"Take a look in these two rooms," Sean said. "I'm going to check out the master."
Tommy gave a nod and disappeared into the guest room while Sean meandered down the narrow corridor to the larger bedroom.
Inside the master bedroom, Sean found what appeared to be a queen-size bed. White linens and a comforter were tucked in tight. It looked like the bed had been permanently made. Another fireplace was set into the wall to his immediate left. A polished cherrywood dresser sat under a bright window, opposite the bed's beveled footrail. A matching armoire stood a few feet away, next to an antique rocking chair.
Whoever decorated the room contents had done an impeccable job. A tall, black top hat rested on the dresser, next to a bonnet and a few other items from the era.
On the right side of the room, a little desk with a mirror stood alone between windows.
Sean took a look back down the hallway and then hurried over to the desk. He pulled out the drawer but found nothing of interest inside. He then moved over to the armoire and the dresser, investigating the drawers and shelves of both, still finding empty space.
He put his hands on his hips and considered looking under the bed, but he decided against it. Had there been anything there, someone would have seen it long ago. Probably a custodian or one of the curators like Janet.
Sean heard footsteps and spun around again. Tommy was coming his way.
"Find anything?" Sean whispered so the lady downstairs couldn't hear.
"No," Tommy said. "Just a bunch of antiques they probably found at some flea market. Some of the stuff might be original, but not much of it."
Sean ran his fingers through his hair. They'd only been there for five minutes, and already the sense of dread had begun creeping into their guts.
"If you were hiding something as important as the map in question, where would you have put it?" Sean asked.
Tommy bit the corner of his lower lip and gazed up at the ceiling. "I'm not sure. In this instance, John Surratt knew the authorities were probably going to come around collecting evidence."
"Correct. Which means it would have to be even more difficult to find than a mere trinket."
"So, what are you thinking?"
Sean stared down at the floor. He was running out of ideas. They couldn't exactly tear the walls down and rip up the floorboards in hopes of finding a map that may or may not exist. Even if it did, that ridiculous notion wasn't going to happen.
As his eyes ran along the floorboards and came to the spot where stone surrounded a small fireplace, he noticed something unusual. His eyebrows lowered, and he cocked his head to the side. A moment later, he stepped over to the stone tiles and took a knee next to the corner.
"What is it?" Tommy asked.
"I don't know. Might be nothing. Take a look."
Sean scooted to the right so his friend could get a better view.
"Notice anything unusual about these tiles?"
Tommy rolled his shoulders. "No, not really." Then he saw it. "Oh yeah. The grout they used around this one looks a little lighter in color than the rest."
"Exactly."
Sean bent down closer to get a better look. He pressed on the brick surrounded by the different grout, but it wouldn't budge. He tried to dig a fingernail into the gritty bond, but it was too firm to dislodge.
"We need a screwdriver or something," Sean said in a hushed tone.
"Should I run back out to the car? I think I've got something in there that we could use to pry it free."
"If you do, she'll wonder what's going on."
"Not if I tell her I left my phone in the car and want to take some pictures."
Sean raised his eyebrows. "Good idea. Do it."
Tommy scurried out of the room and down the stairs. Sean heard him giving the explanation to Janet. A second later, he heard the door creak open and close again. It only took Tommy a couple minutes to get to the car and back. He rounded the top of the stairs, and when Janet was out of view, pulled a socket iron out of his back pocket. One end was designed to loosen nuts on car wheels. The other end had a flat wedge.
"Good work," Sean said. "You want to start on the grout? I'm going to go downstairs and distract Janet."
Tommy looked puzzled. "Distract her?"
Sean stood up and brushed imaginary dust off his pants. "Yeah. Pretty sure if we start digging up this grout, she's going to hear something grinding through the ceiling over her head."
"Good thinking. I'll see what I can do."
Sean left the room and went downstairs. Tommy waited until he heard his friend begin a conversation with Janet about the history of the building. He chuckled to himself. With the woman eager to talk to anyone about anything, he figured that discussion would easily buy him enough time.
Tommy set to work on the grout, digging the flat end of the little iron into one of the long sides first. Initially, the wedge didn't do much to break down the gritty material. After a minute of applying some elbow grease, though, it started to crumble.
He couldn't hear the two downstairs anymore, and for a second worried he'd been too loud. Then he heard the faint sounds of their voices. They'd moved to a different room. Another smart move by Sean.
Convinced they were out of hearing distance, Tommy began grinding away again, this time with renewed vigor.
It took a few minutes to get the first side of grout stripped from between the brick and the floorboards. He found the short ends much easier, perhaps because he'd learned the trick of breaking it free.
Five minutes of hard scraping and pressure resulted in tired forearms and fingers. As he broke the last piece of grout loose, he felt the brick shift. Tommy froze again, listening for the others. Janet was still droning on about the kitchen and the furniture, so Tommy knew he was in the clear. She hadn't heard a thing.
Tommy worked his fingernails under the bottom of the brick and pried it from the floor. He gingerly set the brick to the side and gazed at the empty spot. The sub-floor had been left in place enough to give support to the brick tile. In its center, though, was a narrow hole cut in the shape of a long rectangle. A yellowish scroll sat inside a black metal container that was held in place around the rim of the cavity.
With a swallow and another cautionary look out into the hallway, Tommy reached into the hole and carefully stuck his fingernail under the edge of the scroll. The vellum bent under the pressure but didn't break as he pulled back, lifting it out of the cavity.
Tommy wished he had handling gloves on, but there was no time and at this point he just wanted to get out of there.
Ever so gently, he opened his jacket and slid the scroll into an inner pocket before zipping up the coat to conceal it. Then he picked up the brick tile and placed it back over the hole.
"Crap," he said, realizing there was grout all around the brickwork and floorboards.
He heard Sean's voice from the bottom of the stairs.
"Yes, that would be nice for you to show us a few of the more interesting pieces upstairs." Sean boomed, loud enough for Tommy to know what his friend meant.
It was a warning. They were about to climb the staircase.
Tommy lifted the brick again and hurriedly began sweeping the dust and debris into the hole where he found the hidden scroll. Sean and Janet's footsteps grew louder; the stairs creaked under their weight as they ascended.
Tommy's heart pounded in his chest. They were almost to the top of the steps where they'd be able to see inside the bedroom.
Sean turned his head as he followed Janet and saw Tommy sweeping the grout remnants furiously with his hands.