By 9:00, the shortcut had gone silent. Clarence stepped outside and walked the path himself, checking the tubing, adjusting the angle on one nozzle. Everything was intact. Everything worked.
For the first time in weeks, he felt a strange kind of calm settle over him. Not revenge. Not triumph. Just relief. Around 11:00, Jordan biked over from down the street. He leaned his bike against the fence and walked up the driveway grinning.