Dark Zone

40

Dean took the napkin and sketched the basic layout on it for Lia, diagramming the alley and the charity building.

“You could stand right at this comer here and watch the office,” Dean told her. “You’ll be able to see everything.”

“And be run over by anyone who comes up through the alley in a truck,” Lia told him. She reached into her travel bag for her PDA and pulled up the photos of the area they had been given as part of the earlier briefing. “I can get up on the roof from this fire escape,” she said, pointing. “I’ll have just as good a view.”

“OK,” said Dean. She seemed a little more herself, he thought. “I saw a place at the eastern end of the medina where we can rent bikes. We can stash them so we can use them to get away if we need to. We could use them to get to the airport if we have to.”

“It’ll be closed by now.”

“You can’t pick the locks?”

“That would get us in more trouble here than if we killed someone,” said Lia. “They don’t like thieves.”

“So what do you suggest? Hire a cab?”

She didn’t answer, instead turning the PDA toward him. “How are you going to get into the window? There’s nothing to climb on.”

“It’s only one story up. There are some crates behind the building in that alley there,” he said, pointing at his napkin. “We can bring them over.”

“They’ll hold you?”

“I hope so.”

“I should be the one who climbs in.”

“You can’t have all the fun,” he told her.

Something flashed in her eye — relief? But if so, it turned into a scowl.

“I should go,” she said.

“If the crates won’t hold me, OK. Otherwise, this was my idea; I get to take the shot.”

“All right. Listen, did the Art Room tell you I puked?”

“No.”

“Yeah, well, I got sick in the women’s room. I threw up. I think it was the solvent, because it smelled wretched.”

“You all right now?” Dean asked.

“Yeah, I’m OK.”

Dean stared into her face. “You told them back in the Art Room?”

“I didn’t have to. They could hear me. I spilled solvent all over the place. Junk.”

“That’s what did it?”

“I’m fine, Charlie Dean. I just wanted you to know. In case they pointed it out. Like I was sick or something.”

“Yeah, all right.”

“I’m fine.”

“I didn’t say you weren’t.”