Just as you feared, as soon as you start slowing down to make a U-turn, Gene wakes up. "What's going on?" he mumbles, rubbing his eyes. "Are we there already?"
"Not quite," you admit. "I...left something at the mall. It won't take long." Gene frowns, and you can tell he's not buying your vague story.
"We brought everything we came with," he said. "What could you have forgotten?"
"It's nothing, just a trinket I was getting for my little brother," you lie. "A little flashlight I thought he might like, but I think I dropped it."
"You did," Gene said calmly, holding up the very flashlight you're talking about. "But don't worry, I grabbed it. It seemed kind of fancy for you to be throwing away...so what's up with it? Why is it suddenly important?"