chosen to hide something else rather than on its own merits. It clearly wasn’t of the same quality as most of the pieces in the house. Somehow, I thought it seemed beneath Sir Nigel’s cleverness, but maybe it was some sort of private joke.
The major grabbed the thick gilded frame by one edge and gave it a little tug. It came loose, opening like the cover of a book to reveal the safe in the wall behind it.
“How did you know it was there?” I asked.
“I’ve done my research,” he replied, as usual answering my questions in a manner that gave me absolutely no information.
He moved slightly out of the way and motioned me forward.
I was relieved to see that I was familiar with the model. It wasn’t one of the high-quality burglar-proof safes, but something much simpler. The first thing I tried was the manufacturer’s combination. I didn’t suppose Sir Nigel would be so careless as to neglect to change the combination, but it was worth a try.
A quick check confirmed it had been changed.
“May I have the paper and pencil, please?”
He reached into his pocket and handed them to me. They were the only tools I had told him I needed, but I had no place to carry them. The dress was decidedly not made for concealing things.
“How long will it take you?” he asked behind my shoulder.
“Longer than necessary if you hover behind me.”
He let out a breath and stepped back. I listened as his steps moved toward the desk. The drawer rattled.
“Locked?” I asked, looking over my shoulder.
“I didn’t expect it to be open.”
“Here, let me.” I moved toward him as I reached up and took a pin from my hair. It was the sort of thing that was always being done in books and at the cinema, but it really did work. One just had to have the right angle and know the right sort of pressure to apply.
It was the work of only a few seconds for the lock to give. Really, if more people knew how easily ordinary locks were picked, they would invest in better security for their important things.
The major began sifting through the papers, and I moved back toward the safe.
I tuned him out after that, focusing the way Uncle Mick had taught me to do. For a long time there was nothing but me and the dial, the almost imperceptible changes in give as I found the contact points.
I supposed the major wished the lock was as pliant as the one on the desk drawer had been, but I was enjoying every moment of it. I felt calm, almost relaxed, as I worked, testing the dial and graphing the points in the notebook.
My brain felt sharper and clearer than it ever had. Was it the knowledge that I was using my talent for the good of my country? Whatever the case, I graphed out the combination in what felt like record time.
Turning the dial, I felt it give, and I pulled the safe open. “There,” I said softly.
Major Ramsey was at my side in an instant. “Well done, Miss McDonnell.”
He pulled a torch from his pocket and shone it inside the safe. Reaching in, he sifted through the contents.
I held my breath.
“No,” he said after a moment. “They’re not here.”
“Are you sure?”
“There are no documents here at all.”
I fought down my disappointment. I had known from the beginning that it was a long shot. After all, Sir Nigel was a clever man, and, if it was he who had taken the papers, I thought he might have known better than to put them in his safe. It was still disappointing, though.
The major stepped away from the safe, and I couldn’t resist looking inside myself. He was right; there were only a few jewelry boxes inside. It seemed that Sir Nigel kept his valuable documents elsewhere.
“Shall I close it?” I asked the major.
“Yes,” he answered, not bothering to look at me.
I closed it and spun the dial, Uncle Mick’s words echoing in my head. Always leave things the way you found them, lass. I pushed the painting back into place.
Was everything just the same? I went over our movements in my head. No, not quite. There were still the desk drawers to be tended to.
“There was nothing worthwhile in the desk?” I asked.
“No.”
“Perhaps he’s keeping them somewhere else.”
“That doesn’t do us any good, does it?” There was an edge to his voice, but I knew him well enough now to