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“Get out your gun,” Elle said at last. “Give it to me. You two sit behind me and I’ll shoot anyone who comes at us.”
“Have you used a gun before?” Julia whispered.
“No. Have you?”
“No. Gran, have you?”
“Do I look like Wyatt Earp?”
There was another pause. “Does anyone know how to switch the safety off?” Elle asked. “It won’t fire with it on.”
Julia and Patricia made muffled groaning sounds.
“If you don’t know how to work a gun, why do you have one?” Elle was beginning to sound irate.
“Joe made me take it. He asked if I knew how it worked. I said yes, because I thought he meant the theory of the thing. I know how it works in theory, but I don’t know how to handle one practically. Before I could explain that, he was gone.”
“I’m going to talk to your mother when we get out of here,” Patricia said. “Between this and your taste in underwear, you may as well have been raised by gorillas in the wild.”
“Shh!” Elle said. “I think I hear footsteps.”
They didn’t have to strain to hear them this time. There were footsteps and they were getting closer. Julia held the gun tight. She wouldn’t be able to fire it, but she could throw it at whoever turned up.
“Señorita Collins?” a female whispered. “Are you there? It is Maria, from management.”
“Maria?” Julia stage-whispered, hoping it wouldn’t travel through the painting into the chapel.
A beam from a flashlight appeared. The holder aimed it up the stairs before turning it on herself. Julia almost cried at the sight.
“Come.” Maria motioned with her hand. “I saw you come in here and knew you must have been hiding. I will show you the way out.”
The women didn’t have to be told twice. They practically tumbled down the stairs in their eagerness to get to Maria.
“Thank you, Maria,” Julia said. “For this and for calling to warn us.”
“De nada. Follow me. Stay close—there are holes in the floor in some places. I will take you to one of the hidden exits. I have a key. It will take you out to a corridor inside the church of Las Damas De Nuestro Señor.”
“Part of the old convent?” Julia said.
“Si. The monks and nuns used to meet up through this secret tunnel. There were many miraculous births in the convent. It was very famous for it.” There was amusement in the brave woman’s voice.
“Have the men gone?” Julia said. “The ones chasing us?”
“I think they have gone from the hotel, but they could have someone watching. That’s why it’s safer to go this way. These are not good men, señorita. They are well known for doing some very bad things.”
“I know.” Julia placed a hand on Maria’s arm. “We can’t thank you enough.”
“It is the right thing to do.” They’d reached a heavy wooden door that was centuries old and warped with time.
Maria produced a massive iron key and turned the lock. The door didn’t make a sound when it opened. “We keep all doors in good condition,” she explained. “You never know when you will need them.” The door opened onto a dark passageway. “Take my flashlight. I can find my way out from here in the dark. It is not so far.”
Julia gratefully accepted the gift.
“Follow this corridor to the end, where you will find stairs. At the top of the stairs there are two doors. Take the left one. It will take you through the back of the church to the outer door. You will be able to get a taxi on the street there.”
“The rest of our group?” Julia’s stomach clenched at the thought of Joe walking into another trap.
“We have people waiting to intercept them before they approach. And we will pack up your belongings and send them to your home address.” Maria hesitated. “I don’t think we can mail the mummy.” She sounded so apologetic that Julia almost laughed.
