The ELI Event B007R5LTNS

fine. Oh, Robin, one more thing. If they question how the ticket was paid for, just say your Aunt Kelly bought it.”
    “Eli, I don’t have an Aunt Kelly.”
    “I know, but that’s the name the ticket was purchased under. You shouldn’t have any trouble, but try to remember it just in case.”
    “Okay, okay, Aunt Kelly. How come we gotta do that?”
    “It’s to help throw the Air Force men off the track. They know your name, but this way they won’t find it on any of the purchase records.”
    “Oh, yeah. Good idea, Eli. Wow, you think of everything.”
    Eli said something, but he couldn’t make it out. There was some kind of noise outside the terminal. An incredibly loud, oddly familiar noise. He couldn’t quite place it, but it was drowning out Eli’s voice. He shouted into the telephone, “What, Eli? What did you say?”
    “I said, call me as soon as you arrive in Denver. I’ll work on the last part of your trip and have everything ready when you get there.”
    “Okay,” Robin shouted. He suddenly realized the noise had stopped. “Sorry. Okay, I’ll call you. Um, Eli?”
    “Yes, Robin?”
    “This is so weird. I mean, I’ve never done anything like this before.”
    “You mean you’ve never been in an airport?”
    “Eli, I’ve never been out of Colby! I’m… well, I’m kinda scared.”
    “Don’t be afraid, Robin. You’re doing fine so far. You got to Colorado by yourself, didn’t you?”
    “Yeah, I guess. But—wait a minute!” There was a sudden commotion on the other side of the terminal. People were shoving and shouting. In the middle of the confusion Robin caught a glimpse of a man in a blue uniform. Air Force blue. They had found him!
    “There he is!” the tall man in the cap shouted. “Get him!”
    “Oh, no! Eli, the Air Force guys are here! Help me!”
    “Get outside, Robin, quickly! Jump into a cab and get out of there. I’ll create a distraction to cover you. Do it now! Go!” Robin obeyed instantly; he slammed the receiver into the cradle and ran for the door.
    Pettis, Grochonski and Davies muscled their way through the crowd, splitting up as they crossed the huge room. Robin crouched down to make his small frame more difficult to spot, and when Pettis got to the bank of telephones, he was gone.
    “He’s heading for the door. Cut him off!” Grochonski blocked one of the large sliding doors; Robin wheeled around and ducked back into the crowd. Grochonski gave chase, but his bulk prevented him from slipping through as easily as the boy.
    “The other door—stop him, Davies!” Grochonski ordered. The young lieutenant chased Robin toward the other doorway. Near the door, Robin’s path was blocked by a man in a wheelchair. The man held up his arms defensively, and Robin halted. As Davies made a flying leap for him, Robin scrambled over the man and fell on the other side of the wheelchair, tumbling out the door.
    He heard Davies cry out and glanced back for a moment. The lieutenant was sprawled across the wheelchair guy’s lap, his hand entangled in the spokes, and he bellowed as the chair spun the two of them around.
    Robin realized he was outside at last. He jumped up to look for a cab, but something bright inside the terminal caught his eye. A small wall panel behind the ticket counter was violently flashing and sputtering, sparks bursting open the plastic cover and showering out as the wiring shorted and fused. Robin squinted at it for a moment, feeling vaguely like it was important but not knowing why.
    Then, through the crowd, Pettis spotted him. “There he is, Groucho! He’s outside!” From nowhere, the giant sergeant appeared and tried to cover the remaining few feet between himself and Robin.
    He was too late.
    A ferocious noise suddenly filled the air. A tremendously loud bell began to clang, followed immediately by a whooping claxon. Suddenly Robin realized the significance of the wall panel: Eli had somehow set off the terminal’s burglar alarm! Before Robin or his pursuers could react, the glass doors slid shut between them and locked tightly. A moment later, steel criss-cross security doors followed, rattling across the doorway and locking with a clank audible even above the alarm.
    Grochonski made his way to the door as Davies got to his feet. They stood helplessly at the entrance, two feet from their quarry, pounding on the glass doors and shouting at Robin. The terminal was in chaos. In seconds, Pettis was at the counter, yelling at the