The handheld scanner came down hard on Bonnie's forehead. Her glasses slid off her nose as a trickle of blood ran down her forehead and into her eyes. Mary watched in horror as Bonnie slid down the counter and slumped to the floor, unconscious. Oh God! Don't let her be dead! Was all Mary could think of at that moment. The food court lady knelt down beside Bonnie. Mary's heart leapt within her. Maybe she was going to help Bonnie, or maybe she was going to finish her off! The food court lady stood abruptly with Bonnie's keys in her hand and proceeded to try the keys in an attempt to open the register. At that point, Mary knew they were dealing with a desperate person who would just as soon kill or injure someone to get what they wanted. She must hide!! But where?
The dressing rooms! They were just around the corner, if she could only get there undetected. She began to inch her way toward the dressing rooms. She made it to a chair, crouched behind it, and then realized she was smack dab in front of a three way mirror. The food court lady only had to glance in that direction to see not one of Mary, but three! Oh Lord, she backed away, back to where she had started. The lady had now managed to open the cash register and was busy stuffing money into her pockets. Mary swallowed and decided this was it, her one chance, she had to go for it! She crawled as fast as she could stopping to catch her breath and hide behind displays when she could. The food court lady was still retrieving money from the cash register as Mary made it to the corner. Just around the bend were the dressing rooms. She would get to their safety and make a 911 phone call for help.
Oh no! Her purse and shoes were still out there under the rounder. She had to get them. She would have no means of communication if she didn't get to her phone. It meant her life. Watching the lady from the corner of her eye, she stealthily made it back to the rounder, crawled inside and grabbed her purse and bag. She looped her purse over her neck and secured the Baker's Shoes bag between her teeth. She crawled, more slowly this time in an attempt to quiet the crinkling sound of the Baker's bag. She knew exactly where she was going though, and made it to the dressing rooms just as the food court lady slammed the register drawer shut and turned.
Mary found an area where she could observe the thief and and not be detected. The lady bent down and checked Bonnie's pulse. Mary began to weep for sweet Bonnie and pray that she was still alive. Seemingly satisfied with her findings, the lady began to remove Bonnie's jewelry and rummage through her pockets. Mary clenched her fists in anger and frustration, but decided she had better look after her own safety and she deftly made her way to the handicapped fitting room at the end of the hall. She had just sat down on the bench to relieve herself of her purse and bag when her cell phone rang, piercing the silence.
Her ringtone was deafening. Tye Tribbett belted out "I Want It All Back" from the confines of her purse. Her husband and kids had teased her when she had chosen the rousing song as her ringtone, and now, sitting in a dressing room hiding from a dangerous thief, it seemed comically fitting. The food court lady would surely hear and know that someone was in the dressing rooms. "Whose there?" Mary heard the food court lady call. Mary held her cell phone with shaking fingers and dialed 911, then pressed send. "No service" illuminated the screen. She groaned inwardly. She had always had a problem getting service in this dressing room and she needed it now more than ever! She checked her caller ID to see who had attempted to call moments ago. The number that appeared was her husband's. Her eyes filled with tears as she wondered if she would ever see him again, hold him again?
"I said whose in there?" screamed the lady, closer now to the dressing rooms hall. Oh God! What should I do? Then, an idea began to form in Mary's mind. What if the lady thought there were two people in the dressing room? Would she be as bold and aggressive if she thought she were outnumbered? Acting swiftly and quietly, Mary removed her new shoes from the bag and then from the shoebox. She slipped a shoe on each hand and then walked over to the dressing room door. There was approximately eight inches from the floor to the bottom of the door, allowing an onlooker a view of an occupant's feet. She bent at the waist, placing her hands, wearing the shoes on the floor in front of her feet. To the casual observer, it would look as though two people were standing very close to one another.
Her breathing was shallow and her heart nearly erupted from her chest as she listened to the lady kicking open the doors to the other dressing rooms looking for inhabitants. "I know there's someone in here! I WILL find you!" Mary squeezed her eyes shut and prayed. Her arms began to quiver and her hip joints were stretched to the limit. She should have joined the yoga class when she had the chance, she thought in dismay. The lady was just a few doors down now, Mary could actually hear her breathing.
Mary opened her eyes to realize that she had forgotten to remove her watch from her left wrist. Oh dear Lord, who in the world wears a watch on their ankle? She hurriedly removed her right hand from her shoe and worked the clasp on the watch to remove it. It would not disengage! To save her life she could not remove the thing! Just then, the adjacent dressing room door flew open and she had to settle on rotating the watch face out of sight, in essence, it appeared as though she were wearing an ankle bracelet. That will have to do, Mary thought as rivulets of sweat ran into her eyes. This position was becoming harder and harder to maintain.
more, more!!
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