“I’d feel a lot safer if we all walked together,” Ruth Anne said. “What am I supposed to do if I find someone? I mean, that’s the idea, isn’t it? You want me to find someone. But what happens when I do? And I’m all by myself?”

Basil suddenly looked like he had a very bad headache. Clearly he had put a lot of time and effort into drawing his diagram without thinking through the details. Splitting up might have been a viable option when a bunch of flat-pack-wrangling roughnecks like Tommy, Gregg, and the others were going to patrol the store, but what would Ruth Anne do if she encountered an intruder all alone? What would any of them do? Demonstrate an Agreeable and Approachable Attitude?

“If we travel together, we’re too easy to evade,” Basil said. “We need to split up. We’ll have a bigger search footprint that way.”

“Ruth Anne and I will go together,” Amy said. “Think of the liability issues. We’ll cover the Showroom, and you do the Market Floor and the Warehouse.”

The mere mention of the word “liability” convinced Basil to accept the proposal. “Fine, but we need to get started right away,” he said. “For all we know, someone’s out there right now trashing store property.”

It was nearly 11:30 p.m. when they emerged on the Showroom floor, next to the café with Children’s to their left. Just ahead was the stairwell that led down to the Market Floor.

“Stay alert and keep your eyes peeled,” Basil said in his best leader-of-men voice. “We’ll meet back in the break area after this first patrol. If anything happens tonight, that’s where we’ll regroup, okay? And if you see anything suspicious, call me immediately. I’ve been trained for these situations. Remember: your safety is my responsibility.”

“Right,” Amy sighed.

They split up.

04: Liripip

Amy cut through the café toward the top of the escalator.

“We’ll follow the Bright and Shining Path,” she said.

Then she realized there was no one walking beside her. She turned and saw Ruth Anne lingering on the other side of the café.

“I’m sorry,” Ruth Anne called. “Do you want to check the café first? I’m not even really sure what we’re looking for.”

“Teenagers? Insomniacs? I don’t know,” Amy said. “Come on, we’ll do the café last.”

“Are you sure?”

“If you want to do the café first, we can do the café first.”

“No, you’re right,” Ruth Anne said. “We’ll do it your way.”

She didn’t move.

“Are you coming?” Amy asked.

“I’m sorry,” Ruth Anne said, finally walking across the café to Amy. “This Showroom feels spooky. It’s so different from the Youngstown store.”

“They’re exactly the same,” Amy said.

“Why would anyone sneak into a store?” Ruth Anne said. “You’ve never actually seen that happen, have you?”