17 Lunch will have to wait

Jack was worriedly waiting for Robocop to come while the girl timidly looked at him with her big blue eyes.

Lucio didn't give out as much as a squeak since he was tied up and had resigned into his fate as a returnee into the US jail system.

Perhaps after his last stint that was what he subconsciously wanted since he apparently could not adapt to living outside and he returned to his old ways.

Some people get into a rut when repeating the same routine for a long time and since his prior crime was also armed robbery his time was by no means short. This time he will have to face an even longer sentence, but perhaps subconsciously he was even looking forward to it.

Jack was not thinking about Lucio's fate at all. It was his choice to rob and point a gun at him, and it will be up to him to deal with the consequences. What made Jack primarily worried about was how he was going to explain his current appearance.

All he could come up with was to blame it on food poisoning as the reason he came back from Greece early and his massive emaciation. He knew he was pushing the envelope with this excuse, but he had no choice left now.

He just hoped Robocop would look at the big picture and not focus on this tiny detail.

As Jack waited, he recounted the details of what happened, and he was satisfied with how he handled it. He looked at the girl and asked her if she was ok. She just timidly nodded and averted her gaze.

Sergeant Murphy finally came with the sirens blaring and tires screeching. It showed he took the matter very seriously.

Hearing the sirens, the girl became even more nervous since she had priors. She was worrying that her side business could get exposed and she looked at Jack anxiously. She shook her head not because she worried Jack would reveal what she had under the counter but because he looked somewhat better. She could have sworn he was like a walking mummy when he came, and now he looked a bit less like one.

If Jack had a mirror, he would have noticed the same thing. Compared to his morning image he seemed much more like an average human. His prominent cheekbones were not as apparent as they were in the morning and a bit of color returned to his face.

Jack was still worrying how Robocop will react to his drastic change in appearance when Sergeant Murphy and Sergeant Mazza entered the premises.

The first thing they saw was Jack and the girl. They were just about to ask where the suspect was when they noticed a guy laying on the stomach with his hands and feet tied together.

»Is this the robber?« Sergeant Mazza asked, and then he felt kind of stupid.

Sergeant Murphy just gave him a look which said, »You are the reason for all the police jokes.«

Jack just nodded.

They collected the gun into an evidence bag, read Lucio his rights and arrested him. They handcuffed him, removed the ropes, patted him down for any additional weapons and put him in the squad car. Lucio was like a mute the whole time. He didn't even bother to look at the policemen.

After that they each did a separate interview with Jack and the girl. Sergeant Murphy was recording Jack's story, and he was looking at him in disbelief. Something was bothering him, but he could not put a finger to it.

Sergeant Mazza came back in and told Murphy that there is a surveillance system in the back of the shop and that the girl will retrieve today's video on a USB drive. They quickly compared notes and checked the video on a small monitor at the back. As they saw Lucio holding the gun to Jack's neck, they both looked in Jack's direction.

They could not help but wonder how an IT guy could be so calm and collected having a gun stuck on him. Of course, they could not know Jack died over and over again at the trials. He was long used to dangerous situations and knew there was no use in panicking.

As they saw Jack's finishing move, they just shook their heads. You really can't judge a book by its cover they thought secretly.

»You were fortunate this time. Please don't try to be a hero again. We will be out of our jobs if you keep doing that.« was all that Sergeant Murphy said with a smile.

He got two collars today due to Jack, so he showed him some leeway. Jack's behavior was honestly alarming since most people would only do something like this if they had a death wish. Sergeant Mazza seeing Robocop showed good will also didn't try to make a fuss.

Jack only nodded. He was still hoping there would be no questions regarding his change of appearance.

They got all the evidence they needed and recorded the statements.

Just as they were about to leave Sergeant Murphy could not help but ask, »Are you ok?«

He meant if he needed counseling, but Jack thought he implied his appearance.

»No, I have food poisoning,« Jack replied.

Sergeant Murphy looked at him and finally figured out what was bothering him. Jack was gaunt compared to yesterday, and he also seemed taller. Robocop frowned.

»Was that why you came from Greece early?« he asked.

»Yes, exactly,« Jack hastily replied and added,« it was probably the airplane food that made me have to spend two days on the toilet.«

It kind of made sense and Sergeant Murphy didn't want to bother getting to the bottom of this, so he just said, »When you get better, please come to the station to review your statement and add any additional details. We will be off then.«

As the cops went outside, they saw a crowd gathered in front of the shop looking with interest at the suspect in the squad car. They were mostly elderly and kids since it was working hours for most of the population. You could hear whispers among the crowd, but they did not attempt to get closer than 20 meters from the police car parked on the sidewalk.

The girl was left alone in the shop with Jack and was observing him. He didn't reveal her, and he probably saved her life with his actions, so she developed a kind of post-traumatic crush on him. At least she had a lot better feeling towards him compared to the moment they met.

Jack went back to the snack aisle and picked up some candy and energy bars and went back to the cashier's desk. The girl quickly scanned his items and put everything into a bag for him then smiled and said: »Thank you for everything. The snacks are on me.«

Jack thanked her and was about to leave when she asked him to wait a second.

Then she took a piece of paper and scribbled her phone number and name on it and handed it to him. »Let me know if you ever need something to help you relax or if you just want to hang out.«, She smiled at him again. Jack could not help but to smile back and nod.

She was quite good looking, and Jack stored the piece of paper into the bag, said goodbye and left.

As he was walking, Jack unwrapped the snacks and stuffed them into his mouth with joy. He was relieved Robocop let him go with such a lame excuse and also satisfied with his actions.

He looked at the time, and it was almost 1 pm, and he needed to rush to his home before level 6 started. Lunch will have to wait he thought.