"Maybe she's caught on to our top-notch detective skills," Carol replied, sarcasm dripping from her words like syrup.
"Or maybe she's just really enjoying that ice cream," Beth suggested, eyeing Katie's cone. My stomach grumbled in agreement, but I pushed away thoughts of food and focused on the task at hand.
Operation Stealth was in full swing, which is to say it was a complete disaster. As Beth, Carol, and I continued our pursuit of Katie, we tried our best to blend into the scenery. But honestly, we were about as inconspicuous as a hot pink elephant at a funeral.
"Emma, stop jingling your keys," Carol hissed under her breath, giving me a pointed look.
"Sorry." I tucked them deep into my pocket. "Force of habit."
"Maybe if you didn't have so many keychains, they wouldn't make so much noise," Beth added, stifling a laugh.
"Hey, don't knock Mr. Jingles," I defended, referring to the obnoxious stuffed unicorn that lived on my keyring. "He's saved me from countless lockouts."
"Shh, She's coming out of the store," Carol warned, her eyes widening as she spotted Katie heading our way.
We scurried behind a nearby potted plant, which was hardly big enough to hide even one of us, let alone all three in our ridiculous getup.
"Seriously, who thought this would work?" I whispered, adjusting my oversized sunglasses, and trying not to sneeze from the pollen-laden foliage.
"Okay, new plan." Beth peered around the plant like a secret agent. "We'll each take turns following her, so we don't draw attention to ourselves."
"Great idea," Carol agreed, nodding enthusiastically. "I'll go first!"
"Wait," I started, but it was too late – Carol had already darted out from our hiding spot, nearly crashing into an unsuspecting pedestrian.
"Careful," the man snapped, glaring daggers at Carol.
"Sorry," she squeaked, attempting a casual stroll after Katie. The poor woman must have felt like she was being followed by a three-woman circus.
Beth nudged me forward. "Your turn."
Taking a deep breath, I stepped out from behind the plant and tried to act natural. But as luck would have it, I managed to trip on my own scarf, tumbling right into an elderly couple who had been enjoying their afternoon walk.
"Hey," the woman exclaimed, nearly losing her balance.
"Are you okay, dear?" her husband asked, steadying both of us.
"Uh, yeah, so sorry," I stammered, wanting to crawl into a hole and die from embarrassment. "I'm just, erm, really clumsy today."
"Clearly," he replied, raising an eyebrow. The couple continued on their way, casting wary glances back at me.
"Smooth." Beth walked up beside me.
"Shut up," I grumbled, trying to regain my composure. "Let's just focus on Katie before we lose her."
"Right." Beth scanned the area for any sign of our elusive target.
We spotted Carol across the street, still doing her best impression of a spy, which was about as convincing as a penguin trying to fly. With a resigned sigh, we continued our pursuit, hoping against hope that our clumsy antics would somehow lead us to the truth.
The scent of fresh-baked bread and cinnamon wafted from a nearby bakery, momentarily distracting me from our mission. My stomach growled in protest. Man, I was freaking hungry. "Focus, Emma," I muttered under my breath, forcing myself to ignore the tantalizing aroma.
"Watch out," Beth hissed, grabbing my arm, and yanking me back just as I nearly collided with a streetlamp while looking across the street at Katie and Carol. Smooth, real smooth. My cheeks with embarrassment, but at least I had managed to avoid yet another public spectacle, thanks to Beth.
"Thanks," I mumbled, too mortified to meet her gaze. "I think I need glasses or something."
"Or maybe you just need to pay attention." Beth smirked at me from behind her ridiculous oversized sunglasses. "You're not exactly blending in, you know."
"Neither are you," I shot back, glaring at her getup. She looked like she'd raided Audrey Hepburn's wardrobe and decided to wear all of it at once. "We're supposed to be inconspicuous, remember?"
