bitchin'

Chapter 35

"That keycard opens the door, but unfortunately, the Russian with this massive keycard also has a gun," Dustin explains to Steve and Robin in the break room of Scoops Ahoy! the next day.

"Whatever's in this room, whatever is in those boxes, they really don't want anyone finding it," Lindsay adds, having been with Dustin that morning staking out the delivery hallway again. This time without the rain.

"But there's gotta be a way in," Robin sighs.

"Well, you know... Lindsay could just take him out," Steve suggests. Lindsay's eyes grow wide.

"What? No," Robin says.

"What? She sneaks up behind him, knocks him out and takes his keycard. It's easy," the boy replies.

"Yeah! Easy for you to say," Lindsay butts in.

"Yeah, did you not hear the part about the massive gun?" Dustin adds sarcastically.

"Yes, Dustin. I did," he replies, "and that's why she'd be sneaking."

"Yeah, no, we aren't putting Lindsay up to this," the older girl shuts him down.

"What? Come on, she's fought hundreds of kids before," Steve argues.

"Yeah, Steve, kids. Not scary Russian men with giant guns!" Dustin points out.

"Well, how else are we gonna get in? I'm not hearing any other ideas," he says.

"That might just work," Robin says out of the blue.

"What?" Lindsay asks. The older girl gets up and walks out to the front counter. The brunette follows her, watching as she takes some money from the tip jar.

"Robin," Steve says from the break room, "Hey, Robin! Hey, what——what are you doing?"

The older girl walks out to the lobby area, "I need cash."

"For what?" Lindsay questions.

"Well, half of that's mine, where are you going?" he asks.

"To find us a way into that room, a safe way," she answers, "and in the meantime, sling ice cream, behave, and no fighting."

Lindsay sighs knowing that last direction was aimed for her.

"I'll be back in a jiff!"

The three stand behind the counter as Robin leaves. Dustin takes a lick of ice cream from Steve's ice cream scooper.

"Oh, dude," he groans, "come on, man, not my scooper."

"That's unsanitary," Lindsay comments.

***

"It is fascinating what twenty bucks will get you at the County Recorder's Office," Robin starts when she returns from her adventure, "Starcourt Mall. The complete blueprints."

She lays out a giant piece of paper on the table in the break room.

"Not bad," Dustin comments.

"So, this is us, Scoops," she explains pointing to a outline on the paper, "and this is where we want to get."

"I mean, I really don't see a way in," Steve says analyzing the blueprint.

"There's not," she confirms before flipping the page over, "if you're talking exclusively about doors."

A new print lies on the table, slightly different from the other one.

"Air ducts," Dustin says, realizing the new blueprint outlines the air duct system.