While he was waiting for Olivia, Matt found an ATM and withdrew a thousand dollars. When she appeared at the door to motion him in to sign the credit card charge, he handed her five hundred dollars.
“Thanks,” she said. “I’ll give you a check.”
“When we get back to Philly,” he said.
“It’ll take months for the city to write a check, you know that?”
“You have an honest face. I can wait.”
An hour later, having bought enough clothing and other necessities of life to last them four days, and suitcases to carry it in, they got back into the Mustang and went looking for McGuire’s Irish Pub.
“I can’t believe you ate the whole thing,” Olivia said to Matt, making reference to the assorted sausage plate he had ordered for lunch. It looked to her more than adequate for the both of them, but by the time she had seen it, the waitress had delivered her Irish stew, which looked like it, too, had been intended for at least two people.
“I have to keep up my strength,” he said, and looked around for the waitress to get the bill.
Then he looked at her.
“You know,” he said, seriously, “there’s only one person in the department who thinks this peeper may be our doer.”
Olivia shook her head, “no.”
“Two,” she said.
“Why?”
“I’ve got a gut feeling, Matt,” Olivia said. “You know?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Washington says you should listen to your gut.”
“What’s next?” she asked.
“I’ve been thinking about that,” he said. “Before we go to the police station, or wherever they have this guy, I’d like to know more than we read in the paper.”
r /> “How are you going to get that?”
“I think I’m going to start with the civilian-from the Citizens’ Watch, or whatever the hell it’s called-who saw him by the window.”
“How are you going to find him?”
“When we get to the hotel, the first thing I’m going to do is plug in my brandnew cellular battery charger, then I’ll ask, look in the phone book, whatever.”
She nodded.
The waitress delivered the bill. Matt handed his credit card to the waitress and said, “Please add fifteen percent for yourself. Great meal.”
Olivia shook her head as the waitress walked away.
“What?”
“You didn’t even look at that check,” she said. “And God knows how much we spent in the shopping center. And you got a lot of money from the ATM. Don’t you worry about maxing out your card?”
“No, I don’t,” Matt said. “And I took the money from my bank. If you get money on a credit card, they charge you some outrageous interest.”
“So you are rich? I heard something-”
“I’m comfortable, Olivia. So what?”
“It must be nice.”