Zeroes

Chapter 7: Scam

HE MUST HAVE SPACED OUT, BECAUSE ONE MOMENT the bank was shuttered and dark and the next a line of people was streaming in.

Ethan stood and hoisted the duffel bag onto his shoulder. He left money for the check, then added another twenty bucks from the bundle he'd shoved into his pocket.

The bag had no drugs in it, just like the Craig had promised. Only rolls of money wrapped in bright blue rubber bands-wads of used-looking twenties and tens, all smelling of beer and sweat.

Ethan hadn't counted the bills, but it was more than he'd ever seen. He got a funny thrill from not waiting for his change. Suddenly twenty bucks seemed like nothing.

Besides, he owed that waitress. Apart from the fact that he'd been a jerk to her, she'd helped him decide what to do next. When he'd ordered his first coffee, the voice had asked her what she'd do if someone gave her a big stack of money. Just outright asked her, like that. Say, what would you do with a big ol' stack of money? And she'd said, "Put it in the bank, I guess."

Not very imaginative, but it was all he had right then. Put it in the bank. Get it out of sight. Ditch the green duffel bag.

Ethan's legs were rubbery from sitting so long. And from nerves.

He left the diner and crossed the road, checking the shadows of the park beside the bank. No black Jeep, no sign of the Craig. Taylor and him were probably busting heads somewhere, trying to discover how some kid knew so much about their operation.

The good thing was, they'd never figure that out.

Inside the bank there was already a short line of people waiting for tellers. Ethan hesitated. He wasn't stupid enough to deposit this much cash into an account. What if Mom found one of his bank statements?

Forget it. He'd get a safe deposit box. Then he'd have plenty of time to figure out what to do next.

He joined the back of the line. Maybe he could get his own apartment, away from the prying eyes of his mother. Maybe take a road trip. Leave Cambria behind for a couple months. Ethan eased the bag onto his other shoulder. This could be a great summer.

The line edged forward slowly, like a glacier receding. The gallon of coffee he'd consumed was wringing every nerve in his body. He kept waiting for the Craig to come through the door and beat him to a pulp.

A security guard sat in a corner of the bank. He caught Ethan looking at the door every few minutes and gave him a flat, blank stare. He didn't seem like he'd be up to stopping an assault from the Craig. In fact, he seemed more interested in Ethan. Probably wondering why this seedy-looking teenager was so jumpy.

Ethan tried to give the security guy a reassuring smile. The guy continued to stare.

The duffel bag grew heavier with each passing minute. Ethan dropped it to the floor in front of him and nudged it along with the toe of his shoe. He'd be glad to have all that cash safely stored in the bank's basement. Then he could relax.

"What's taking so long?" he muttered.

The girl in front of him half turned his way. She had short, straight hair, the tips dyed in a pink sawtooth pattern. Weird but kind of cool. She was wearing a crisp blue-and-white uniform, like she was about to start a shift as a flight attendant. Back in the fifties. She held a phone in a sparkly case, and pink headphone cables disappeared under her hair. She bobbed in time to whatever she was listening to, sending her glossy hair bouncing.

The next time the line shuffled forward, Ethan kicked his bag so it bumped the girl's ankles. She turned a blank expression toward him. Her eyes were unnaturally green, her mouth painted into a cute little pout.