'Jeez, don't go all PMS on me,' Scrog said. 'How was I supposed to know?'
I narrowed my eyes at him. 'Are you going to get me coffee?'
'No. I haven't got the time. I'm in the middle of something here. Boy, you think you're doing something nice for people and all you get is yelled at. I didn't have to rob that store, you know. I did it for you and the kid.'
He went back to the living area, leaving the bedroom door open. I heard him raise a shade, and some light filtered in to the bedroom.
'What are you doing out there?' I asked him.
'I'm building a bomb.'
Julie and I looked at each other, mouths open wide.
'What kind of bomb?' I asked Scrog.
'What do you mean? It's a bomb, for crissake. I got it off the Internet.'
'You have a computer here?'
'No. I went to the library. They have computers you can use.'
'So, what are you going to do with the bomb?'
'Shut up. I can't concentrate with you yammering. I'm almost done. I just have to connect a couple things. Eat a goddamn doughnut or something.'
'I already ate a doughnut and now I'm thirsty.'
'There's water in the bathroom. And anyway, we're going out, and you can get something to drink then.'
'Where are we going?'
'We're going to get money. I need more money.'
Scrog came into the bedroom carrying a packet that was about four inches by four inches and maybe an inch thick and entirely wrapped in duct tape. 'I'm gonna toss this onto the bed real gentle, along with the tape, and you're gonna strap it onto yourself,' he said.
'Is that the bomb?'
'Yeah. It's supposed to be pretty stable,' he said. 'It's not supposed to go off unless I push the button.'
'Not supposed to?'
'Hey cut me some slack. This is my first bomb.'
'I'm not strapping a bomb to myself,' I said.
'Well great, then how about I shoot the kid in the foot?'
'You wouldn't do that. You wouldn't shoot your kid.'
'I would if I had to. I'd shoot her in the foot, so she wouldn't die, and maybe she'd walk with a limp, but she'd get over it. It's in everyone's best interest. I need more money, and I don't trust you to just go out with me yet.'
'Why do you need all this money?' I asked him.
'I got a plan. I figure now that we're together we'll escape to Australia. No one will find us there. And we can all be bounty hunters. All we have to do is lay low for a while and everybody will forget about us. Like, while we're laying low we can drive to California. Then we get on a plane and next thing, we're in Australia.'
'Yeah, that's a good plan,' I said. 'What about passports?'
'Passports?'