A rope was wrapped securely around my ankles and tied off to the other end of the car. “You’re sure this is safe?” Dez asked from the ground below. “That again?” Jules had volunteered to do the honors of lighting the flash powder that would slowly, very slowly, burn away the rope fibers—leaving me plenty of time to escape from the chains draped all around me, secured by locks. Dez would take over her duties next time, assuming Thurston approved of me doing this escape when the midway was open. As expected, he had wanted to see the new act before he gave it the okay, since it would require stopping operation of the ever-popular wheel for a few minutes. Still, it had seemed like the most logical choice for something to tie on to in a dramatic way, in the absence of any five-story buildings like the kind Houdini and Dorothy Dietrich had used for similar escapes. And I had a soft spot for the Ferris wheel, site of a certain first date. Plus, I thought Raleigh would be relieved to have me out of his domain.
