As if on cue, there were sirens.
“Ed?” Joe said.
“Fire trucks,” Ed said. “They’re blocking off the west entrance to the street. The firemen are clearing the area. Wait a minute.” They heard him enter into a fast exchange in Spanish. “The cordon ends at the other end of this street. I’ve been told to back off and clear the road.”
“What about the maid next door?” Ryan asked, obviously looking for another way out.
“She won’t open the door.”
“So much for your charm,” Patricia said.
Ed ignored her. “A black SUV just pulled into the east end of the street.” They heard an engine rev. “I’m going to drive down and block them. See if I can buy you a couple more minutes—if it’s the security company.”
“Give me the plate number. I’ll see if I can dig anything up on the car,” Elle told Ed.
Julia suddenly placed a hand on Joe’s forearm. “Inside the front door, there’s a small sculpture. The Anthony Caro. It’s concrete and iron.”
“You mean the thing that looks like a bit of girder was swallowed by some cement?” Ryan asked.
“That’s it. Can you get it?” Julia said.
Joe nodded his permission, and Ryan sprinted away. “Julia, that won’t make a dent in this. You’re talking several bullets in the same spot to get through the glass.”
“I have an idea,” she said. “I think it will work.”
“If anyone can make it work, it’s you. Have at it.” He pulled his gun out of its holster at the back of his jeans. “I’ll keep watch.”
“Gran,” Julia said, “I need your engagement ring.”
“You aren’t going to damage it, are you?” To her credit, Patricia didn’t hesitate in pulling it off her finger and handing it over.
“I promise, if there’s any damage, I’ll have it repaired.”
Patricia’s hand fluttered to her throat. She was clearly not reassured.
Joe could hear Ed arguing with another guy. A guy who wanted access to the street. A firefighter was taking Ed’s side. The new guy was arguing that he was security and needed to investigate an alarm. Their time was up.
Julia rooted around in her ever-present messenger bag and pulled out a tiny first-aid kit. She took out two Band-Aids. Ryan jogged into the room, carrying the sculpture with him.
“This thing is heavy.” He looked at it. “And ugly.”
Julia taped the ring, diamond-side down, to the glass on the flat side of the dome.
“It’s weakest here.” She stepped back. “Ryan, pull down your sunglasses and hit that ring as hard as you can with the sculpture.”
It said a lot about the faith the team had in Julia that Ryan didn’t ask any questions. Instead, he did as he was told. The thud was deafening. The glass splintered.
“What the…?” Ryan said.
“Again,” Julia ordered.
He hit the ring again. The glass shattered. Ryan dropped the undamaged sculpture.
“I don’t like that thing,” Ryan said. “But I can’t argue it’s well made.”
Julia scrambled to get her grandmother’s ring from the debris, while Patricia reached in for the mummy. She cradled it to her as though it were a fragile baby.
“They’re in the driveway,” Ed said. “I’ll do what I can to distract them. Two men. Armed.”