[ TT ] [ RF ] During a bank robbery , the criminals allow themselves to be captured . Authorities do n't realize that the arrest is part of the plan .

`` Freeze!'' filled the bank hall, and seemed to echo for a time. Three people at the back of the bank, in the vault, sighed in unison, and dropped their bags. 
 
 The first man was large, and ugly. He was wearing sunglasses to hide his face, but they could not hide the dark-pink scar across his left eye, down his nose and to his cheek. He looked mean on any given day, but today he was angry. 
 
 The second man was wearing a ski-mask, and it would be difficult to describe his face. He was, up until a second ago, holding a silver revolver. But he had dropped this to the ground almost on queue, as he hard the police yell into the room. 
 
 `` Turn around! That means you in the hat!'' 
 
 The third person in the vault was a woman. She had a dark-red coat on, with a matching red hat. As she turned, the coat was shown to be buttoned, which made the woman appear a little more dangerous than she likely was. She, too, was wearing sunglasses, but she looked bored. She was still holding a bag of cash, but dropped it as the police started to approach the vault. She was pretty, but stern. Her lips were painted a bright red, which went with her hat. She held her hands up, along with the two men behind her, though she did n't seem afraid of the police and their weapons. If anything, she was annoyed. 
 
 The police patted the men down, and a young woman patted down the woman-in-red. She had to open her coat, which hid nothing but a black shirt, and black pants underneath. The coat itself had no other pockets in which to hide anything, so they left her in it. 
 
 The ride to HQ was uneventful. The woman-in-red looked out the window, counting the street lights as they passed. After being processed, and placed in an individual cell, she sat on her bed... waiting. 
 
 ***** 
 
 `` What do you got for me?'' The officer assigned to the case had gone up to the tech room. They were processing files on the two men, but the woman was a mystery. 
 
 `` The two men are low-level con-artists. They've never tried a crime like this, it makes no sense. And the woman...'' The tech had glasses that seemed to slip off his nose every so often, while he talked animatedly. 
 
 `` What about her?'' 
 
 `` No government records, her fingerprints do n't match anyone in our database... When you interview her, can I sit in?'' 
 
 The officer shook his head. `` Why so interested?'' 
 
 `` Something about her... `` The officer shrugged, and motioned for the tech to follow. 
 
 She was led to a dark room with one table, and two chairs. She was sat down by one of the larger officers, who left quickly. The officer in charge, and the tech, were already in the room. 
 
 The tech stood to the side, while the officer sat down. He had a file in his hand, which he slowly opened up, taking our several different pictures. `` Hi... I'm Officer James, this is one of our techs, uh...'' 
 
 The tech smiled, `` I'm Rick.'' 
 
 `` Officer... Rick. We're here to ask you, uh... just a few questions. There's no reason this has to be a bad day for all of us. Could you start... with your name?'' 
 
 She smiled at him, now. It was not a happy smile... the smile hid darkness... a ferocity behind it. `` Rouge...'' was all she offered. 
 
 The tech had his cell phone out, and was now typing things into it. 
 
 `` Rouge... Well... Rouge, you've been caught robbing money from bank here... What do you have to say about the crime?'' 
 
 Her eyes revealed nothing, and her smile hinted at how pleased she was to be there. `` Unfortunately, Officer... I ca n't say. What I can tell you is very little. But I *am* sorry to have bothered you.'' 
 
 Officer James smiled back at her. `` Well, I have to tell you... you have n't bothered me at all Miss Rouge. You just bothered the bank. If you have nothing more, I'll have someone escort you back to your cell.'' 
 
 `` If you please...'' she said, smiling at him. She gave a look at Rick, who seemed to have found something on his phone. 
 
 Officer James knocked on the metal door, and motioned for the tech to come with. The door opened, and the large officer who had escorted the woman-in-red into the room was now escorting her out. `` What did you find?'' 
 
 `` Rouge is a code name... I think. I've found a bunch of posts on a whole bunch of forums about a cat-burglar in red who often steals valuables. Not just money, but art, uh... jewels. Whatever she can get, really. She's never been caught, either... Maybe we have a copy-cat.'' 
 
 `` Officer James?'' A younger officer was walking up to James, she had a paper in her hand. `` I'm sorry Officer, I meant to give this to you in the morning. Remember the case the other day, with the antique scepter? Looks like the Museum would like to display it. Apparently it belonged to a King a long time ago.'' 
 
 `` We have a scepter here? Where is it, I want to see!'' Rick was saying. His glasses, once again, falling off his face. 
 
 `` Uh, it was pulled out of the evidence locker this morning. Right now it's outside... I think its boxed up, though. Sorry Rick!'' She walked away. The paper she handed over was a form authorizing the museum to take the item into their custody. 
 
 James turned to Rick, with a strange look in his eye. `` Did you get a name for this thief?'' 
 
 `` Yeah, probably an alias.'' He turned his phone over so the James could see the name. 
 
 But it was that moment when the fire alarm went off, and everything started to go wrong all at once. Water started to fall from the ceiling to put out the non-existant water. Rick started to run off yelling something about his computers getting fried. 
 
 And Officer James realized what was happening... but too late. He ran down the hallway, out toward the cells... only to find the three cells empty. A rose was waiting in Miss Rouge's cell. He turned around and ran toward the dock... A box was broken open, with packing peanuts everywhere... He heard a car screeching away down an alley, and he turned, drew his gun, and opened fire... but to no avail. She had gotten away. 
 
 James ran back into the precinct, up to the tech room... only to find Rick's desktop clean, and his computer gone. He ran outside to look for him, but he too was missing. 
 
 The officer who had reminded him of the scepter was yelling his name, now... he almost could n't hear it. 
 
 `` James! What happened!?'' 
 
 James shook his head. `` What?'' 
 
 `` I saw Rick, and that big officer, uh... Robert, I think? They were running out toward the dock, and not out front like in a normal emergency. I followed them, and they got into a van. There was a girl wearing all red in there... She threw this at me, yelling to give it to you. I tried to pull my gun, but they drew, and told me to go... so I did.'' She handed over a letter. On it were written the letters C and S. 
 
 Inside was a small, handwritten letter addressed to Officer James. 
 
 *Dear James* 
 
 *I do apologize about our brief meeting. You see, it was the easiest way to get at the scepter. I've been tracking it down for months... but I always get what I want. * 
 
 Love, 
 
 *Carmen Sandiego* 
 

