Chapter 13: Madness at the Mall

“Can you think of anything more fun than this place?”  Mrs. Schlegel stood in front of the large clothing store at the mall, her grin reflecting off the large display windows stuffed with mannequins exhibiting the latest trends and sale advertisements confirming that now was the time to buy.

Renee, frankly, could think of a lot of places more fun than this.  The dump was even one of them.  She’d never a big fan of shopping for clothes, but she sensed that Mrs. Schlegel would make it much worse.

“Why did I have to come along?” Renee whispered to her older sister as the girls followed Mrs. Schlegel and their “mother” into the store.

Carol squeezed her sister’s hand.  “You might learn something,” she said.  “Anyway, it won’t be that bad.”

“Not that bad?” whispered Renee.  “It’s just a matter of time before Mrs. Schlegel says, ‘Ooh, look at that dress.  I simply have to try it on.’  After fifteen minutes, she’ll decide not to buy it.  It’s as predictable as a scratched CD.”

Carol laughed.  “Don’t worry, Renee.  I’m sure it won’t be that bad.”

“Oh, no?” said Renee.  “You wait and see.”

As it turned out, Renee wasn’t quite right.  “Ooh, look at that dress!” Mrs. Schlegel exclaimed.  “Carol, you simply have to try it on!  It’ll look marvelous on you!”

By the look on her face, it was apparent that Carol disagreed.  However, the point of the trip was to find out whatever they could about Mrs. Schlegel, and Carol went along without complaining.  “You can wait out here, if you want,” she told Renee as they went to the fitting rooms.

“I will,” said Renee.  “Please don’t take long!”

Her plea went unheeded.  Mrs. Hallett and Mrs. Schlegel had to see how the dress looked.  It was thirteen minutes before they emerged from the fitting room, with Carol saying:

“I don’t think that’s the one for me.”

You knew that from the beginning, didn’t you?  Renee thought as she trotted after the group.  They put the dress back, but not before Mrs. Schlegel found a couple more.  “Carol, you must try these on!  I’m sure one of these will be perfect!”

Oh, no!  thought Renee.  It didn’t matter.  Carol duly headed back to the fitting room to get studied once again.  Renee should have been grateful that Carol was the dressing dummy instead of her, but she wasn’t.  She was just impatient.

Standing outside the fitting rooms, her eyes wandered around the store.  There wasn’t much, except for clothes.  Lots and lots of clothes.  This was the dress section, and dresses hung from racks, from carts, on the wall—

Renee found herself staring at the ones on the wall.  They ran all the way up the wall, to heights impossible for a human to reach unaided.  Help was in the form of a large stick with a hook on one end, hanging next to the dresses, right by the fitting rooms.

Wouldn’t it be funny thought the youngest spy in the CIA if one of those dresses were to—oh, wait!  Renee eyed the dresses, then the hook.  A mischievous twinkle appeared in her eye.  She grabbed the hook and brought down one of the topmost dresses.  Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a tiny object.  She clipped it to the dress and put back the hook.  Then, reaching into her pocket again, she pulled out something that looked like a small remote control.  She put the dress on top of it and flicked it on.

Immediately, the dress rose up into the air!

How?  Magnets.  The remote control contained a magnet of the same pole as the one Renee had clipped to the dress.  It was one of the special gadgets the Lawrences had, intended only to be used for important, covert operations.  However, when things get boring—

Renee pocketed the controller and walked to the main aisle that led through the store.  High in the air, and following her, was the dress.  Renee started around the store, waiting for people to notice.

Few did at first.  This was a slow afternoon, and the only shoppers there were engrossed in their purchases.  Two old ladies went crazy over a dress (not the dress), a mother dragged her whining three-year old to the checkout counter, and a professional-looking individual stood for a suit fitting.  No one paid much attention to the flying dress.

Except for one person, a store clerk busy filling a rack with stuffed animals.  He looked up and saw the dress, floating across the store.  The man stared stupidly at it, closing his eyes and pinching himself to no avail.

Renee had gone halfway around the store when she felt a hand on her arm.  It was Carol.  “Renee!” she hissed.  “Put that down right now!”

Renee reached into her pocket and found a button.  Instantly, the dress dropped.  She picked it up, and Carol dragged her back towards the fitting rooms.

“I know you’re bored,” whispered Carol as they walked, “but don’t do stuff like that!  We don’t want our cover to get blown!  Got it?”

Renee nodded, without saying a word.  Meanwhile, on the other side of the store…

“Right over there!” the flabbergasted employee said.

His manager stared skeptically.  “What am I supposed to be looking for again?”

The employee turned.  “Why, it’s gone!  It was there a minute ago.”

The manager nodded.  “A flying dress?  Mm-hm.  Get back to work!”

Carol and Renee reached the fitting rooms again, only to find Mrs. Schlegel holding five more dresses.  “Why don’t you try these on, Carol?”

“Sure,” said Carol.  Renee was the only one who saw her sister roll her eyes.  “Wait here Renee, and stay out of trouble.”

So, Renee waited.  Five minutes passed, ten, fifteen, twenty.  No sign of the group in the fitting room.  She found herself getting bored again.

