Lucy jokes, “Hey, that pollo es loco.” Then she sees that Gru is covered in scratches from the chicken and doesn’t find her remark as amusing. “Okay, let’s go.”
They step into the kitchen, and Lucy pulls out a high-tech scanning device. She aims it around the kitchen and reads the levels on the screen. “Very interesting…”
“What is it?” asks Gru.
“I’m getting extremely high traces of tortilla,” Lucy says. Gru rolls his eyes.
Lucy pulls out a pair of X-ray goggles and hands them to Gru to survey the kitchen.
Lucy comes into his field of vision. Gru freaks out because, with the X-ray goggles, she appears as just a skeleton. “Oh, that’s an image I’ll never get out of my brain!” He turns the other way and spots something behind a painting in the wall. It’s a hidden safe! And inside is a metal canister.
“I knew it!” Gru declares proudly. He removes the painting, revealing the locked safe to Lucy. “The PX-41 is in here!”
“Then let’s get it!” Lucy says.
Gru pulls out his own high-tech device and places it over the combination wheel. “This is going to be good!” he says gleefully.
CLICK. The safe opens, and a cold mist drifts out, revealing a metal canister with a label that reads EDUARDO’S SECRET RECIPE. Gru opens the canister. He sniffs inside and gets a concerned look on his face. He dips his finger in and licks it.
“Salsa?”
Meanwhile, Eduardo has returned to the restaurant. He senses something isn’t right and scowls. Then he spots the chicken in the ball of concrete and gasps. “Pollito! What did they do to you?”
“Bawk!” cries the chicken.
“Who would do this to such a sweet little chicken?” says Eduardo. His eyes darken. He realizes someone must be in his kitchen.
“I know you’re in here!” yells Eduardo.
Lucy and Gru, who are devouring the delicious salsa, immediately freeze.
“He’s coming! Hurry!” urges Lucy.
In the restaurant area, Eduardo grabs a knife. “You coming out? Or am I gonna go in?” he yells to the intruders.
Gru pulls a laser cutter out of his jacket and aims it toward the ceiling. The laser fires and cuts a hole in it.
Eduardo shoves open the kitchen door, ready for battle. He enters just in time to see a pair of legs disappear into the ceiling. “STOP!” he shouts.
Lucy quickly pops down and shoots him in the face with the foam from her watch.
Eduardo wails in pain. “My eyes!” He drops the chicken, cracking its concrete shell, and tries to wipe the foam out of his eyes.
Lucy and Gru quickly run through the mall. Gru pulls out a device and contacts his Minions, who have been waiting in the parking lot. “We’ve been spotted! Come get us!”
A few seconds later, there’s a huge crash! The Minions smash Lucy’s car through the glass doors and speed through the mall. Gru and Lucy watch from a balcony above as the car heads for the escalators. Lucy sees the wreckage.
“Subtle.”
They both run down the escalator toward the car.
“Over here, over here!” yells Gru.
But it’s no use. The Minions don’t hear him. They drive past them and back up the bumpy escalator stairs. The Minions are shaking and rattling. Once they reach the top, they make a left and start driving in circles. Gru pulls out a grappling hook and aims for the balcony railing.
“Hold tight,” he says, grabbing Lucy. They shoot up and land right back where they started, at Salsa & Salsa! When the Minions zoom by in the car, Gru sighs heavily.
Just then, Eduardo emerges from the restaurant, wheezing and still unable to see properly. He is holding a knife in one hand, and he is out for revenge.
Gru and Lucy duck behind a cactus.
Eduardo pulls out a few kitchen knives and heads closer to the cactus. “I have you now!”
BAM! The car, with the Minions at the wheel, strikes Eduardo. When he starts to recover, the car zooms past him—with Gru and Lucy hidden inside.
The car crashes through the mall again. Gru screams hysterically, but Lucy just hits a button. The car transforms into a jet. They fly off into the night sky….
Chapter Eight
Gru and Lucy hide in separate garbage cans in the food court, looking for their next possible suspect. They talk through earpieces.
Gru is still annoyed about last night’s break-in. “I mean, who puts salsa in a safe? What kind of person does that? That’s weird, right?”
“Very weird.” Then Lucy spots someone in her binoculars. She whispers, “All right, there he is. Suspect number eight, Floyd Eaglesan.”
Gru recognizes him and sighs. “I told you, that’s not the guy.”
Lucy urges him on. “See if you can get closer. Go, go, go!”
Gru stands up in the garbage can, and his legs stick out as he makes his way over to Floyd. Just as he’s about to get close enough to investigate, a man approaches the trash can with a steaming-hot cup of coffee.
Gru sees that the man is about to throw it away and quickly backs up. The man continues toward him. Gru backs up again. The man is determined and lunges toward Gru’s garbage can with his hot coffee. Gru stands up and runs away.
Unfortunately, he doesn’t see the escalator behind him. He falls down the moving staircase and lands with a thud. The garbage can pops off his head. Then he hears someone call his name. He looks up to see Margo, Edith, and Agnes standing above him. Gru attempts a smile. “Girls, what’re you doing here?”
“We thought we’d come visit you at work. So, you’re saving the world in a garbage can?” questions Margo.
Lucy walks over to join them. “Hey, there you are. Oh, who’s this?”
Gru introduces Lucy to his girls. Agnes stares at this new woman in Gru’s life and asks, “Are you single?”
Lucy falters. “Oh… goodness.”
Gru is also uncomfortable, so he claps his hands together to get everyone’s attention. “Hey! I have an idea! Since Lucy and I have lots of work to do, why don’t you girls go and explore the mall?” He quickly shuffles the girls away from Lucy. “Here is some money. Go buy some useless mall junk.”
“Are you going to marry Lucy?” asks Agnes.
“Are you out of your gourd?” replies Gru. “No! She just works with me.”
“On what? Love?” Agnes offers.
“No!” Gru tells her. “She is just my partner!”
“Plus you love her,” continues Agnes. Then she begins to sing, “You love her, you love her, you really, really love her, and you’re gonna get married, and I will be the flower girl, and—”
“Okay, stop!” orders Gru. “This is a song of lies. I don’t even like her!” He points to the mall. “Now go have fun!”
Lucy watches as the girls give Gru a hug and run off. Gru sighs in relief and walks back over to her. “Ha, ha, ha! Kids, right? They’re… funny.”
Lucy lets him off the hook. “Those girls totally adore you. I bet you’re a fun dad.”
Gru lets down his guard and can’t help but smile. “I am pretty fun.” Then he’s all business again. “All right, let’s get back to work!”
Lucy looks at the list of suspects and points to the Eagle Hair Club.
Back at Gru’s house, an ice cream truck makes its way down the street. A couple of children run to meet it as it stops. But before they can, a mob of Minions rush out of Gru’s house toward the truck. They shove the children aside and clamor around it, holding out their money.
“Gelato! Gelato! Gelato!” the Minions chant.
Suddenly, the metal ice-cream cone from the top of the truck opens up and begins sucking the Minions into it! One by one, the Minions disappear until there is only one left. He tries to make a run for it, but the truck lowers an ice pop in front of him. The Minion can’t resist and licks it. His tongue sticks to the treat, and he is yanked into the truck!