Had Hunt Junior worked out a way to sell the bookstore land?

How had he managed to make his case legal?

Rinn was thinking and walking, walking and thinking. She needed to pace to figure out the solution to problems like these. She needed to generate as many questions as she could. She understood why Hunt Junior was behaving the way he was. But she didn’t understand how. She didn’t even understand what he’d done.

She just knew he was motivated to get his money out from the value of the land and get it fast, while the market for gentrification in Wicker Park was still hot.

Of course, that’s when somebody tapped her shoulder. “Excuse me.”

Dear God. It was Birdman.

Rinn found her brightest customer service tone. “Hi!”

“Excuse me, miss, I sold books here this morning,” he said.

“Yes.” Rinn did her best to hold on to her smile. “I remember. What brings you back in?”

“Oh, I didn’t leave,” he said, in that manner that old men used where they sound like they’re about to tack on as a matter of fact to the end of every sentence.

Rinn didn’t want to hear it. “How may I help you?”

“Well, you see,” he said.

And Rinn knew this was going to be a good one. A really great request, because it was all in his tone, all in his posture. That sloping shoulder that seemed to say, I have something very reasonable I’d like. But the way he wouldn’t make eye contact, that was very, But if I’m being honest, it’s a super-ridiculous thing that I know I’d like.

“I got cash from the books I sold. But I’ve found some purchases I’d like to make.” The man looked down, directing Rinn’s gaze to the stack of books in his arm. “So what I’d really like is to use store credit, since it’s worth more.”

“I see.” Rinn thought about it for a minute—he had requested the cash, not store credit. “But you’ve already got the cash.”

The man nodded. “Yes, but I haven’t spent it yet.”

Rinn took a deep breath. “But you have the cash. It’s in your wallet or your pocket.”

The man nodded. “Correct.”

“I’m sorry, sir, but if they’ve already cashed you out, the transaction is already logged. We can’t reverse the cash transaction.”

“Why not? Isn’t it just like a return?” Birdman was so bewilderingly direct in his request.

“No, sir. It’s not a return. It’s redoing the original transaction.” Rinn was trying to find her calmest tones.

“So just tell them to do that,” he said.

“Do what?”

“Redo the original transaction.”