Myron cleared his throat. "We have this pretty much all wrapped up. Except for one thing. The accomplice."

Myron waited for one of them to say, "Accomplice?"

No one did. Myron elaborated. "Someone in this very mall helped that creep set me up."

"In, like, here?

"In our mall?"

"Not our mall. No way."

They said the word mall like some people said the word synagogue.

"Someone helped that skank?" .

"Our mall?"

"Eeeuw."

"I can't, like, believe it."

"Believe it," Myron said. "In fact, he or she is probably here right now. Watching us." "

Heads swirled about. Even M managed to get into the act, though it was an uninspired display.

Myron had shown the stick. Now the carrot. "Look, I

want you ladies to keep your eyes and ears open. We'll catch the accomplice. No question about it. Guys like that always talk. But if the accomplice was just a hapless dupe . . ."

Blank faces.

"If she, like, didn't really know the score" not exactly hip-hop lingo, but they nodded now "and she came to me right away, before the cops nail her, well, then I'd probably be able to help her out. Otherwise, she could be charged with attempted murder."

Nothing. Myron had expected that. M would never admit this in front of here friends. Jail was a great fearinducer, but it was little more than a wet match next to the bonfire that was teenage peer pressure.

"Good-bye, ladies."

Myron moved to the other side of the food court. He leaned against a pillar, putting himself in the path between the girls' table and the bathroom. He waited, hoping she'd make an excuse and come over. After about five minutes, M stood up and began walking toward Myron.

Just as he planned. Myron almost smiled. Maybe he should have been a high school guidance counselor. Mold young minds, change lives for the better.

The M girl veered away from him and toward the exit.

Damn.

Myron quickly trotted over, the smile on full blast.

"Mindy'?" He had suddenly remembered her name.

She turned to him but said nothing.

He put on the soft voice and the understanding eyes. A

male Oprah. A kinder, gentler Regis. "Whatever you say to me is coniidential," he said. "If you're involved in this "

"Just stay away from me, okay? I'm not, like, involved in anything."

She pushed past him and hurried past Foot Locker and the Athlete's Foot two stores Myron had always assumed were the same, alter egos if you will, like you never saw Batman and Bruce Wayne in the same room.

Myron watched her go. She hadn't cracked, which was .

a bit of a surprise. He nodded and his backup plan went into action. Mindy kept hurrying away, glancing behind her every few steps to make sure Myron wasn't following her. He wasn't.

Mindy, however, did not notice the attractive, jeanclad Hispanic woman just a few feet to her left.