‘Possibly,’ Ulster said, ‘especially when you consider how long it’s been hidden. According to Louis Keller, his family had this box in their possession for a hundred years. That leaves more than three hundred years unaccounted for. How many people guarded the box before them? And how many people were asked to contact Megan?’
Payne had broached the topic during the drive to Zürich, but the group hadn’t reached a consensus of any kind. ‘At least one, maybe more.’
Jones counted them off. ‘The text message was sent from a French cell phone, so that’s one. The letter was mailed from Asia, so that’s two — unless the same person did both.’
‘Or,’ Payne suggested, ‘the letter could have bounced from country to country beforehand, offering layers of insulation along the way. If that’s the case, there’s no way of knowing who leaked word of Megan’s letter to François.’
‘Guys,’ she said anxiously, ‘I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, but if it’s okay with you, can we play with the box now? I want to see how this thing works.’
Payne laughed. ‘It’s your box. Play away.’
‘But gently!’ Ulster urged. ‘We don’t want to break it.’
Megan smiled and slid the box towards her. As she did, her heart rate quickened. She still didn’t understand how she fitted into everything, but she realized she was part of something special. Even if their search had ended in Lausanne, she had been given a puzzle box that might be worth a small fortune, certainly more than a hostess from South Philly could make in a lifetime. ‘I’m nervous,’ she admitted.
Ulster patted her knee. ‘Don’t be, my dear. I’m sure the box will hold up fine. I doubt Nostradamus would have left it to you if he foresaw you breaking it.’
‘You know, that’s a very good point.’
She took a deep breath and then turned the knobs to twelve, one, twenty, and nine. When the final knob clicked into place, the lid popped open as Keller had described. The sides of the box housed a complicated series of pins and latches that held the ten-inch square in place. With the latches released, the inner lid simply popped up from the centre of the box top. Pushing the lid flush against the surface and turning any of the knobs to an incorrect number would once again seal the device. Viewed from the side, the box appeared solid. Viewed from the top, the intricately carved designs concealed the seam between the lid and the outer edge.
Megan pulled the lid off and handed it to Ulster for safekeeping.
‘Thank you,’ he said as he examined the underbelly of the lid. Unlike its outer surface, it had no carvings or patterns of any kind. It was unadorned linden wood with four slots for the latches. Unimpressed, he quickly put it aside and focused his attention on the box.
Much to everyone’s disappointment, the interior of the box was just as plain. It consisted of a small storage compartment that was cramped because of the locking mechanism in the box’s walls. The space was large enough to hold a few trinkets — or a folded letter — but it certainly couldn’t hold anything larger than a Rubik’s Cube.
Jones peeked inside. He was less than impressed. ‘Wow, nice box. I hope you kept the receipt. Maybe you can return it for something useful, like, a box filled with… stuff.’
Payne rolled his eyes. ‘On that note, I think all of us should take a break. It’s been a very long day, and we have a lot to work out — including our next move. Once we get some food and rest, I’m sure the big picture will make a lot more sense.’
63
A few hours later, after dining on a gourmet meal in their suite, Ulster and Jones had fallen asleep in opposite corners of the room while Payne and Megan stayed awake, talking on the couch. Their conversation had covered a wide range of topics but had slowly shifted back to the events of that day, particularly the time they had spent in Lausanne.
Megan said, ‘The thing I don’t fully understand is Keller’s role in this.’
Payne shrugged, still not sure about several things. ‘The guy was good with numbers. I guess he was picked to work out the combination, so he could show us how the puzzle box worked.’
She shook her head. ‘That’s not the part that bothers me. I want to know why Nostradamus asked him to do everything else. Remember what Keller said? Nostradamus was explicit with his instructions. Before giving us the box, Keller was supposed to tell us about his bank vault and explain what he did on December the first. Why was that stuff important?’
‘You know what? That’s a good point. I think I overlooked the first part of Keller’s instructions because I was focused on the box and getting us to safety. But now that you mention it, there has to be a reason he explained everything to us.’
Megan leaned forward and touched the puzzle box. ‘If I had to guess, it has something to do with this. I’m not sure what, but something.’
Payne rubbed his eyes, trying to remember everything Keller had told them. Replaying the conversation in his mind, he focused on something Ulster had said while describing the history of puzzle boxes. Some of them were so complex they required over 200 moves to open. He even mentioned they had got off easily, opening the box in only four. ‘What are your thoughts on Keller?’
‘In what sense?’
‘How he acted today. His overall state of mind.’
‘I don’t know. He seemed kind of burdened, as if all of this was weighing him down. He definitely has some father issues. That much is certain.’
‘Did his mood change during the course of our conversation?’
She nodded. ‘He was much happier at the end. He couldn’t wait to give us the box and get us the heck out of there.’
‘Yeah, I noticed that, too.’
She glanced at Payne. ‘What are you thinking?’
‘Don’t worry about it. It might be nothing.’
‘Jon,’ she said sharply, ‘what are you thinking?’
He smiled at her. There was something about her feistiness that he really liked. ‘In my opinion, there are three likely scenarios in play. We just need to decide which one makes the most sense.’
‘Okay. What’s the first one?’
‘Keller did everything he was supposed to do, and the box is actually your treasure.’
‘I guess that’s possible. What’s number two?’
‘Keller couldn’t wait to get the box out of his life, so he stopped studying the numbers after he figured out the first combination. Remember what Petr said? Some puzzle boxes utilize hundreds of moves. What if there’s more than meets the eye to this contraption? What if there are several hidden compartments?’
She pondered his comment. ‘Maybe that’s why Nostradamus asked Keller to tell us everything he did, so we could figure out what still needs to be done with the box.’
Payne smiled. ‘Or something like that.’
‘What does that mean?’
‘Call me cynical, but I’m still not sold on the whole Nostradamus thing and I probably won’t be until Petr verifies the age of your letter and the origins of the box. Actually, I take that back. Even then, I’ll still have my doubts about Nostradamus.’
She laughed. ‘O ye of little faith. I can’t believe you’re doubting my grandfather!’
‘Your grandfather? I think you better take a closer look at your family tree. You missed a few dozen generations.’
‘Maybe so, but you have to admit this stuff is pretty mysterious.’
‘Mysterious, yes. But we’re still a long way from factual.’
‘Anyway,’ she said, not wanting to argue about it, ‘what’s scenario number three? Or have you forgotten it already?’