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I pulled her sideways, through an archway and into one of the smaller exhibit areas. The sculptures were smaller. There were less people, also.
“See that back door over there?” I pointed. “Behind the statue of that wolf?”
Sloane looked. “You mean the hyena?”
“Whatever.”
“But yes,” she grinned. “I see the door.”
“Follow me through it.”
I felt her body stiffen beside me. “But there are people in here!” she hissed, glancing around. “They’ll see!”
“They’re looking at the sculptures,” I told her. “They won’t care. Besides, we’re going to walk with confidence.”
She blinked twice. “Walk withconfidence?”
“I’ve learned that if you walk with confidence you can pretty much go anywhere you like.”
I pulled her along, striding straight across the room and through the door without issue. Closing it silently behind us, I led her through a darkened back area.
“Where are we going?” Sloane asked.
“I already told you, to get the others.”
“You’ve been back here before?” she said incredulously.
“Yes, while you were getting more champagne and I slipped off to the bathroom.”
The emergency door was in the middle of the back wall. I stopped before it and began fishing around in my pocket.
Sloane looked worried. “We can’t just open this door,” she protested. She pointed to the big red-and-white crossbar that said EXIT ONLY. “It’s alarmed.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Right here.”
I pulled out the screwdriver and went to work on the magnetic alarm contact. On the one fixed to the door, there were only two screws.
Now Sloane looked genuinely amazed. “You carry a screwdriver with you?”
“Not usually, no.”
“Then where’d you get it?”
I jerked my head over my shoulder. “Janitor’s closet.”
The first screw dropped into my palm. I started on the other.
“There’s a janitor’s closet?” she asked in bewilderment.
I chuckled. “There’salwaysa janitor’s closet.”
I worked out the second screw, then carefully removed the magnetic contact. I was sure to hold it right up against the other contact, which was fixed to the door frame.
“Take this,” I said, indicating the screwdriver. “And pop out enough of those clips so that this wire has some slack to it.”
After only a moment’s hesitation she saw what I meant to do. It was easy work. A minute later we were done, and I was opening the door without setting off the alarm.
“About time,” Kade grumbled, pushing his way in. “It’s cold out there!”
