A case of pies and plotting

Ch.3 The Game is Afoot

The night of the heist arrived under stormy skies, cloak of darkness aiding Professor's scheme. His carefully selected team assembled final materials in the upstairs rooms as evening fell. Once operational radios crackled to life, Professor ran through last-minute instructions and contingencies.

Heist members fanned out, posing as service staff with insider access. Bob and Thomas headed to control rooms while Melissa shadowed security teams. Meanwhile under cover of a supply cart, Gordon and Professor infiltrated maintenance tunnels as planned. After rendezvousing, they emerged inside ducting high above packed gaming floors.

Peering through ventilation grates below, Professor guided Gordon precisely to their target—the expansive vault nestled deep within luxurious Monte Carlo Casino's foundations. Its steel door stood sentinel, challenge soon overcome by Gordon's deft rigging. As the bulky mechanism slid open, the first phase proved fruitful.

At that moment across the city, Mrs. Wilberforce finalized her preparations, dressing in finest floral dress and hat. She packed her handbag with precautionary supplies besides opera glasses, then caught a cab towards Saturday festivities. Upon arrival, Mrs. Wilberforce mingled among well-heeled crowds admiring elaborate exhibits.

But her mind whirled deviously. What mischief were those vagrants brewing within these very walls tonight? The clever widow meant to thwart their schemes herself from within Monte Carlo's prestigious halls. Gradually Mrs. Wilberforce noticed security scanning areas strangely empty of patrons or staff.

Meanwhile down twisted metal corridors, Professor and Gordon swiftly filled duffel bags with stacks of notes and bundles of coins from the sprawling vault. Their extraction faced a sudden hitch as another maintenance crew approached along intersecting corridors. In panicked hurry, Professor radioed an abort, sealing their loot inside a heating duct as temporary cache.

The duo scurried back through maintenance tunnels, narrowly evading the other workers. Egressing through outside access points proved their swiftest exit but separating the group. In chaos and discomfort amid pouring rain, each member fled independently towards rendezvous points, eager to vanish after the botched job.

All but one member found their way to safety. Poor anxious Gordon, disoriented in the downpour, stumbled inadvertently into Mrs. Wilberforce's path just beyond casino exit doors. Dear boy, are you quite alright? she asked with maternal concern, appraising his sodden state and apparent distress. Realizing his blunder, Gordon frantically stammered excuses to flee yet found himself inexplicably soothed within the widow's soothing company instead.

Back at their hideout, tensions mounted between impatient crewmates as Gordon remained MIA. Professor rationalized allowing more time to retrieve stashed loot and salvage plans gone awry. But how long before authorities closed in on the criminals, and what hold might that meddlesome landlady now exert over dear panicked Gordon? Their once foolproof operation spiraled beyond control on this ominous night.