Page 6 of The Trick of the Treasure
“There is steel behind the wood of the door,” Solomon guessed.
“And lining the walls.” Lloyd turned the key again then removed it. To the right of the door handle, he lifted a panel that had been previously invisible, and revealed another, smaller keyhole. Into this Lloyd inserted another key, which he turned anticlockwise. He then put the large key back into the first hole—and this time it seemed to slide further in—and turned it clockwise.
Lloyd removed it and dropped the key ring into his pocket before depressing the handle, which clearly offered more resistance than an ordinary one, and pushed the heavy door open.
It was more of a cupboard than a room. A few deed boxes sat on a shelf on one side. But it was the wooden chest on the floor that drew the eye. About three feet in length with a curved lid, it almost filled the space. Although it had clearly been cleaned up to some degree, the wood was old and thick and dark from ingrained dirt. Its lock hung open, an iron flap hanging down from one loose hinge.
Lloyd stepped inside the strong room, bent, and lifted the lid to show the chest was empty save for one shining gold coin. Just as he had said. Beside it was a heap of what look like old gardening tools, a broom head, a rusting shovel, a hammer, a few rocks, and odds and ends of wood and metal.
“What is that junk?” Constance asked.
“What I found in the chest yesterday morning with the single doubloon. Whoever stole my treasure clearly thought it was funny.”
“So, when exactly was the chest locked up in here?” Solomon asked, while Constance squeezed past him and crouched down to look at the chest, lifting the flap at the broken hinge, inspecting the old gold coin within. “Did the chest travel from the ship directly to this house with you?”
“Yes, it did, and I supervised its removal from under the carriage seat and up to the drawing room. I think it must have been about five o’clock in the afternoon when we reached the house.”
“Were you showing the treasure to your family in the drawing room?” Constance asked.
“Yes, I was rather proud of it,” Lloyd said, sighing.
“Did they know about it before your arrival?”
“Not until my wife and my sister came on board to greet us.”
“Us?” Solomon repeated.
“My son, Sydney, accompanied me on the voyage. Did I not say so previously?”
“No.”
“Well, he did. I thought it was time he saw the world.”
“So, you had not written to your wife to expect you?” Constance asked, straightening.
It brought her pleasantly close to Solomon, her scent arousing his senses, her wide skirts catching around his leg. He had to restrain the urge to put his arm around her.
“She knew of the ship’s approach,” Lloyd said, “and I sent a messenger as soon as we docked. Of course, we had to wait for customs inspections and so on.”
“Did your wife and sister see the treasure when they came on board?”
“No, the chest was already tied up on deck and ready to go.”
Solomon nodded. “How long did it spend in the drawing room with you?”
“Oh, an hour or so.” A smile flickered on Lloyd’s lips. “After the long voyage, it was good to be home, surrounded by my family, teasing them…”
“Who was in the drawing with you?” Constance asked. “All your family?”
“Yes.”
“And servants?” she asked.
“Only Garrick, the butler, who brought in champagne and announced dinner.”
“Did you leave the treasure unattended in the drawing room while you dined?”
“No. Sydney and Harry the footman carried the chest to the strong room. Then Sydney ran upstairs to fetch the keys for me. I found myself somewhat prophetically reluctant to leave the treasure for a moment.”
