“It’s a deep cut, and you’ve lost quite a bit of blood. When Nathan is out, we’ll have something to eat.”
“She left you food?”
“Enough for a week, maybe ten days, if we’re frugal.”
“We’ll be out of here long before that,” Kara said.
She tested the wood railing, and it appeared to be secure enough. Using it for support, she carefully walked down the stairs, remembering what happened to Matt in the factory. They creaked, but nothing gave way. Lily had been up and down the stairs multiple times since Friday, and Matt was heavier than both of them and they hadn’t broken, so Kara tried not to panic.
Though she certainly didn’t like the creepy, dark basement they were in and would hate to be trapped down here. She got a whiff of a foul odor that made her nose sting a little, then it went away.
She smiled at Nathan. “Hey, how are you doing?”
“Good, now,” Nathan said. “Matt said the whole thing was fake.”
“Well, there could be gas in the canister, and we don’t know what other surprises she has for us here, but hopefully we’ll be gone before we find out.”
“Matt said she locked you in a factory. That there were traps, and there might be traps here.”
“So far, so good. We’re going to get you out.”
Kara inspected the lock. New, basic. Thick—it would be nearly impossible to cut through unless she had bolt cutters—but it had a keyhole, not a combo lock. She could break a combo lock with enough time, but it was much harder for her.
Lily said, “Why did she lie about the gas? Could she have lied about other things?”
“Yes, she could. But I’m taking her seriously. Matt and I nearly died in that factory. There were more than a half dozen traps we sprang. Maybe the gas canister was a last-minute idea, because she didn’t know that her partner was going to be arrested. She had to set things up quickly.”
Kara walked over to where the canister was still under the workbench. They weren’t out of the woods yet. The woman could have more traps up her sleeve, and Kara didn’t want to be caught in another one.
Matt came down the stairs. “I found paperclips and a couple safety pins. No pliers.”
“I see you washed up a bit,” Kara said. She almost laughed. He’d washed his hands and face and run water over his head, but the grime had dripped down his neck. Fortunately, he’d found a T-shirt.
“I can still taste the factory,” he said and wrinkled up his nose.
Kara looked around the cluttered basement. Junk, broken glass, junk... She carefully picked through the items and found a small, dirty toolbox. It hadn’t been opened in some time and it took her a minute to get the clasp unstuck. The metal box creaked as she opened it. Inside were tools... and water. “Gross,” she said.
Matt walked over and handed her the paperclips. “You’reclean,” he said and tilted the box so the water drained out. It smelled rank.
Then he turned the box over and let the tools fall on the floor. “So you don’t have to dig through this gunk.”
Lily came over with a dirty towel and handed it to Matt.
“Which one?” Matt said to Kara.
She looked. Hammer, wrench, several pliers. “Those.” She pointed. “The needle-nose pliers with the broken handle.” She might be able to do it without them, but pliers would help.
Matt picked them up with the towel, then wiped them down and handed them to her.
Kara stood under the bulb to get the best light and used the pliers to straighten a couple of the paperclips. The bobby pins were coated in plastic. She stripped the plastic off with the pliers. They were probably too flimsy, but they would be backup if she needed them.
She asked Matt to hold the lock for her so she didn’t have to squat and go at it from below.
She took a deep breath, then slowly let it out.
Kara held one of the paperclips with the pliers in her left hand, inserted it into the keyhole. Then with her right hand used another paperclip and slowly moved it around until she could feel the mechanism. It took her three tries, and then the lock popped open. She sighed in relief. Matt pulled the lock out and Lily rushed over. He put up his hand to hold her back and said, “Wait.”
“Why?” Lily said.
