder. “What’s that?”

“I… can’t do it.”

“Okay, I’ll stop talking. We’re almost there.”

“Still… talking”

We neared the main gutter column. She glanced around. “Get ready.”

A shadow from some trees crossed our path and created a dark spot all the way to the stadium dumpsters. When we reached it, Melissa made a hard left turn and ducked behind the trash bins. Seconds later, I was there, too.

I could see her silhouette heaving as she caught her breath. “Let’s hold up for a second.”

I nodded, my hands on knees as I sucked in air as fast as I could. She peeked around the dumpsters. “Doesn’t seem like anything unusual’s happening.”

Barry’s voice came over Melissa’s radio. “How are we doing?”

“We’re good.” She kept the radio to her face for a moment. “We’ll catch our second wind and start up the gutter. How is it from your side?”

“Perfect. I don’t see anything.”

I bristled. “Tell him to move to where he can see, then.”

Melissa grinned. “He means he doesn’t see anything out of place.” Then the smile left her face. She held the radio to her mouth again. “You
do
mean you don’t see anything out of place, right Barry?”