What Have You Done(62)
The gift shop was at the top of the stairs. Liam ran inside, breathing heavily. He was sweating and dizzy from having eaten nothing since the previous day. He grabbed a white souvenir T-shirt, paid cash, and ran into the bathroom. Inside the bathroom, he threw away the jacket and black golf shirt he was wearing and put on the souvenir shirt. He drank gulps of water from the sink until his stomach couldn’t take any more and stared at himself in the mirror. Perhaps this new outfit would buy him some time.
There was a small window next to the urinals. He went to see if he could spot any more activity outside, but when he looked, his view was obstructed by the scaffolding that had been erected across the entire back of the building. He remembered seeing it when he and Sean were walking through Fairmount Park. The idea came instantly.
Several officers were already on the second floor, searching. Liam cracked the door and watched as they spread out, two men down each hallway. He slipped from the bathroom and quietly took a set of side stairs to the third floor. A custodian was mopping up a spilled soft drink next to a soda machine.
“Excuse me,” Liam said as he held up his police ID. “Philly PD. I need access to the roof. We’re conducting a search of the premises, and I need a bird’s-eye view. Can you take me there?”
The custodian looked at the ID and nodded. “Nice shirt.”
“Trying to blend in as a tourist. The guy we’re looking for might see the guys in uniform, but he won’t see me.”
“Yeah, I saw all those other cops when they came in. Come on. Roof access is this way.”
Liam followed the custodian through a door marked EMPLOYEES ONLY and up a small set of hidden stairs. At the top, the man unlocked another door and pushed through. They ascended an iron ladder sticking up from the floor, and he unhinged the access door in the ceiling. Liam took three more steps, and he was on the roof.
He ran to the edge and saw the perimeter the police had set up. If he could get down the scaffolding without being noticed, he could go south through Fairmount Park and come back out at Boathouse Row.
“Thanks. That’s all I need. You can go.”
The custodian shook his head. “Can’t leave you up here alone.”
“Well, then, I better head down.”
Liam ran to the opposite end of the building and jumped from the roof onto the top level of the scaffold. He didn’t bother to look up to see if the custodian was tracking him. He was too busy climbing through the rungs on the side, trying to stay hidden and alive at the same time. His palms were sweating, and his hands slipped, almost sending him crashing to his death. When he reached the ground, he ran toward the entrance of the park, through the budding brush, and onto the other side near Boathouse Row. He was safe. For now.
He crossed the street and jogged back up Fairmount Avenue, away from the activity around the art museum. As he ran, he looked for a way out of the area.
Suddenly, a patrol car turned off 27th Street and headed right toward him. He was the only person on the sidewalk and knew he wouldn’t have much time before the officers inside the car got close enough to recognize him. The new clothes could only do so much. He ducked into a deli.
“Can I help you?” a man behind the counter asked.
Liam watched out the window as the cruiser passed by. “No, I’m good.”
“What are you looking for?”
“Nothing, really.”
“Well, if you ain’t gonna buy anything, I gotta ask you to leave.”
“Yeah, okay. Sorry.”
He stepped back outside as the patrol car turned the corner. The Philadelphian was across the street. He made his move.
The Philadelphian was a high-rise built exclusively for wealthy seniors. Among retirees, it was a much sought-after place to live. Liam scurried across a small one-way road and up the exit ramp to the front of the building. As he approached, the private charter bus that ran residents around the city was pulling up. He waited among the small gathering of residents and boarded the bus in a single file.
“Who’re you?” the driver asked when he saw Liam. “Gotta have ID to ride this bus. Residents and employees only.”
Again, Liam pulled out his police ID, obscuring part of his name with his thumb in case the driver recognized it from the news reports. “Need to hitch a ride to Penn’s Landing. It’s a police matter. My partner is meeting me there.”
The driver looked at the ID. “Yes, sir, Officer. Welcome aboard.”
It worked. He climbed in and sat.
As the bus pulled out of the Philadelphian and onto the street, Liam could see the small army of uniformed officers beginning to canvass the area. No one would have noticed how many there were at ground level, but sitting atop the hill the building was perched upon, he could see them spreading out in the crowd. The windows of the bus were tinted. No one would be able to see him escape. He was on his way.
He needed to find the truth.
47
The dock was busy. The warm afternoon brought as many people to Penn’s Landing as the art museum and, again, Liam blended in with them, working his way closer to Kiki and Grandpa. They were both at their spot under the tattered awning in front of the café. Kiki was shouting at those who passed by while his grandfather snapped picture after picture, aiming his camera at as many people as possible. Some folks exchanged money with the boy, but most passed by without so much as a glance.