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Kadir’s second-floor office was shuttered and dark. Flashlights lit the space and danced along the walls. A wide mahogany desk stood to one side. It was heavy and sturdy, as much an historical artifact as anything in the museum. Even the planks of the floor were scarred and scuffed and nailed in black iron. Overhead, timbered beams held up the roof. One wall was covered in a bookcase that looked melded in place by age and use. It was filled with a private collection of carved figures, small stone idols, woven grass baskets, and other pottery. Books filled every other niche.
Across from Seichan, one of Xue’s men panned the wall from floor to ceiling with a screened device he held between two hands. The glorified stud-finder glowed with a vague image of what lay behind the lathe and plaster. The technician had already swept the other three walls, searching for a hidden object, a secret room, or cubby.
As an extra measure, Gray had tested the bookshelves, tugging and searching each shelf and frame—until he finally admitted defeat.
The tech finished the fourth wall and lowered the device and gave Xue his assessment. “Méiyou.”
Seichan translated for Gray. “Nothing.”
Xue crossed his arms and rubbed his chin.
“What about the floor?” Gray asked. “This building—to have lasted from 1710—must be heavily joisted.”
Xue nodded. “Of course.”
The technician set about scanning the room’s planks, sweeping back and forth. There were only a few people to get in his way. Zhuang flanked Gray’s other side. Besides Xue, the Chinese contingent included the tech, the sour-faced Captain Wen, and Dr. Luo, who stood in a corner with a worried expression.
They had all felt the series of quakes, heard the cannon fire of more eruptions.
The rest of the city had fallen eerily quiet. The panicked shouts, honking horns, and sirens had died away, as if everyone knew the futility of fighting the inevitable.
Except us.
The tech stopped, retreated a step, then stood for a moment. He started again, this time making a small circle over the rug in front of Kadir’s desk. “I found something,” he reported in Mandarin to Xue and Wen.
Gray needed no translation and crossed to join the others. The tech spoke rapidly to Xue and pointed to a large rectangular shadow on the screen. It filled the space between two floor joists.
“The engineer believes it’s metal,” Xue reported.
“We can dig it out.” Gray turned to Kadir—more out of politeness than any true intent to bend to the director’s will if the man refused.
Kadir nodded. “I’ll help roll the rug back.”
They all worked to clear the space. The planks beneath the rug appeared no different than those around them. Same rough scuffing, same dark patinating. Yet, from the scan, something was clearly under them.
Kadir pointed to the doorway. “There’s a fire axe in the hall.”
Captain Wen crossed and barked orders to his men. Out in the hallway, their two armies were entrenched at either end. After some scuffling, one of the commandos rushed in with an axe. Not to be outdone, Yeung followed inside with another.
The two men set to work hacking at the floor. Each splintering of wood made Kadir wince, as if they were axing into his own chest. In short order, a black iron box, two-foot-by-three, was revealed beneath the boards.
Kadir covered his mouth. “That was there this entire time?”
A pair of hinged doors split the box’s middle. Gray and Xue knelt on either side and grabbed the knobs and parted them open, revealing the face of a safe.
“The outer doors must be additional fireproofing,” Gray commented. “Raffles wasn’t taking any chances.”
The safe had a drawer along its bottom and two keyholes on its face. Between the holes was an ornate plate of bronze that had been inscribed with an erupting volcano.
Gray pointed to the image. “That suggests we found the right spot.”
“But how do we open it?” Heng asked, looming behind Xue.
Xue reached to the slim drawer. It slid out smoothly, revealing a velvet-lined interior. Nestled inside was a large bronze key.
“It can’t be that simple,” Seichan said. “It’sneverthat simple.”
Xue tested the keyhole on the left. It fit, but it wouldn’t budge.
