The Millionaires - Brad Meltzer [161]
Ten steps later, he cut around the screen and skidded to a stop. In a room that felt like a smaller version of the warehouse, he stared at row after row of rolling wardrobe racks. In front, a red-and-white polka-dot dress hung from a hanger labeled “Minnie.” One rack over, on a hanger labeled “Donald,” the blue suit and white fuzzy tail of Donald Duck’s butt was hanging in the air. In front of the suit, Donald’s head hung upside down on a specially made hanger. Another Donald head sat on top of the rack, and a third sagged sideways on the floor where DeSanctis walked in. Throughout the room, the heads were the one thing DeSanctis couldn’t miss—from Minnie, to Donald, to Pluto, to Eeyore, to all seven of the Dwarfs, the empty heads seemed to be staring blankly at him.
Trying his best to ignore them, DeSanctis did a quick scan of the aisles. The costumes draped to the floor and blocked every clear view. If he wanted Charlie, he’d have to flush him out. Methodically moving forward, DeSanctis squeezed between two sequined butterfly costumes and entered the first aisle of racks. With every step, a kaleidoscope of colored costumes brushed against both shoulders, but DeSanctis didn’t seem to notice. His eyes were locked on the floor, searching for Charlie’s shoes. Every few feet, he jabbed his gun into the side of a costume that looked too lumpy, but otherwise, nothing slowed him down—that is, until he reached the end of the aisle and saw the familiar black tuxedo with the bright red shorts. Two white gloves, specially stitched with four fingers, were clipped to the sleeve. Raising his head, DeSanctis traced the costume up to the top of the rack, which held the head of the world’s most famous mouse. Instinctively reaching out, DeSanctis tapped a knuckle against Mickey’s smiling face.
“Couldn’t help yourself, could you?” a voice asked behind him.
DeSanctis spun around, but by the time he caught sight of Charlie, it was already too late. Wielding an industrial broom like a cave-man’s club, Charlie swung away. Just as DeSanctis turned, the broomstick sliced through the air. There was a loud thud as it collided with DeSanctis’s head.
“That’s for messing with my mom, asshole,” Charlie said, already winding up for another. “And this one’s for my brother…”
80
With a mechanical crank, the turnstile somersaulted as Joey rushed through the main entrance of the Magic Kingdom. This late in the day, the lines were shorter than usual, but there were still plenty of tourists to get in the way.
“How’s it look?” Noreen asked through the earpiece.
“Like a haystack,” Joey said as she thrust herself into the center of the slowly meandering crowd. Surrounded by a group of overtalkative high school kids on one side, and crying baby twins on the other, Joey pushed her way through the insanity, ran under the overpass that housed the railroad station, and found herself face-to-face with the sixty-foot Christmas tree and colorful storefronts of Main Street, U.S.A. “Are you sure it’s here?” she asked Noreen.
“I’m looking at their online map right now,” Noreen answered. “It should be directly on your l—”
“Got it,” Joey said, pulling a sharp left and running upstream against the exiting crowd. Straight ahead, next to the bright red firehouse, was the main entrance for City Hall. With a quick check of the surrounding area, Joey hit the brakes, tucked away her earpiece, and forced her best panicked look onto her face. “Oh, no…” she began, starting out soft. “Please don’t tell me… Help!” she shouted. “Please, someone… help me!” Within seconds, she heard the rumbling of footsteps from inside City Hall, which was not only the home for Guest Relations, but also happened to be one of the closest places patrolled by Walt Disney World Security. “Why go to them,” Joey had asked Noreen, “when they’ll come right to you?”
Joey counted to herself. Three… two