Tybalt’s nose was a bloody mess and Marion called a taxi because there was no way he could drive. Robin had disappeared, and she found him in front of the museum, slumped on a bench facing swaying reed beds in the adjoining nature reserve.
‘I wish my mum was still around,’ Robin sniffed.
Marion didn’t know what to say, but put an arm around Robin’s back while keeping a wary eye out. The area wasn’t busy, but Robin’s face had been on the news and the front of the museum faced a wooden boardwalk where people jogged or passed through when they took toddlers to feed ducks in the reserve.
‘We can’t stay in the open, Robin,’ Marion said gently. ‘Let’s head back to Designer Outlets. You’ll feel less stressed once you’ve cleaned up. We can find some nice food on the roof and watch a movie or something.’
Robin looked up sharply, rubbing soggy eyes then shaking his head determinedly.
‘I want to do stuff, not watch stuff,’ he said firmly. ‘I need money to help my dad.’
‘You’re in the wrong frame of mind,’ Marion said. ‘Show your plan to Will. He’s done heaps of robberies.’
‘Stick-ups with guns isn’t hacking,’ Robin said. ‘That’s like comparing boxing with chess.’
Marion sighed and gave him another squeeze.
‘If you’re backing out, I’ll do the robbery on my own,’ Robin said. ‘Locksley has eighty thousand empty houses I can hide in overnight. Could you meet me and take me back to Designer Outlets in the morning?’
Marion smiled. ‘You do tend to fall into ravines when I’m not guiding you.’
Robin looked at her with pleading eyes, and Marion softened because his expression and his dirty face were adorable …
‘Fine, I’ll help with your stupid robbery,’ she groaned. ‘But if I get busted and wind up in juvenile boot camp with some brute making me do push-ups in mud, you’ll be totally off my friends list.’