(xlvii.)

Lorelei stared at the starry sky.

"So, what do you propose we do, then?"
"Oh, I don't know. How about, oh, say, not break in?" Midge declared, looking in through the window.

Lorelei shrugged. "It's really not that big of a deal. Honest," she declared, as she ran her fingers over the door handles.

"Or, if you'd prefer, we could just swindle money out of an ATM machine."
"...how?"
"Ever heard of the Lebanese Loop?"
"...no, actuall--"
"Well, it's this thing where you convince people that the ATM doesn't work right, and they have to punch their number in repeatedly, and one of us would be standing there to catch the number, and then the machine would 'eat' their card -- but, really, it'd just be a plastic sleeve that we could get out."
"Um, that sounds hard."
"It is. You have to actually talk to them, and be friendly when you tell them it doesn't work. And you can't seem scary or stalkerish for standing by an ATM machine. Plus, there's usually a camera right nearby."

Midge nodded. "So... it would be easier for you to just break into the bank itself."
"Right."
"Why this one, though?"
"...because it's here."
"But--"
"Okay, look. Everyone thinks we're dead, okay? It doesn't matter what we do, because we, for all intents and purposes, don't exist."
"Right. No, wait--"
"Exactly. I'm glad you understand,"



[chapter xlviii.]