Basil went on. “Either we can let Carl walk out of here or we can call the police, but we will all vote and make the decision together.”

“No police,” Carl said. “Please.”

“I’ll vote first,” Basil said, “and I vote police.”

“Me, too,” Matt said. “He could have hurt Trinity.”

“I didn’t hurt anyone,” Carl protested. “Look, take me downstairs, snap a photo of me, and post it on your wall of shoplifters, so I can’t ever come back here again. Then kick me out the front door like a dog. It’s punishment enough to have to get back to Cleveland in the middle of the night; the shelters won’t be open, but I’ll go right now and I won’t ever come back. Please, guys, I can’t afford to get arrested. It’ll just be more ammunition for my wife to take to the judge. You know, it’s a war on fathers out there.”

“I vote to let him go,” Ruth Anne said. “The poor man has had enough hardship in his life.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Carl said, sticking out his hand. “Pleased to meetcha. Thank you.”

“Yeah,” Trinity said. She had finally stopped sobbing. “I don’t care. Whatever. Let him go.”

Now they all turned to Amy. It was a tied vote, two to two. Like Ruth Anne, Amy didn’t see the point in further punishing the guy. He was caught, and everything had a rational explanation. Maybe now Basil would call off the search and let them go home early.

“We should let him go,” she said. “We’re going to call the cops because of what? He didn’t want to sleep in his car? I don’t want to sleep in my car.”

“I don’t have a car,” Carl said.

“All he did was break some stuff,” Amy continued, ignoring him. “It’s not even our stuff. Orsk can afford to replace it. Look, you got the guy messing with the store. Let’s clean up and call it a night. Let him go.”

“Fine,” Basil said, irritated.

“Did I win?” Carl asked.

“You won,” Amy said.

“Yes!” Carl shouted. “Thank you!”

He ran to Trinity and wrapped his arms around her, lifting her up in a bear hug. The mood shifted radically. Maybe it was relief after all the tension, but everyone except Basil was suddenly possessed by a spirit of giddy euphoria.

“There’s one tiny problem,” Ruth Anne said. “Amy already called the police.”

“What?” Basil said. “Why? I specifically told you not to do that.”

“I panicked,” Amy said.

“Call them back,” Carl said. “Tell them not to come.”

“That’s not how it works,” Ruth Anne said, shaking her head. “You see it on Cops all the time. Once they get the call, they have to show up.”

“I’m sorry,” Amy said.