Alice Johnson sat on the wooden bench at the bus stop and pulled her pink sweater tighter around her plump shoulders. Her eyes gleamed through her bifocals as she observed the action across the street. The small neighborhood bank was a bustle of activity. There had been a robbery and while she watched, another police car pulled up and an officer got out with a large German shepherd. Alice was enthralled; it was just like the books she read. The officer with the dog disappeared into the alley beside the bank and a moment later they reappeared. When it seemed that they would cross the street in her direction, Alice decided it was time to move on. She didn’t like large dogs, at least not up close.

     Her daughter Molly looked up when Alice burst through the back door.

     “Mom, I wondered where you’d gone. Have you decided whether to take Sunshine with you when you go back to Sarasota tonight? I know you’re not supposed to take dogs on the bus, but she’s so little....”

Molly paused as she saw the flush on her mother’s cheeks, “Mom, are you all right.” She asked.

“I’m fine, dear,” said Alice as she set her bag and pink sweater on a chair. “I’ve just been watching the police at the bank. Did you know there’s been a bank robbery?

“I know, I heard about it on the radio. They broadcast the description of an elderly man who came in and gave a note to the teller. The note said he had a bomb with him and he’d blow them up if they didn’t hand over sixty-five thousand dollars. They say he ran out of the bank with the money in a plastic bag and just disappeared.” Then the ever practical Molly said, “Sit down and eat your sandwich, Mom.” She picked up a pile of folded clothes. “I just have to put these upstairs and then you can tell me where you’ve been.”

Alice settled in the ladder-back chair and looked around the kitchen as memories flooded her mind. It was the first time she‘d been back to the house where she and Harry had lived, loved and laughed together for thirty-five wonderful years. Three years ago, after years of dedicated service, Harry’s position was made redundant and almost overnight he was jobless. Harry and Alice decided to make the best of it and moved to Sarasota, Florida, to a retirement community. Then one tragic afternoon last year, Harry had lain down for his usual siesta and never awakened. ‘A heart attack while he slept,’ they said.

This trip hadn’t been only to visit her daughter and her family in the old house, but to go through some things that she and Harry had stored when they’d left. It seemed so long ago.

“Okay Mom,” said Molly as she breezed back into the kitchen. “Tell me what you’ve been up to and what you’ve decided about Sunshine.”

     “Well...” Alice brought her mind back to the present. “It was while I was sorting through your Dad’s clothes for Goodwill that I made my decision. Your dad always said that I was the sunshine in his life but, since his death I haven’t felt like sunshine.” She shook her head. Molly reached out and patted her hand.

Alice dabbed her eyes with a tissue. “Anyway, I decided that I can have Sunshine in my life. I walked to the Dollar store and picked up a nice overnight bag that I can carry Sunshine in on the bus.” She smiled at Molly. “I found a zipper bag, exactly what I wanted.”

     Molly leaned over and kissed her mother’s velvety cheek. “Mom,” she murmured, ”I just know that Sunshine will be good company for you.” She looked down as the little Yorkshire terrier, hearing her name, came over to be petted.

     That evening, at the bus station, Molly put her arms around Alice and held her close.  

     “I’ll miss you, Mom.”

     “I’ll miss you too, darling,” mumbled Alice as she hugged Molly. “I’ll see you when you come down for that conference. That’s not too far off.”

     Then as Sunshine fidgeted in the bag between them, Molly stepped back.

“Now Mom, are you sure you’re going to be alright?” She looked pointedly at the squirming overnight bag Alice carried.

     Alice looked around nervously. A couple of policemen scrutinized everyone as they boarded the buses.

     “Mom, they’re not looking for you,” smiled Molly. “They have one of those composite sketches of that bank robber. Did you see it? It was an old man wearing a hat and a jacket with the collar turned up.” Molly was as big a fan of mysteries as her mother.

     “I know, honey.” Alice patted her daughter’s arm. “I saw the picture. It’s just that I feel guilty about Sunshine.”

     “All aboard for Tallahassee, Tampa and Sarasota,” called the bus driver.

     “Bye, Molly. I’ll expect you in about six weeks.” Alice hurried over to the door of the bus. She wanted to be sure to get a seat in the back near the bathroom.

The first passenger on the bus, Alice settled on a seat in the last row and spread out her belongings to discourage anyone sitting next to her. She slipped her hand inside the bag and a shiny black nose and a pair of sooty button eyes topped by shaggy eyebrows made a brief appearance.

“Sunshine, you be a good girl,” she whispered. She set the bag beside her on the seat and watched the other passengers board the bus. Like any devoted mystery reader, aware of a bank robber on the loose, she checked out all the other travelers. There were two possible matches for the description of the bank robber.

     Well, I’m sure the police checked them out, thought Alice.

     She fell asleep almost immediately; riding on a bus always did that to her. She was dimly aware when the bus stopped at Tallahassee to take on more passengers, then it was back to dreamland.

