She must have a deadline William decided. How nice for her.

The thing he hoped to see was the green book. He was disappointed though because despite settling herself in, it hadn’t extended to her putting all her books on the table. He laughed at his own wit but then realized it was only witty if someone was there to hear. And who in the world would listen to his crazy theories?

Not crazy he told himself.

If she would only bring the thing out and place it in an easily accessible spot—which would really help him out—then he could try a daring snatch-and-run. Or what about a swap-in identical copy for the original?

There’s an idea. An idea, he dismissed almost at once because finding a similar book, when the only close look he’d gotten was three years ago while playing around, was, at best, impossible.

The point was moot anyway, and a waste of his time thinking up harebrained schemes, because she never once brought the journal out except during the moments with homeless people.

So if she wasn’t making it easy on him, then he must use that imagination of his and hatch a good plan, one that was possible and not filled with holes. He wished he could find some luck and have the book fall out of her tote at his feet as it had done that time in the café.

Ah, then he saw it. The answer right before his eyes for two days.

The bag.

He’d been focused on the book but what he needed was to get his hands on the damn bag. Or even a hand inside.

William, sadly, or probably with good reason because he hadn’t planned to be a criminal, wasn’t skilled in pickpocketing. So, the concept of sneaking up behind her to carry out such a daring theft seemed doomed due to his lack of experience.

Practice would take time, time he felt slipping away, thanks to Morris managing to drown himself. It could only be a matter of days, if not hours, before the police knocked on his door. His embroilment in that sad mishap would play well into her curse on his life. Maybe an arrest would even happen here, with him being handcuffed, an entertaining spectacle while she sipped her morning coffee.

Another frustrating day of nothing gained, came and went but even when William arrived home, the bag snatching idea continued to nag him. Even though he couldn’t see how he’d make it happen, he took the action in which he had become an expert.

Research.

He sat at his computer and googled how to steal a handbag.

Thousands of articles appeared on the subject as if it was a necessary piece of information the world needed to possess.

Kind of outrageous, this is out there in the public domain for anyone to use, he thought. That’s what’s wrong with the world.

Lucky for him though because he needed to become a student of the art of theft, and he needed to do it with speed.