Anxious People

50

The police station. The interview room. All the blood has drained from the real estate agent’s face now. She looks terrified.

“Ba-ba-bank robber? M-m-me? H-h-how c-c-could I…”

Jack is marching around the room, waving his arms as if he were conducting an invisible orchestra, incredibly pleased with himself.

“How did I not see this right at the start? You don’t know anything. Everything you’ve said about the apartment has been complete gibberish. No real real estate agent could be this bad at their job!”

The real estate agent looks like she’s about to start crying.

“I’m doing my best, okay? Do you have any idea how hard it is being a real estate agent during a recession?”

Jack fixes his eyes on her.

“But that’s not what you are, is it? Because you’re a bank robber!”

The agent looks in despair over at Jim in the doorway, trying to get some sort of support. But Jim merely looks back at her unhappily. Meanwhile Jack bangs both fists down on the table and glares furiously at the Realtor.

“I should have realized right from the start. When the other witnesses were talking about the hostage drama, they didn’t even mention you. Because you were never there. Admit it! We allowed ourselves to be distracted when you asked for those fireworks, and then you walked right out of that apartment, in front of our very eyes. Tell me the truth!”