Nostradamus died, and the date that Louis Keller was supposed to open the box.’
‘The second of July 1566, and the first of December this year.’
She smiled, glad that he was following. ‘That means eight of the twelve numbers have been used in the two combinations.’
He did the maths in his head. ‘Two numbers on four dials for a total of eight.’
‘And unless I’m mistaken, none of the numbers was used twice. That leaves one number on each of the four dials that has
‘Good heavens! I think you’re right.’
‘Considering the events of the past few days, I thought it was worth checking out.’
Ulster grinned and patted his stomach. ‘As far as I’m concerned, dinner can wait!’
‘I was hoping you’d say that.’
‘So,’ he said excitedly, ‘do you know the combination? I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I can’t remember the four unused digits.’
‘No worries, my dear, we’ll simply use the process of elimination to figure it out.’
Megan nodded and placed her gloved hand on the first corner. She twisted it slowly, careful not to break it. ‘The choices are three, seven, and twelve.’
‘Seven represents July, the month that Nostradamus died. And twelve represents December.’
She twisted the knob to
‘Beware the ides of March,’ Ulster whispered.
‘Excuse me?’
‘Sorry, my dear, it’s a line from Shakespeare. Julius Caesar was told to “Beware the ides of March”. Later, he was killed on that date.’
‘What date is that?’
‘The ides of March — or
She ignored the Latin and focused on the second knob. ‘Sorry, no fifteen. Our choices are one, two, and twenty-five.’
‘Nostradamus died on the second, so the two has been used. And Louis opened the box on the first. That leaves twenty-five.’
Megan nodded and slowly turned the dial. As she did, the numbers clicked in place in her mind. ‘No way!’ she shrieked.
‘The date! I know what it means!’
‘Really?’
‘It’s March 25, 1982. I’m sure of it!’
He sat there, confused, trying to figure out its significance, wondering if it was historically significant in any way. ‘I don’t get it, my dear. What happened on that date?’
She twisted the knobs into place. ‘It was the day I was born.’
As if on cue, the puzzle box emitted a loud
Ulster’s eyes widened while he leaned in for a closer look.
‘There’s something in there,’ she insisted. Her voice was calm, but her heart was nearly thumping out of her chest. ‘I think it’s a folded parchment.’
‘Don’t touch it! Please don’t touch it!’
‘Why not?’
He signalled for her to wait while he lumbered towards the cabinet on the far side of the room. He threw open the doors and retrieved a long pair of tweezers. ‘Please use these. They’ll do far less damage than your fingers.’
‘Thank you,’ she said.
‘For what?’
‘For letting me do this.’
Ulster patted her on the shoulder and handed her the tweezers. ‘Considering the date of the combination, I believe you were
She shrugged. ‘I guess we’ll find out soon enough.’
With a gentle touch, she slid the tool inside the puzzle box and clamped it onto one of the folded edges of the parchment. Then, ever so carefully, she pulled it towards her until it was free from the secret compartment. ‘Now what?’ she asked.
‘Place it on the table,’ Ulster whispered.
Her hand trembled slightly as she turned to her left and followed his instructions. As soon as she released the parchment, she breathed a huge sigh of relief. ‘How was that?’
‘Perfect. Like a surgeon.’
‘I don’t know about that, but thanks. So, what do we do now?’
‘Now’s the fun part. We get to open it.’
‘With what?’
‘No tweezers?’
‘No, my dear. Those were simply to remove the parchment from its cramped quarters. Now that it’s free, I believe your gloved fingers will pose less of a threat than a sharp tool.’
‘You’re the expert,’ she said as she inched her chair to the left.
Using both hands, she unfolded the document once, then again, and then a third time. Finally, she could see words, and dates, and a bunch of straight lines. She unfolded it a fourth time, and then a fifth. Every time she did, it grew larger before her eyes. What had once fitted inside a tiny space had grown to the size of a roadmap.
‘Lay it flat, so we can read it,’ he urged.
With trembling hands, Megan laid it on the table, curious to find out what had been hidden for so long, anxious to find out why she had been selected to open the box.
The answer left both of them stunned.
Epilogue
Sunday, 20 December
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Payne rested comfortably in the main conference room at the Payne Industries building. His left arm was in a sling, and his right foot in a walking boot, which protected the gauze wrapped round his minor burns. His injuries would have been far worse if not for the Kevlar vest he had been wearing under his clothes at the chateau. Other than a few bruises, the gunshots to his chest and stomach had merely knocked the wind out of him. Four days later, the marks were a distant memory — like all the other times he had been shot in body armour.
‘You ready?’ Jones asked as he grabbed the remote control. ‘Because the Steelers game starts in two hours. We need to leave for the stadium soon.’
Payne nodded. ‘I’m ready.’
‘No more missed games. I don’t care about the hole in your neck.’
Jones grinned. ‘It’s about time.’
