She reached up to a handle that protruded from the underside of the grille. She braced herself on the ladder and pulled hard, grunting with the effort, sharp pains blazing across her shoulders. After a moment when it seemed nothing was happening, the grille crashed down into place above her head with a resonating clang.
She paused to calm herself. Think. Remember the plan. She fumbled for the padlock in her pocket then looked up to point the spot of yellow light from the torch onto the grille. A strong iron latch protruded from the wall near her head. A large eye, fastened underneath the grid, fitted through it. Terrified that she might drop the padlock, she reached up to thread it through the eye. She missed the first time, the light from the torch dim, her fingers shaking. Then she mana
