Time seemed to stand still in the restaurant as everyone froze, holding their breath. The murderous midday sun filtered through the window, which faced west. No one had had the time to lower the blinds, and the sunlight crept further into the room, casting larger and larger patches of light across the tabletops. The silence was so profound that they could hear the sizzling of meat from the kitchen. The chef and the kitchen helper, both holding guns, stood with the others, and no one paid attention to the food anymore. The smell of burnt meat and scorched onions would fill the air in a few minutes.

There was also another smell already noticeable. The chef, Peter, had been boiling milk, as he always had coffee with milk after lunch. He had forgotten to remove it from the stove in the rush of events. He knew that once the milk boiled, it would spill over the pot and burn onto the electric stove. The smell of burnt milk was the first sign that the kitchen was unattended.

Judith stood opposite the kitchen, locking eyes with Dash, who stood with his back to the people at the counter, unaware of the three men aiming their guns at them. He could see the two old folks at the table near the entrance, Maria, and two more people from the kitchen, all poised for action.

Only Tim, oblivious to the armed people behind him, faced Judith, his gun aimed at Dash's men. Judith, quick to assess the situation, hissed to Tim without moving, her voice trembling with fear: "Maria!"

Tim, in a state of confusion, obeyed and turned his gun towards the waitress. This sudden shift caused a wave of uncertainty as everyone scrambled to find a more advantageous position in the chaotic scenario.

The four men in suits had their guns trained on Judith and Tim. They had yet to realize whose side the random-seeming patrons were on. Judith, however, began to suspect, based on what Tim had said about the chef, that this place might be filled with resistance members. This meant she should theoretically be allied with Dash, but she saw no hope of that at the moment.

Judith and Tim appeared to be at a disadvantage if panic broke out, but by directing Tim to Maria, Judith hoped to buy some time.

Everyone was waiting for some signal. Tim awaited Judith's, Dash's men awaited his, and the others awaited Maria's. Judith quickly noticed this. She saw the older man sitting by the bookshelf rise slowly, trying to position himself before Maria. She didn't like that move.

"Hey! Stop! No tricks!" Judith shouted. Meanwhile, Dash stared in bewilderment at those standing behind him, perhaps just then assessing the situation himself.

The smell from the kitchen became increasingly unpleasant.

Dash felt the need to clarify the situation, sensing a complete misunderstanding. "I think everyone should calm down!" Judith didn't understand what he expected—everyone would put away their guns and sit nicely?

No one moved, so Dash continued. "We just want to deal with these two here. You do not need to get involved... I'll tell you what. We'll leave the restaurant and won't bother you any longer. Is that okay?"

Still, no one moved, so Dash felt compelled to explain further. "Look, you've all seen the girl's picture all over town. We're looking for her; I believe these two know where she is. I think you know who the girl is, and it wouldn't be good for you to cross me or hinder the authorities' work."

Tim sensed that Dash adopted an official tone to bolster his point and emphasize his authority.

The older woman then did something unexpected—she spat. No one anticipated that. Judith realized that Dash still had no clue where they were or who the others were. But Maria's deep, commanding voice quickly clarified things for him. "If you think your white-collar talk will get you anywhere here, you're sorely mistaken! We don't care!" The older woman spat on the floor again, a clear sign of their defiance.

Dash became more cautious, and Judith could see sweat beading on his temple, with one drop starting to slide down. Finally, he gets it, she thought.

"I'll tell you what," Dash tried again. "Everyone lowers their weapons, and we'll leave quietly. No one will ever know we were here. We'll stay far away from you. Though I'm sorry I couldn't try your hamburger, but from the smell, I guess I won't..."

The smell of smoke was already spreading from the kitchen, and it was only a matter of time before it became visible.

The three men at the counter looked expectantly at Maria. She said nothing, just stared at them intently, especially at Tim, as he was the only one aiming at her.

"For heaven's sake, how long will we stand here like this?" Dash grew impatient. "We just came here for lunch, and we're looking for that kid, which is pretty crucial. A child alone out in the scorching sun! Have you thought about that?"

"You forgot to mention how that child got lost!" Judith hissed.

"I knew it!" Dash furrowed his brow. "I knew you were involved. Did you spy on us? And then hide her in the car? Is that what happened?"

Judith realized she had made a big mistake. "You're imagining things. I'm just deducing who the girl is. Whose idea was it to write her name on the paper?"

More beads of sweat appeared on Dash's forehead, and it was hard to tell whether it was from the scorching sun, which now fully illuminated the tables, or the tense situation.

"What is your name?" Maria finally spoke, now aiming her pistol decisively at Dash.

"Me? Dash..." he replied, somewhat relieved that communication had finally started.

"Dash, listen up. Only I can decide what happens here. You are all in my house! And you may not know it yet, but you've come to a very wrong place. I'm surprised you, super law enforcement people, have yet to figure out who we are. Or where you are. So it's getting annoying that you keep coming here and causing trouble. At least once a day, I have to kick out some armed thug who thinks they have more rights than us just because they have a gun and a badge. Well, enough is enough! And believe me, if I could, I'd put up a sign saying no entry for law enforcement, but unfortunately, that would make us your target.