An old lady, arms full of clothes, wandered past Renee into the dressing room.  “Beep-beep,” went a sensor.  There was nothing unusual about this sensor—most stores had them.  They beeped every time something passed them, whether it was a person, a cart, or a bag being swung back and forth by a mischievous kid.  Often, they gave one high-pitched beep and one lower-pitched beep, like a doorbell.  Store employees tuned them out after a while.

Initially, Renee thought of playing the bag trick.  Then, she got a different idea.  She reached into her pocket and pulled out a miniature screwdriver set.  Kneeling down next to the sensor, she soon had it off the wall.  She fiddled with it for a bit before replacing it and stepping back to see what happened.

That old lady that had gone in a few minutes ago now stepped out.  “Beep---beep—beep-beep---beep—beep-beep---beep-beep-beep,” it went.  The lady glared at it.

“Well, I never!” she exclaimed.

The group of teens walking by seemed to view it differently.  “Dude!  It’s the Imperial March!”

“That’s cool!”

“I never knew Kohl’s was on the dark side!”

“The force is with this store!”

Carol dashed out, still wearing one of the dresses she’d been trying on.  “Renee!” she said.

“What?” asked her sister.

Carol pointed to the fitting rooms.  “That wasn’t playing movie music a minute ago.”

“It wasn’t?”

“Renee!” Carol knelt down next to her and whispered in her ear.  “We’re looking for someone who might be a killer.  We can’t risk having our cover blown.  If someone finds out who you really are, it could be bad for all of us!”

“I’m sorry,” said her sister.  “I’m just so bored.”

Carol looked around, hoping no one was paying much attention.  “Tell you what,” she said.  “Do you have your cellphone with you?”

Renee nodded.

“You can go for a walk around the mall then.  Just, please—stay out of trouble!  OK?”

Renee nodded.

“Good.  And if anyone bothers you, call me, alright?”

Another nod.

“OK.  Just stop messing with things in this store.”  Carol walked back into the fitting rooms, Darth Vader’s theme sounding behind her.

Out into the mall Renee went, hoping to find something interesting that would keep her out of trouble.  Two stories of shops should have provided at least something.  Renee, however, was in no mood for shopping today, and nothing in any of the stores looked interesting.  Once again, that boredom so suited for mischief swept over her.

She was now on the second floor, wandering by a railing, gazing down at the people on the first floor.  Below was a seating area, empty except for a man on his cellphone.  Renee stopped above him and peered down, but she was unable to make out his conversation.

No matter.  She reached into her pocket and pulled out a miniature microphone.  Donning a pair of headphones, she nonchalantly lowered the microphone until it was almost level with the guy’s head.  It was behind him, but it was so small, he wouldn’t have noticed anyway.  Grinning, Renee began listening.

“Hallett.”

The grin disappeared from her face.  It was so unexpected, hearing her fake last name here at the mall.  Surely he meant someone else.

“John Hallett.”

Maybe not.

“That’s the new one, according to our contact there.  He’s brought his wife and kids along too.  What?  Yes, she might be in on it.  Our agent wants permission to remove.”

Silence.

“Sure.  Yes, I’ll tell him.  Tonight, if possible?”  The man laughed.  “I’m sure he can come up with something.  Catch you later.”

Startled, Renee yanked up the bug.  She looked down and saw the man pocket his phone.  He stood up and looked around to see if he’d been observed, but he neglected to look up.  Then, he set off at a brisk walk.

Renee had never seen the man before, but she wasn’t going to let him out of her sight if she could help it.  She ran around the railing to a down escalator and charged halfway down it until she got stuck behind a plump man with a briefcase.  He slowly turned, shot her a look, and stayed right where he was.  As soon as they reached the first floor, Renee bolted past him, just in time to see her quarry head down an aisle.

She charged over to where he’d gone and saw him heading for the exit.  The mall was crowded, and it was hard enough to keep him in sight, but Renee pushed her way through as fast as she could.  Her subject still had no idea he was being followed.  By the time he reached the door, Renee was only about ten feet behind.

Exiting, the man darted across the street towards the parking lot straight ahead.  Renee darted after him without bothering to check the traffic.  She should have.  If she had, she would have seen the taxi headed straight towards her.

Honk!

Renee saw it at the last second, barely managing to avoid it by twisting out of the way.  She lost her balance and fell to the ground.  The door opened, and the driver leaned out to check on her.

“Watch where you’re going, you stupid punk!” he said.  “Don’t try to cross in front of old Greg again!”

Maybe “check on her” didn’t capture the warmth of the L.A. area cab driver, who sounded like a New York transplant.  Renee ignored him and pulled herself up.  She looked around for her quarry, but he’d disappeared into the parking lot.  Her cellphone rang and she answered.

“Renee?  We’re done.”

“Alright,” said Renee.  “Be right there.  Wait till I tell you what I heard.”

“What did you—” started Carol, but Renee hung up on her.  She’d had to wait long enough today.  Now, it was Carol’s turn.

But as she walked back towards the mall, Renee knew full well that her “parents” would have to watch their steps.  No one suspected her and her siblings of being spies, which was great for them.  But it could be very bad for John and Sally Hallett.