Neil found a seat near the edge of the floor, picked up a glass from the nearest table, and looked like someone who had stepped out briefly and returned without incident, which was precisely what he wanted to look like.
Seven minutes later, Cynthia appeared at the far entrance.
She moved through the crowd the way she always did, unhurried and drawing eyes without appearing to invite them, her expression composed and faintly pleasant and giving absolutely nothing away.
Caleb saw her almost immediately.
He had been scanning the entrances for the past twenty minutes with a patience that was running visibly thin, and when she came into view his posture shifted in a way he probably didn't notice but several people nearby did.
He looked at her across the hall, then his eyes moved through the crowd, finding Neil at the edge of the floor, then returning to Cynthia.
His expression did not change on the surface.
