31 - Ignorance//Lea

"Navy?" he asked.

"I've set it all up," was all Navy said.

-HEIST_ON-

The abandoned Nullmart outside the suburbs was a strange place to rendezvous, but nothing in Paradox City was ever normal. Lea knew that better than anyone.

After Waco settled in for his afternoon nap, Nora and Lea transformed in the living room and jumped their way over to the deserted superstore. This Nullmart had been empty for a few months now. People had abandoned it because the aisles always seemed to be switching around and not even the employees of the store could explain it.

"And everything in the frozen aisle was so frozen it took weeks to defrost, even if you used a microwave," Lea explained.

"That's weird," Nora said. "Even for here."

"Your trees started growing in right angles and you call that weird?" Lea said playfully. Even though they were both making light conversation, Lea could tell that Nora was as on edge as she was. Maybe the small talk was all that could keep them going.

At Nora's instruction, they circled the building at a distance so it appeared they were coming from the inner city and not the suburbs. Even though Paxton had called them, they both knew that it could all be a trap.

The humid, pallid wind blew their capes in lazy patterns as they settled behind the large Nullmart sign. It was a large wooden structure fitted with neon lights that were meant to represent a squirrel, the superstore chain's mascot.

In the event of a midnight snack run, the shining lights had always freaked her out, but otherwise Lea paid little attention to it. Now, even though it was sunny out, she found it strange again.

As soon as they peered over the side of the building, they knew something was wrong. The woman who had taken Paxton was there, along with a short, balding black man wearing a green sweater-vest on top of a light blue shirt. Beside them stood a tall man who was pushing Paxton in a wheelchair. Though they were behind the mismatched group, Lea's excellent eyesight meant she could make out her friend's floppy blond hair and the black rims of his glasses.

"Let's go!" Lea said angrily.

"Wait," Nora said. "It could be a trap! We aren't sure if that's even him."

"Then let's make sure," Lea said, jumping on top of the creepy squirrel's head and whistling at the top of her lungs. Nora quickly joined her.

"What is that noise?" the old man was saying to his companions as he spun around. He had a deep baritone voice that was authoritative, and Lea couldn't shake the feeling that she'd heard it before.

"Be careful," the woman said when they spotted her. "You don't know what this third one is capable of."

"We can't base anything of your incompetent encounter with her," the man holding Paxton said with a sneer.

"I'm telling you," the woman continued. "She's probably unhinged."

"Unhinged?" Lea shouted angrily.

"What did she say?" the woman asked.

"I think she said 'Unhinged'," the man holding Paxton said.

"They can't hear us from here," Nora reminded her.

"We should get in closer, since we've already blown our cover," Nora said with a faint smile, jumping down to the asphalt parking lot. Lea quickly followed.

"Give Paxton back!" Lea yelled once she was within normal yelling distance.

"Gladly," the old man said. "If you give us the Noose."

"Noiz," Lea, Nora and the man holding Paxton corrected. Caught off guard by their momentary pronunciation alliance, all three of them took a step back.

"So you're behind this all," Nora said, pointing an accusatory finger at the old man. "Paxton's kidnapping, the cover-ups, my parents disappearance, and my sister's-"

"Woah woah woah," the old man said. "I'll admit to at least half of those things, but I barely know who you are; Nora Kaikos, 16 years old, reported missing nine months ago."

"How do you know that?" Nora asked.

"Nora!" Lea shouted. "Our identities!"

"Oops," was all she had to say for herself.

"You hired a friend of mine," the woman said. "Jack Yoshida. Us private investigators tend to stick together."

"He promised me the utmost secrecy," Nora said, showing her frustration even under the mask.

"Five figure payouts tend loosen people's morals," the woman said.

"Is that why you're working with him?" Nora said, her finger going back to the old man with a steely conviction.

"I'm sorry," Lea began. "Do you know him?"

Everybody, including Nora, looked at Lea like she'd lost her mind.

"This is Mick Foley!" the man holding Paxton said, shaking so hard with every word that the unconcious Paxton performed a bit of a dance in his wheelchair. "Our mayor!"