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crazies anymore.”
    â€œTrue enough” said Billy. “That’s why we need to get cracking.”
    â€œI just don’t think it will work,” Tom said. “You‘ll be arrested for sure. Or even killed. Whoever heard of kids trying to rob a friggin’ bank?”
    â€œJust because we’re kids doesn’t mean we can’t do it,” Billy argued. “I keep telling you, we’ve got this foolproof plan. We get the money, do a couple of handoffs, and we hop on the SkyTrain. What could be simpler? Worst case scenario, we’re caught. What can they do to us? We’re kids. We’re too young to be thrown in the slammer. They don’t send kids to jail. Slap on the wrist is all we’d get.”
    Tom said, “Slap on the wrist? What do you mean?”
    Billy grinned. “When you’re kids, they go easy on you. Pick up the garbage for a week, something simple. Or maybe a few days in juvie.”
    â€œWhat’s juvie?”
    â€œJuvenile detention center, of course. Don’t you know anything?”
    Tom still wasn’t buying. His voice climbed. “Look, Billy. I like it here. But I don’t plan to spend the rest of my teens in a friggin’ detention home!”
    â€œThing is, if we don’t raise the ten grand, and soon,” said Billy, “living here with Janice and Joseph won’t be an option.”
    â€œYou don’t want to even think of what’s out there passing for fosters,” I told Tom, shuddering. “And out there is where we’ll end up. Don’t you see?” I stared at him hard and said slowly, “We just don’t have any other options.”
    Tom was quiet for a long time, doing homework, but I could tell his mind wasn’t on it.
    After a while he threw down his pen and turned to Billy. “You sure I wouldn’t have to go inside the bank?”
    â€œI’m sure,” said Billy. He flashed his most charming smile. “You just grab the bag from Nails, then stroll to the SkyTrain station. No need to run. Everything’s cool. Simple? Yeah! The Three Musketeers! All for one and one for all.” He held up his fists. “Are you in?”
    Billy knew how to generate excitement all right.
    Tom looked at me. Then he looked at Billy. Then he nodded. “Okay, I’m in.”
    Billy flashed him another of his sweet smiles. “That’s my buddy!”
    Tom was in. Yes!
    â€œBut we can’t tell anyone,” I said.
    â€œRight,” Billy said. “No one. Not even Lisa. It’s top secret.”
    â€œLet’s swear an oath of secrecy,” I said. “Say ‘Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust. We’re the ones that you can trust.’”
    Billy said the oath loud and clear, and Tom mumbled along.
    â€œNow say after me,” I ordered. “All for one and one for all.”
    We knocked our fists together and then held them up, chanting, “All for one and one for all. All for one and one for all.”
    That was how it all started.
    It was history.

SEVEN
    APRIL 4
    So there we were after our first perfect bank robbery. Billy and Tom were sitting at the kitchen table after lugging grocery bags from Janice’s car.
    â€œHey, Janice, you sure snapped up a lot of stuff,” said Billy, peeking into one of the bags.
    Janice rolled her eyes. “I had a shopping seizure. There were so many specials my brain had a burnout.” She started packing food into the cupboards.
    It was my turn to help. I loaded milk and yogurt into the fridge. “Lisa’s kitten is cute,” I said.
    â€œLuckily, they had a special on kitty litter so I got three bags.” Janice turned. “Tom, Billy, the kitty litter is still on the back seat, and there’s a pack of toilet paper as well.”
    Tom and Billy got up and slouched back out to the car.
    I frowned. “Is a kitten a good idea for Lisa? What if we have to move?”
    Janice