     “Hey lady.”

     Alice struggled out of the depths of sleep.

     “Hey lady, I ain’t got all night.”

     Someone kicked her foot. She opened her eyes and realized the bus had stopped and in front of her stood an irate bus driver. Dwarfed by his large hands was Sunshine.

     “Here,” Alice reached out for Sunshine. “That’s my dog, what are you doing to her?”

     “I’m throwing her off the bus, that’s what, and you too lady. Come on get your bags.”

     The driver turned and stomped back to the front of the bus still carrying a wriggling Sunshine.

     “Hey,” called one of the passengers. “You can’t just put them off in the middle of nowhere.”

     “You see that sign?” bellowed the driver. He pointed to a sign over the front window that stated, ‘No Animals Allowed’. “At least I’m putting them off at a truck stop.”

     Alice, her heart in overdrive, grabbed her overnight bag and her suitcase and worked her way up to the front.

     “But, what am I going to do?” She cried.

     “That’s your problem,” growled the driver as he thrust the petrified Yorkie into Alice’s arms.

     Alice stood on the side of the road and watched the lights of the bus disappear in the distance. She put Sunshine back in her bag after she let her take care of business on a small patch of grass. Then she carried both bags to the truck stop. There was a bench out front and she lowered herself onto it. Now what, how will I get home, she wondered? She knew that if she called her daughter, Molly would worry and not be able to do anything to help her.

     She huddled on the bench and trembled. The bench was hard, and Alice was glad. It wouldn’t do for her to fall asleep out here. Even so, she was having a hard time keeping her eyes open.

     “Well, what do we have here?”

Startled, Alice looked up at a man bending over her. She drew back and clutched her bag to her chest.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you. What are you doing out here and what’s that I see wriggling in the bag?” the man said.

As Alice’s eyes focused in the darkness, she realized her questioner wore a uniform.

“My name is Deputy Hargrove, maybe I can help you,” he said with a smile.

“Oh,” breathed Alice, much relieved. “This is Sunshine,” she opened up the zipper and Sunshine made herself visible. Her little pink tongue showed between her teeth.

“Hey, that’s a Yorkie. My wife’s sister has one of those. We always tease her about having an animated mop running around the house.” The deputy sat beside Alice on the bench and patted Sunshine.

They sat in companionable silence for a while, as Sunshine appeared to bask in the attention.

“Now, why don’t you tell me what’s wrong,” said the deputy after a few moments.

Alice told him all about how Molly wanted her to take Sunshine home with her and how she smuggled Sunshine onto the bus. Then she told how the driver stopped and put her off here in the middle of the night.

“I can’t believe the driver did that,” blurted the Deputy indignantly. “Didn’t any of the other passengers say anything?”

“Well, a couple of them said it wasn’t fair but the driver just pointed to a sign in the front of the bus that said no animals. Noone said anything else.”

“How far had you come before he discovered your dog?”

Alice hugged Sunshine to her; she really was very tired. It was an effort keeping her mind in gear to answer his questions.

“Hmmm?” Alice’s head snapped up. “Oh, I’m sorry. What did you say?”

“I asked where you had come from. Where did you board the bus?”

“Oh. I got on at Mobile. That’s where my daughter lives.”

“You came from Mobile? We got information about a bank robbery up that way.”

“Yes.” Alice nodded. “It happened at the bank just down the street from my daughter’s house. The police were at the bus station with a drawing of him. It was all quite exciting.”

“Well you certainly have had an eventful day. And then to have that bus driver put you off the bus in the middle of the night.” He shook his head. “Wait here, I am going to make a call.”

Alice gathered her coat around her. It was getting colder or maybe it was because she was so tired, or maybe reaction was setting in from the excitement. Whatever it was she just wanted a warm drink and a bed.

     He returned a few minutes later. “All right ma’am, if you’ll come with me in my cruiser.” He took Alice’s elbow and helped her off the bench.

Alice felt a chill go through her. “Am I being arrested?”

The deputy chuckled, “No, but I believe I’ve found a way to get you home.”

They drove through the night to the edge of the county; there a deputy from the next county waited and Alice, Sunshine and the bags were transferred into his cruiser. And so it continued through most of the night and seven counties. Finally, as the sun made the first shadows of the day, Alice was delivered to her door.

Thankful to be safely home, Alice opened up her bag and let Sunshine out in the backyard. Then she took her bags into the bedroom and picked up the picture of her husband from her bedside table.

“Harry,” she said, as she hugged his picture, “Can you believe it? That bank that let you go and cheated you out of your retirement got robbed.” Alice lifted the picture to her lips and planted a kiss. “Well, guess what Harry,” she continued with a smile, “the plan worked. That was a good idea putting the new bag in the trash can in the alley next to the bank. It took no time at all to put the plastic bag of money and your hat and coat into the bag. Why, I was already across the road before the first police car arrived. And Harry, I only took the amount of your retirement, sixty-five thousand dollars.”