Chapter 6 - The Door That Opened the Wrong Way
Pine Hollow Family Center looked peaceful under the parking-lot lights. Paper stars hung in the windows, made by children who had helped paint the rooms. At the entrance, a banner promised a fresh start.
Mae Barlow, the center director, met Asha and me with a ring of keys. "If this is about the wedding video, I'm not interested," she said.
"It's about the north exit," I told her. "Please let me inspect it before a child gets hurt."
She hesitated, then walked us down a hallway that smelled of fresh paint. The emergency exit should have opened outward with one push. It didn't. Someone had attached a sliding bolt on the corridor side. On the door's edge, the fire-rating label had been painted over.
I photographed the hardware while Asha filmed the full test, including the time and Mae's permission. "It can't open from inside when that bolt is shut," I said.
Mae gripped her keys. "They told me the temporary lock was removed."
"Who told you?"
"Colin Saye. He said Daniel approved it."
I swallowed hard. My signature was becoming a weapon other people could aim at anyone they liked.
Gus Hart, the night custodian, pushed a cart out of the janitor's closet. He was a small, tired man in his sixties. "Young Eli made a fuss about that latch," he said. "Thursday night. Mr. Saye sent him home."
"Have you heard from Eli?"
Gus looked toward the rear loading doors. "No, sir. But he left his jacket in the boiler room. Kid never went anywhere without it."
Asha started to ask something else. From outside came the growl of a diesel engine. Through the glass we saw a TrueSpan truck reverse toward the loading dock. Two men began carrying long cardboard boxes inside, though Mae had canceled all deliveries.
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"I didn't authorize that," she said.
One of the men glanced through the window. Then he lifted his phone to his ear.
