Page 81 of Right Place, Right Time
‘What if the cupboard was hidden by one or two of the filing cabinets? They were big enough.’
It takes a moment for what Adam is saying to sink in, then I cry out excitedly, ‘Let’s go take a look! This could be it!’
‘Now?’ Adam asks, sounding remarkably calm.
‘Yes, now. Why not?’
Adam glances at Barney.
‘Don’t worry about me,’ Barney says. ‘I’ll stay here if there are stairs involved. You two go.’
‘No way, José,’ I tell him. ‘You’re coming too.’ I look at Adam and he nods.
‘Too right you are. That’s if you don’t mind me lifting you again?’
Barney grins. ‘Of course not. Come on, then! What are we waiting for?’
‘It’s like I’ve stepped into the forties,’ Barney says in awe, looking around the office. ‘Either that or a really good museum.’
We got downstairs to the little office in stages.
First Adam lifted Barney down into the bookshop, and then he went back for his chair. Then we opened up themetal door and I went first into the darkened room, and then down the stairs to switch the lights on. Adam then followed carrying Barney, and again went back for his chair, in which Barney is now sitting, looking around the room in amazement.
‘Now to see if we were right,’ Adam says, looking at the filing cabinets in the office. ‘Come on, Eve, I might need a hand moving these.’
Adam and I begin to push one of the large metal filing cabinets away from the stair wall. ‘Blimey, this is heavy,’ I say, struggling to push. ‘It’s just as well we’ve brought the muscle with us. Eh, Barney?’ I wink at him.
‘Indeed,’ Barney says. ‘Although, I’ll sit this one out if I may. You two look like you’ve got it covered.’
Although I am helping to heave the huge filing cabinet away from the wall, I’m sure it’s really Adam who’s doing most of the work.
‘There is a door!’ I shout out excitedly as one side of a pair of doors is revealed. ‘Look!’
Adam puffs. ‘Let’s get this other cabinet moved first, then I’ll look.’
We both push the second filing cabinet in the opposite direction and again we find another small door concealed behind it.
‘Right,’ Adam says, still puffing a little. ‘Shall we see what’s inside?’
‘Do it!’ Barney says encouragingly.
Adam pulls on one of the doors, but it doesn’t open. He then pulls on the other. ‘I don’t believe this. Now these doors are locked too. Why is everything locked all the time!’
I look around to see if there’s keys hanging anywhere. Then we all start opening drawers in the desks and the filing cabinets to see if we can find one.
‘Here!’ Barney triumphantly holds up a large key and wheels himself towards the doors. ‘It only bloody works!’ he says as the key turns easily in the lock. Barney gives a tug on the first door, then reverses back a little to fully open it.
‘What can you see?’ I ask.
‘Nothing. It’s just dark.’ He pulls open the second door. But the same greets us – only darkness. ‘It’s just an empty cupboard,’ he says disappointedly shining his phone’s torch around. He wheels himself forward a little, until he’s able to get all the way inside. At Barney’s height in his wheelchair, he doesn’t need to bend his head. ‘Yep,’ he says. ‘It’s a hell of a cupboard, but there’s just a wall here at the end.’ He reverses himself back out again. ‘Now what?’
‘Why would someone hide this cupboard behind these filing cabinets if it wasn’t important?’ Adam says. ‘There are other walls these cabinets could have stood against that didn’t block it.’
‘Do you think your doors would fit this opening?’ Barney asks, his head tilted to one side. ‘I only saw them briefly today, but I reckon they look a similar size to these ones.’
‘They might,’ I say, trying to size them up in my mind. ‘Should we try them, do you think?’
‘What would be the point?’ Adam asks. ‘Nothing is going to change if we attach two new doors to this empty cupboard.’
