After a moment, one last member joins the caravan of clowns: the person we were waiting for. As he steps out into the corridor, Shep's eyes lock on Charlie. I expect a smile, or maybe even a wicked Elvis grin. But all we see is an anxious expression in his wide eyes.
"My, my," Charlie says. My child looks miserable.
"Everything okay, Shep?" Mr. Chubby asks as he and the rest of the circus staff wait for the elevator to arrive.
"Yeah," Shep stammers. I'll be with you in a second. I forgot something in my office.
Shep goes to the other end of the corridor, opens the metal door and disappears down the stairs. Just before the door closes, he looks at us one last time. He doesn't go up the stairs. She has stayed there, waiting. Us.
As Mr. Chubby turns to face Charlie's cubicle, he ducks me again. Charlie doesn't move.
-What are they doing? I ask in a barely audible voice as I try to stay hidden. I hear the elevator doors open.
"They greet us..." Charlie says. Now Quincy is after Lapidus, trying to attach the bunny ears to him... Wow, man, Lapidus has noticed. No bunny ears for anyone.
Charlie can make all the jokes he wants, he can't hide his fear.
I hear the elevator doors close slowly.
"Come on…" Charlie insists, as he points to my coffee cup. Let's go get coffee.
He sets the glass down on his desk and I follow him out of the cubicle to the coffee machine, which just happens to be by the stairs. Charlie steps forward resolutely.
I control the situation over his shoulder.
"Are you sure it's...?"
"Stop doubting, Ollie, or your brain will rot.
Without looking back, he plunges headlong into the abyss. But when we get there, the stairs are empty. He leans over the railing and looks up and down. No one...
"Not quite what we thought, was it?" a deep voice asks as the metal door slams shut. We both turn. Shep is behind us.
"Not a bad day at work," Charlie whispers, holding out his hand. Shep ignores him. He is too focused on me.
"So it's all in the account?"
"Forget the bill." Why did you call the Service guys? - I insist.
"They were already here when I got here this morning," Shep says. I guess it was Quincy's or Lapidus' idea, but believe me, when it comes to law enforcement, the Service is better than the FBI. At least we're dealing with friends.
"You see…" Charlie interrupts. Nothing to worry about.
We both glared at him with looks meant to make him fall on his ass. Mine can ignore it. Shep's is another story. It's time to get serious.
"We'll catch these people and get the money back ASAP," Shep announces, leaning over the railing and peering up at the upper floors. He lowers his voice and utters two words. Not here. He doesn't want to take any risk.
"Where do you want to go for lunch?" Charlie asks quickly.
Intelligent. We need a place where we can talk. A private place.
We simultaneously look at the ground, the three of us remain silent. We are all on the same page, reviewing the mental atlas.
"How about the Yale Club?" — I propose. Lapidus' preferred hideout.
"I like it," Charlie says. Quiet, withdrawn and restrained and haughty enough to know how to keep his mouth shut.
Shep shakes his head. Noticing our puzzled expression, he takes out his wallet and flashes us his driver's license. Good argument. To access the Yale Club we would have to identify ourselves.
"I understand," Charlie says. And Via 117?
I smile. Now it is Shep who is puzzled. A brief whisper in his ear brings him up to date.
"Are you sure we can...?"
"Trust me," Charlie says. Nobody even knows it exists.
Shep watches us warily but he doesn't have much choice.
"So we'll see each other at noon?" Shep asks. Charlie and I nod and Shep walks up the stairs. He quickly disappears, but we can still hear his footsteps on the concrete steps.
A door slams shut above our heads and I, too, launch myself up the stairs like Stallone in the first Rocky.
-Where are you going? Charlie yells.
He didn't answer, but he already knows. I'm not going to wait for lunch, I want to see the rest of the movie now.
As I continue up the spiral staircase, I look back to see Charlie coming up behind me.
"They'll never let you in," he tells me between gasps.
-We'll see...
Fifth floor...sixth floor...seventh floor...I walk out into the hallway and head straight for Lapidus's secretary. Charlie waits behind, watching the scene through a small crack in the doorway that opens onto the landing of the stairs.
"Are they still there?" I ask, scooting past the secretary's desk like they're waiting for me.
"Oliver, don't...
But it's not fast enough. I open the door and disappear into the office.
The loud conversation dies down instantly. All heads turn to me. Lapidus, Quincy, Mary, Shep...even the two Secret Service agents who are standing by Lapidus's antique desk. They look at me like he's crashed his funeral.
"Who the hell is this guy?" barks Mr. Chubby.
I look to Lapidus for help, but I should have figured it out.
"I'll take care of this," Lapidus says, walking quickly toward me. He catches my elbow, and with the grace of a ballroom dancer, he brushes past me, turns me around, and walks me back to the door. It's so smooth I barely even realize what's happening. First we need to figure out a few things. You already understand…" he adds as if it didn't matter. There is a creak and the door opens. Three seconds later my ass is out of Lapidus's office.
Across the hall, Charlie watches me from the landing of the stairs. My eyes drop to the carpet. Behind me, Lapidus gives me the obligatory pats and sends me on my way.