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This particular quote doesn't seem to fit with the "armed gunman" scenario. Why would an armed gunman take his victim to an all-night convenience store or a restaurant?

Did you forget a minor detail i.e. the perp's "hostage" comment to Liz. He is said to have indicated that he might take her hostage. That would lead a reasonable person to conclude that he might have dropped her off somewhere after he got out of the neighborhood.

About the "gunman's" taking Elizabeth hostage, and maybe dropping her off nearby at a convenience store, etc., and Freedox's wondering about that--

Good thought, re: maybe the intruder just wanted to get her away from the people she'd have raised an alarm to, so he could get out of the area b/f she got word to her parents that he'd been in the house.

Also, I think some of the neighbors were thinking "runaway." I think they might have thought this regardless of what the Smarts told/didn't tell them. Chances are they didn't even talk directly to the Smarts, just got word Elizabeth was missing, and just, frankly, started looking at convenience stores etc., b/c "the light's better there." (As in the old joke, "you lost it over here in the dark, why look over there under the lamp"--answer: "because the light's better.")