Dash blinked several times, trying to piece together what he had heard. Judith leaned in a bit to help: "FYI."

"Thank you, dear!" Maria laughed. "I immediately saw that you two are smarter, though the fact you returned doesn't fit the picture. My chef told me interesting things about the high-ups, Tim, right?"

Tim felt faint. He feared his boss would find out what he had done under similar circumstances. He should have told her the thing with Mara already.

"But you're not the main targets, though I'm curious about what's in that black briefcase... But first, you five. That kid is just a kid; why are you looking for her? What's the order if you find her? I have a guess, so I hope you never do!"

"Do you know something? Hm? Out with it! It obstructs justice if you don't tell us what you know!" Dash blurted out.

"Even if we knew something, we wouldn't tell you. You can be sure we'll do everything to keep her out of your hands!" Maria concluded, but Dash didn't let it go.

"I don't understand what's going on here. What is this all about? If we start shooting here, do you think anyone will survive?"

Tim had to admit that Dash was right. If they started shooting, he, Judith, and Dash would be the primary targets because they were in the worst position in the middle. One of Dash's men and Maria might survive. Perhaps even the chef if he quickly ran into the kitchen.

These thoughts crossed his mind, and he wondered if Peter might know where Mara was. But the tension was palpably rising, and everyone was watching each other's movements.

"You're right; we'd probably shoot everyone, especially you." Maria grinned, showing none of her friendly demeanor when pouring coffee earlier.

"Then I suggest we find out what's in the briefcase. I understand it's going to Zack." With this comment, Dash hit the mark, and Judith realized he had cleverly deflected attention from himself.

"Let me tell you what's going to happen now," Judith began very seriously, determinedly. "Under no circumstances will I open this briefcase. And I'll tell you why. I almost died twice because of it. You see the bandage on my ear? That's from a stray bullet. And before that, it was a jammed gun that saved my life. I've never noticed signs or fate, thinking the universe is trying to tell me something. Have you ever paid attention to signs? Right now, I see that all of us standing here are not in an accident. There's a reason for everything; fate brought us here to this place at this moment." As Judith spoke, she gestured with her free hand but kept her aim on Dash with the other.

"Today, I was about to have my last meal with Tim, my partner, because I'm leaving. That's right, I've had enough because you know what? Until today, I thought I controlled everything and did whatever I wanted. But those two stray bullets made me think about fate and about how I don't want to kill anyone anymore. Do you understand? No one! So, let's ask the question: if all hell breaks loose here, who might survive? Dash? Do you think you'll survive? We're standing right in the middle. But you've already thought this through, so you're sweating like this. Maria? Do you think you'll survive? Tim's aiming at you, and believe me, the kid's a damn good shot, and even if the older man is ready to jump, you can be sure the four well-dressed guys behind me are aiming at you. So what do we gain from all this?"

Judith paused, and Tim thought for the first time that Judith wouldn't shoot. What would happen to them, or was she planning this crazy talk her way out of it?

"Look, I mean it when I say we're not here by accident, and this not-by-accident happened so you could meet me here, so I could tell you how valuable you all are. Every one of you. Who wants to die just like that? And you know, as well as I do, that this madness can only end one way: with everyone here getting riddled with bullets. Unless you listen to reason, and we all walk out of here. Tim and I will take this briefcase to its owner. Dash will keep looking for the kid, and you can check the kitchen because, judging by the smoke, everything's on fire."

Judith paused again. The older man in front of the bookshelf hesitantly lowered his arm, and it wasn't clear if it was because Judith's words moved him or because his arm was tired. Since he only dropped it briefly, it was probably the latter, but Maria seemed affected by Judith's speech.

"There is some truth in what you say. Obviously, no one wants to die willingly, and this situation is quite the stalemate; very likely, we'd all kill each other," Maria said.

"Dash, what do you think?" Judith asked.

"There's something to it, but our matter isn't resolved..."

"Oh, come on! Everyone has their own business! I have a job to do, you have a job to do, and so do Maria and her people. Let's leave these petty grievances behind!"

Dash nodded.

"So, I'll tell you what happens next! This sentence has been said a lot today..." Judith tried to joke, but everyone felt they wanted to move on. "Dash, and you four, you leave first. And I suggest you don't wait for us around the corner because someone might find out you're trying to cross us."

Judith motioned for them to leave. With their guns half-lowered, they headed for the door. Once they stepped outside, those inside followed them with their eyes as they got into their car and drove off.

"Now it's our turn," Judith started. "I think we should put away the guns. Hm?" she asked, looking at Maria.

Maria nodded, and everyone breathed a little easier. The chef and the kitchen maid went back into the kitchen.

"I'm taking the hamburger with me, though I'm a bit sorry it's gone cold." And they headed out. Tim took a deep breath as they got outside, not believing they might get out of this whole adventure unscathed.