The Key

The big mystery of the little key

I tried to forget about the chest. But I couldn't.
And all day at school on Monday and Tuesday it came into my thoughts. I didn't listen properly in class. Several times I got into trouble. In bed at nightie could see the chest quite clearly. I could see myself opening the lid and looking inside. My eyes could see something that my head could not understand.
Then, on Tuesday afternoon the phone rang.
'Hello, Danny speaking,' I said.
'Danny, it's Jim. Fo the house in Redwood Road. Do you remember?'
'Yes, Jim, of course.'
'Are you still looking for clues about the key?'
'Well...yes.'
'Because another letter arrived for Mrs Moreton yesterday. And this one had and address no the back.
It was from a locksmith- Lovett's Locks. I don't know if it's a clue or not, but a locksmith does make keys...'

'Mrs Moreton? Oh, yes,' said the lady who answered the phone at Lovett's Locks. 'That key was specially made. But she never picked it up. It was waiting here for three months. In the end I thought it was best to send it to her. But who are you?'
I told her the whole story. I told her Mrs Moreton was dead.
'Oh that is sad,' she said. 'So that's why she didn't pick up the key.'
She also explained that she had forgotten to out he receipt in the letter with the key.
'Did I forgot to put our address on the back as well? Silly me!' she said. 'I found the receipt and sent it just last week,' she said. 'But poor Mrs Moreton won't get it now, will she?'
'No, can I speak to the person who made the key, please?'
   'That's Mr Lovett. No, I'm sorry. He's away. He'll be back on Thursday.'
   'Oh, I see. Do you know what the key was for?'
   'Um... I can't remember. I'll look in the order book. It was a special job. Mr Lovett was happy to do it. "I don't often get to make a key like this," he says. He had to go to Mrs Moreton's house.'
    But do you know what was it for?' I asked again.
   'Here's the order. Oh. It doesn't say. It just says, "1890s furniture key" .'
   I phoned Danny and told her the news. 
   'So Mrs Moreton ordered the key herself? he said.
   'Yes, it must unlock something important. 'But we know that it doesn't belong anything Kate inherited.'
   ' Do we?' I said. ' Danny, I still can't stop thinking about that chest. When I opened the lid I saw something.'
  ' But I thought it was empty.'
' It was. But there was something wrong inside.'
    'Elise, what do you see?' 
    'I...I still don't know!'

  The next morning I was walking to the bus stop and, suddenly, I did know. 'It's the chest!' I said. I began to run. Turning the corner, I could see Danny and the girls already there.
    'Danny!' I shouted. They all turned at me.
   'Danny!' I shouted again. 'I know! I know what I saw!' I reached the bus stop. 'The outside of the chest is bigger than the inside of the chest!'
    'Are you certain?' He asked.
  'I think I am.'
  'You're not just imagining it?'
  'I don't think I am. I mean, I can't be one hundred percent certain, but...'
   Suddenly I felt three sets are you looking at the back of my head. Slowly I turned around. Clair, Anna and Chloe grinning at me.
Danny and I still hadn't told them that we were working together. I don't know why. Perhaps we both felt silly. Perhaps it was nice to have a secret. I don't know.
    ' I don't trouble yourself with us,' said Clair. 'We'll just sit here and watch. It's clear that you and Danny are up to something.'
    'We're not up to something...' I began.
   'Yes, we are,' said Danny, behind me.
    'Okay, okay, yes, we are,' I said. I put my bag on the ground. I looked at the girls. 'Do you remember that picture of a key?'
'The big mystery of the little key?' laughed Clair. 'Oh, no! Not that again!'
The girls laughed when Danny and I began to tell the story. But before long they stopped. Now they were interested. I was just explaining about the chest when the bus came.
Clair looked at his her shoes and said to Danny, 'you can sit with us, if you want.'
We all sat in the long seat T the back of the bus. Danny was next to me.
'So, If you're right,' she said, 'and the chest is bigger on the outer than the inside, there must be a secret compartment.'
'But why didn't Kate know about it? She must have had a proper look at the chest.'
'I don't know.'
We were quiet for a moment. Then we both spoke together. 'Mr Carter!'
'Maybe he knows about it,' said Danny.
'Maybe he knew about it all the time,' I added. 'Maybe he thinks there is something inside the secret compartment.'
'We'll have to phone Kate today.'
'We'll do it as soon as school finishes,' I said.
'I knew you were up to something,' said Clair.

I met Danny at half part three. We ran to the phone box at the end of the street. I phoned Kate.
'Hello?'
'Hello, Kate. This is Elise. You remember – Elise and Danny? We visited you the other day.'
'Oh yes, about the key,' said Kate. 'It came in the post today. Thank you. Listen, I'm a bit busy now. I don't really have time to talk.'
'I'll be very quickly. It's just... Well... We have an idea about the key. When I was looking inside the chest the other day, I noticed something.'
'Sorry, Elise. Can you wait for a moment?'
I heard her walk away and then I heard voices. I said to Danny, 'She's talking to someone in the flat.'
Kate returned to the phone.
'Sorry, Elise,' she said again.
'Mr Carter has just arrived with his men.'
'Are you selling the furniture?' I asked .
'Yes, they're taking it all today.'
'Listen, Kate, let them take the other furniture, but don't let them touch the chest.'
I reached into my pocket and pulled out some money. I turned to Danny and said 'how much money do you have?'
He took some coins out of the bag, 'Eight dollars and thirty cents,' he said.
'We'll be there in fifteen minutes,' I said to Kate.
'But Elise, I can't...'
'Please, Kate. We'll show you. We'll be there soon.'
I put down the phone.
'Carter's there,' I said to Danny. I liked at the money in our hands. 'Is it enough for a taxi to Gosper?'

************************
Did u like the story? If yes then comment and tell ur views. If there r some probs then plz share it with me in personal chat. Do vote ⭐️and comment. I'd ❤️ to see ur votes and comments.....