Across the street, a fight broke out with loud yelling and cursing. The dog walker was the only one who didn’t pay attention. The fight carried out to the middle of the road just as the dog walker approached the six steps that led up to a decrepit front porch.

“Okay, Jack, let’s do lunch now.”

“Huh?”

“Squire’s Pub, and you’re buying,” Harry said as he roared down the road without a backward glance.

Jack turned around to see how the fight was progressing, then it dawned on him. “Fight, my ass. Harry’s guys on the job.”

He felt like a fool as he trotted to his car and climbed in. Just for spite Jack put the strobe on the roof but didn’t turn on the siren until he caught up with Harry. He laughed himself silly when Harry pulled to the side. He laughed harder when he saw Harry offer up a single-digit salute.

Apartment 809 was crowded to capacity when Harry and Jack arrived two hours later. The Sisters listened in awe, their jaws dropping as Jack praised Harry to the hilt.

Annie ushered everyone to the dining room, where she served coffee and pastries that no one wanted.

The moment everyone was updated, Myra looked around the table and voiced the question they had avoided until then. “Does Charles know?”

“We can’t blame Charles or Snowden’s operatives,” Nikki said. “Something spooked the woman. It’s that simple. Besides, we’re not here to bash Charles, so let’s move beyond that. Harry was in the right place at the right time, which works for us. We all know that what can go wrong will go wrong. What we have to decide is what we do next. I can’t believe those two are going to stay in that house for any length of time. They’re going to move soon. That’s a given.”

“Maggie’s first headline about identity theft hits the street tomorrow. If they see it, they might spook quicker,” Ted said.

Espinosa mumbled something about pictures he’d uploaded onto Maggie’s computer. His eyes were on Alexis, who was smiling and winking at him.

“They’re good for three days,” Harry said.

No one questioned the authority in Harry’s voice.

“Then that means we have three days to reel them in. Why wait? Why don’t we just do it now?” Kathryn asked. “Too many things can go wrong the longer we wait. Harry said they’re good to hold out for three days. That doesn’t mean they’ll wait the whole three days. For all we know, they could be planning their escape as we sit here hashing this out. I think we should take a vote whether to wait or not to wait.”

“Maggie’s not ready. Her special edition doesn’t hit until tomorrow,” Ted said as he looked over at Harry.

Suddenly, cell phones rang, one after the other.