Chapter 10

 

Less than two blocks from the bank carnage, a tall, razor thin, dark haired man, in his early 40’s, entered the multiplex downtown theater. He purchased one adult ticket, passed by the concession stand without stopping, moving directly towards the ticket taker. The ticket taker, a foot shorter than the tall man, told him in a boring recital, which he had delivered at least fifty times earlier this same day, the theater’s room number and location. Then he added, “I sincerely thank you for your patronage.” The last part of his patter, he had recently improvised to impress his boss in case he came by. He hadn’t had a raise in two years and maybe that extra little added touch to his pitch would help speed up the process, he hoped.

The tall man moved directly toward theater number five, shifting from the brisk pace he had maintained since he entered the multiplex, to a more leisurely and deliberate one as he neared his destination. The room was fully lit and mostly deserted, although it was less than fifteen minutes until show time.

Documentaries did not usually draw large audiences. A scattering of people sat in the first and second row on the right hand side of the theater. Queued behind the tall man were a small group of theater goers chatting to each other about the pleasant flight they had experienced in their flight from Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. One couple was commiserating over the increased cost of their rental unit at Longboat Key, blaming it on global warming and the increased hurricane threat. An older man and his wife were bickering about the desirability to see this particular movie. His wife wanted to see the romantic comedy, playing in room number six next door; but her husband was rigidly opposed and uncompromising. Since both couples’ lives were about to end, neither discussion was really relevant.

As he entered the twin doors, the tall man took a moment to scan the theater. He moved to the far right of the room and bounded up the stairs to the top row of seats, accidentally bumping a patron seated in the first row as he climbed. The patron yelled something offensive; the tall man seemed oblivious to the comment. Normally the tall man would have responded in kind but this was not a day for altercation; his focus was directed on much more important things, although he was still not entirely sure of what they were.