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Gray hair dye, which had been hot for the last months since the release of a couple of summer action movies where the lead actress had given their hair a gray shimmer. Go get a haircut in the afternoon, maybe. Probably not necessary right away. She could dust her skin up a bit too, maybe add a little age. It would be easier for her to change her look and blend in. Plus her face wasn’t all over the news.
    While she was at it, she picked up some clean underwear, deodorant, and other travel basics.
    By the time she went to check out, she—or Landon, really—was almost five hundred dollars poorer. She went to a checkout cube and pushed her basket in, then passed the cash into the container to pay. As she waited for change, she looked up at the news program being displayed above the door.
    A photo of Landon was in the upper left corner. Below him, a headline: Tatum Pharmaceuticals down on news of analyst concerns regarding CEO Landon Tatum. Analyst: “At best, this is erratic behavior.”
    She pressed her lips together and looked away. This disguise really needed to work.
    ***
    After Kristina left, Landon spent a few minutes on his tablet checking out further headlines regarding his disappearance. There was some of the typical financial analyst nonsense, but nothing that indicated a new source. It looked like it was all from the original report on Bloomberg.
    Relatively good, but still an issue. Someone had managed to get this on without his PR firm putting a lid on it—without any comment from Tatum Pharmaceuticals. Who would have more clout in this kind of story than him? They had to be huge .
    Still pondering, he went and took a shower. Brushed his teeth, thought about shaving but decided against it. Maybe Kristina would want him to grow out a beard for purposes of the disguise. He never let himself be seen in public unless he was clean-shaven. Could be a good asset. Anyway, if she wanted him to shave when she got back, it would be easy enough.
    Whatever she had planned as far as this disguise went, he'd do. Mobility would be a huge asset to get back.
    They needed to get a grip on the situation. The protocol he’d drafted was the key. How long would it take them to realize that he realized they had it? He might have a chance if he picked the right moment to go off script. He needed more information.
    Landon licked his lips and looked up at the clock on the wall. Nearly nine-thirty. Maybe he should call Bruman, just for some eyes on the ground. She might have information he could use, and it wouldn’t hurt to let her know he was okay.
    Chewing his lip, he picked up the comm and input her ID. She answered after three rings.
    “Hello?”
    Her voice was very strained, unusual for her. Tatum had known her since he was in college, and she had been his assistant for his entire professional life. She was nearly always the picture of calm stoicism.
    “It’s me,” he said.
    A pause. “Mr. Tatum?”
    “Yes.”
    “Oh my god,” she said, her voice characteristically very high. “What happened to you?”
    “Are you alone?”
    “What? I...yes, I’m at my desk. What is happening? Where are you? Are you alright? Streams have been calling me, Lynn has no idea what to do and this is all crashing down. She says she's never seen anything like it. They didn't even call for comment!”
    Landon grit his teeth. Lynn was his head of public relations. “I’m fine. Hidden, actually. Have the police called yet or has it just been the news outlets?”
    “They called, yes. The police. I told them you were away but didn’t wish to file a missing person’s report. What is going on?”
    “I can’t explain it to you right now. My apologies, but you’ll just have to trust me on this. Stalemate everything for the next couple days.” He paused. “And call this ID if that becomes impossible.”
    “Mr. Tatum, how do you expect me to do that exactly? People are breathing down my neck from every angle, and I have no procedure for this type