It is Sunday, January 11th, 3pm. Michael exits the construction store. He bought a high visibility vest, a white hard hat, steel toed boots and a clipboard.

Both him and James are going back to the museum.

“Wait outside the building until I get back to the hotel and give you instructions.”

James makes it back to the hotel and turns on his laptop. He boots up the software. He puts on his headset, pushes a button on the keyboard and says to Michael, “okay Michael I’m ready. Try walking through the front door. You shouldn’t have to stand in line.”

Michael walks past the line, and enters the building. He acts like he’s some sort of hotshot. He walks confidently past the front counters, looks at his clipboard and writes notes down. The security guards don’t question him. He makes it to the room where the Van Gogh painting is. He remembers the janitor going down the hallway so he does the same. This time the janitor isn’t there. He forgets the combination to open the door.

“God damn do you have short term memory loss? It’s 1-3-5-2-5.”

“Thanks.”

Michael enters that into the pushpad. He gradually turns the knob and then runs into the janitor who is on the opposite side of the door. The 2 of them were opening the door at the same time.

“What business do you have here?” the janitor asks Michael. The janitor is clearly startled.

There’s a cloud of smoke in the room which Michael assumes to be from a cigarette. Michael coughs.

“Are you smoking in here?”

“Please don’t tell anyone. They only let me go outside every 2 hours.”

“Alright. I’m a construction foreman. Well anyway we’re currently working outside. I was told to come inside the building and-” Michael pauses. He doesn’t know what to say. He just looks behind the janitor and sees a vent on the wall. But this time the vent is reachable if you were to step on a chair.

“So yeah I was told to come inside the building and inspect all of the vents and ducts.”

“I see. Yeah go ahead. I have to get back to working.”

Michael is now by himself in the janitor’s room. He sees the vent and inspects it. The vent cover is sturdily in place and there’s 6 screws locking the cover in place. It takes an allen key to unlock it. Michael takes chewing gum out of his pocket. He puts it in his mouth and chews for half a minute. He then spits it out on his hand. He presses it against the allen screw. Sure enough the gum molds itself to the screw and creates an impression. Michael peels the gum from the screw and clearly sees the depth and shape that is created. He’ll go back to the store and use this to buy an appropriate fitting allen key.

Stolen story; please report.

“Well it looks like you’re not as stupid as I thought you were,” James says in a funny manner.

“How do you think I got away with my thefts for so long?”

In the janitor’s room there is also a chair that the janitor has been using. Michael has a vision of the janitor sitting there and smoking. Inside the room there is also a first aid station and next to it is a fire blanket and fire extinguisher.

“The fire blanket is actually perfect. We can use that to wrap the painting in.”

There’s nothing left of value in the janitor’s room. Michael decides to leave.

“So anyway James. You mentioned you need to know how long it takes for the police to respond.”

“Yes I was actually thinking if you pulled the fire alarm then we’d get to find out. Fire trucks will respond as usual, but what’s different with museums is that the police have to show up too.”

“Hang on there’s a fire alarm pull station in the janitor’s room. And I have an excuse for pulling it. I will just say there was smoke in the room even though it was obviously from the cigarette.”

“Yes that’s a good idea however if you do that the janitor will most likely lose her job.”

“We can always pay her some money.”

“Yeah I suppose but I’ve been trying to conserve what I have. I spent more than I wanted to today just on having the SUV towed.”

Michael enters the janitors room again. He pulls the handle on the fire station.

Alarms start sounding. Michael exits the room casually and makes his way back to the Van Gogh painting. Both security guards who were guarding the painting have left and are directing the tourists outside.

Michael thinks to himself he can actually snatch the painting right now but then he remembers he has to open the duct cover with an allen key.

One of the security guards looks behind and sees Michael. "Hey get over here. You're supposed to come this way."

Michael exits the museum out the front door where there's hundreds of people in the parking lot. The crowd of people reminds him of a rock concert he was at in his teenage years.

"Michael we know enough for today. How do you like the sound of relaxing the rest of the day?"

"Sounds good to me."

The 2 men eventually make it back to the hotel room.

*Meanwhile at an undisclosed location*

"Do you have James' phone records?'

"Well it took sometime to get a warrant but yes. It appears James has made numerous calls to a Mr. Thomas Moore."

"We need to know everything about this Moore guy. Get his address and where he works."

"Yes Sevro."

"Sevro, the Premier has requested to talk with you tomorrow."

"Damn it. This early in our investigation? What time?"

"10am sharp."

"Oh man what am I going to tell him. Is he authorized to know about the I.D.Tech?"

"Yes. When dealing with terrorism offences. He has to know everything, even the existence of the I.D.Tech."

*Back at the hotel in Montreal*

"James I'm starving man."

"It's not like you're a construction worker doing heavy lifting. Besides it's only 4pm."

Michael laughs. "I would make a great construction foreman."

"Maybe." James walks outside.

James lights a cigarette. He puffs on it many times and eventually stomps on it with his foot. He watches cars drive by on the road in front of the hotel and thinks about his family.