It’s Tuesday, January 13th, 5pm. Our group of intrepid thieves is standing in line at the airport with luggage in their hands.

“So James, are you really sure they won’t open my suitcase and check the water bottles?”

Thomas poured the I.D. Tech liquid from each syringe into 5 water bottles earlier. James has thought this through and realized if syringes pass through the scanner at the airport it would raise alarm bells just because of the unique shape of them.

“Yes. I’m sure.”

James passes his fake I.D., passport and plane ticket to the lady at the counter.

“Okay everything checks out. Enjoy your time in Paris!”

Michael is next. He passes his fake I.D., passport and plane ticket to the lady.

“Looks good,” the lady says.

Thomas does what the previous men did.

“Alright, enjoy your time in Paris.”

The men make their way to the luggage scanners where they place their luggage on the conveyor belt. Everything must have gone to plan because they manage to board the plane.

The plane is half full. Not many people travel to Paris this time of year. Most people book trips to somewhere warm, such as the Dominican Republic. Lucky for them, James has booked First Class on the plane. They all make their way to the seats.

Half an hour later the plane is ready to take off. The pilot of the plane says, “hello ladies and gentleman. Thank you for choosing westjet. Stay in your seats when the plane lifts off. I hope you enjoy your ride. Thanks.”

The plane is airborne and ascending to 31,000 feet.

“Can I get you anything to drink,” the flight attendant says to the group of men.

“I’ll have a Margarita,” James says in a triumphant manner.

“I’ll have a Heineken,” Michael says.

“I’ll have a Coors Light,” Thomas says.

"Okay thank you gentlemen.” The attendant makes her way to where they store all of their alcohol.

“Coors? Last time we drank Coors together was at the skatepark.” James and Thomas laugh.

“I can’t believe you remember that.”

“How can I not?”

The flight attendant is back with their drinks. “Enjoy,” she says.

James is sipping his margarita like some sophisticated philosopher while Michael drinks a quarter of his beer in half a minute. Thomas is sipping his Coors.

“Well I was thinking when we sell the painting on the black market we split the money 2 ways.”

“But there’s 3 of us,” Michael says.

“Michael you’re not getting any of the money. Just be thankful you’re not in jail.”

“Fair enough.”

*meanwhile at the museum in Montreal*

There’s police tape around the building. Investigators are standing in front of where the Van Gogh painting was.

"So anyway we can conclude that the electrician made his way into the security room where he deactivated the system. He then went into the janitor's room and pulled the fire alarm. He then waited for everyone to clear out of the building and then snatched the painting. The thief then made his way out the vents. You can see where he landed in the snow bank."

"And you came to this conclusion in a couple hours?"

"Yes. Honestly this was a really well thought out heist. The electrician had help from somebody who has knowledge of hacking computers, etc. Clearly the museum owner did not send that email."

"I see…."

"Honestly I don't think we'll catch these guys."

"You're giving up?"

"I'm not. It's just that the complexity of the heist is really amazing. They probably planned their getaway. They could be anywhere by now. Shut down the buses, trains and airports now though."

*back on the plane*

"Hey do you think the police will be waiting for us when we land?"

"I doubt it. There were many planes departing an hour after we took the painting up until now. We could have been on any of the other planes," James replies.

"Yeah, that makes sense."

"So how do you know about this black market?"

"It's in the police database. There's one operating in Paris. However they aren't really investigating it because it's highly dangerous."

"So wait, we could get killed trying to sell this?"

"Potentially."

“I like those odds! Let’s do this.”

*meanwhile at an undisclosed location*

“Sevro, the Premier has requested that we extend our search to the whole country.”

“Yeah, well he’s getting really concerned. I don’t blame him. I doubt our suspects are still in the country but you never know. Maybe the Prime Minister can grant approval to search worldwide in a few days.”

“Yes that would be great.”

“Okay guys let's extend our search to the whole country. Make sure the press all over the country gets wind of this story.”

It’s 8pm and news stations all over the country start playing the same message.

“Hello this is Sevro. I’m a special investigator working on a case that involves an escaped convict and his kidnapper who we are trying to find. Additionally we believe there’s a third accomplice who is with them. Their names are James Morley, Michael Douglas and Thomas Moore.” The pictures of each of the men pop up on the screen along with their heights and weights. “If you see them, call the police. Do not approach them. You can reach me at the following number. 1-800-244-5366. James if you’re watching this right now. Please turn yourself in.”

Vanessa is watching the news when she sees this message. She turns off the T.V. so the kids don’t see any of it.

“Okay guys get to bed.”

The kids are hopping around on the bed and each of them competes to see who can hit their head on the ceiling. None of them understand that they are too short to even touch the ceiling with their hands.

Vanessa walks out the house where she sees a black Mercedes parked in front of the house. This car belongs to a CSIS operative who has been instructed to keep watch.

“James what have you gotten yourself into…”

Vanessa walks back inside, and goes straight to the liquor cabinet. She pulls out the oldest whiskey in the collection. She pours a sliver of it into a glass and sips it.

She reaches for the picture of her and James. The house is quiet until she hears James’ voice.