I inserted the tip of the knife under the plastic edge of the keypad.

With a quick twist of my wrist, I popped the outer casing off.

A bundle of colored wires was exposed inside the wall cavity.

Red, blue, yellow, and green.

I needed to connect the power directly to the solenoid release.

Outside, the wind slammed against the glass door.

Suddenly, a shadow fell across the frosted glass of the pantry door behind us.

Heavy, slow footsteps were approaching the kitchen.

It was the sheriff, checking the ground floor rooms one by one.

I held the steel blade of the knife against the blue and yellow wires.

A small blue spark hissed in the darkness.

The indicator light on the keypad remained red.

“Hale?” the sheriff’s voice called out from the dining room.

“I know you’re in here somewhere.”

“There’s nowhere left for you to run.”

Emily pressed her back against the granite island, holding her breath.

I shifted the blade slightly, pressing the metal against the red wire.

The keypad let out a sharp, electronic beep.

The small light flickered and turned green.