“Jake was waiting for her in a black SUV.”

“Did they get away?” Carl asked, wiping his face with a towel Mr. Alvarez handed him.

“No,” Mr. Alvarez said.

“The police just blocked the entrance to the alley.”

Through the glass panes of the front door, blue and red lights began to flash against the brick walls of the courtyard.

The siren of an approaching police cruiser wailed in the distance.

Derek stood next to me, his shoulders slumped.

He looked down at his phone.

The screen lit up with a notification.

Derek stared at the glowing screen, his thumb hovering over the glass.

The light cast a pale blue shadow across his face.

“It’s Jake,” Derek said, his voice barely a whisper. “He wants to know if the basement is clear yet.”

Carl leaned against the tiled wall of the hallway, his chest still heaving from the exertion.

“What did you tell him?” Carl asked.

“Nothing yet,” Derek said. “I haven’t replied.”

Through the glass of the front door, the flashing lights grew brighter.

Two police officers walked up the concrete steps of the courtyard, their heavy boots clicking against the pavement.