The Key

The secret compartment

It wasn't enough. The Driver stopped the taxi three streets from Kate's flat. I gave him our money and we jumped out of the car.
'Run!' I shouted to Danny.
It was only three screen, but it wasn't easy. It was up a hill all the way. We were both panting hard when we turned to the corner into Mount Street. We stopped across the street from the flat. We saw two big men moving furniture in the back of a truck.
'Carter's... truck,' I said, trying to get some air.
Danny panted fast. 'I hope we're in time,' she said.
The two men lifted a cupboard. It was easy for them. They were big and strong.
I hope,' I panted, that they stay outside.'
We crossed the street and ran into the building and up the stairs.
Kate opened the door to the flat. 'I hope you are not playing games,' she said. She led us into the bedroom. 'I think you know Mr Carter.'
Carter was writing something at a small table in the centre of the room. He looked up at us. His mouth dropped open a little. He was surprised to see us. He quickly closed up his mouth and stood up straight. He gave Kate a thin smile. He picked up a piece of paper from the table. 'Here's a cheque for the amount I promised,' he said. He offered it to her. We'll move the furniture and go quickly. You don't want us here when you have visitors.'
He gave his thin smile at Danny and me. His hand hung in the air, holding the cheque.
'Oh, I nearly forgot,' he said to Kate. 'The little key we talked about?'
I looked at Danny.
Kate held out her hand and opened it. There was the key. I had only seems picture of it. It was strange and wonderful to see the real thing. Suddenly Carter's fingers reached out to take it.
'No!' Danny and I spoke in unison.
Kate's fingers closed over the key and she said, 'Mr Carter, Elise and Danny have an idea...' She stopped and looked at us. 'Well' now's your chance. What do you want to say?'
Carter's smile became thinner. I heard voices. The big men from outside came into the room. They stood behind us. I quickly spoke to Kate.
'When I looked at the chest in the corner the other day, I noticed something. I think that is bigger on the outside than it is on the inside. I think perhaps it has a secret compartment.'
I looked at Danny, then at Kate again.
'We think that this key opens the secret compartment which is in the chest,' I continued. 'We also think that Mr Carter knows about it. We think that's the reason he wants the key.'
For a moment the room was very quiet. My legs felt weak.
Then Carter laughed and brokers the silence. It was a nasty laugh.
'A secret compartment! What next?' He said to Kate.
'Children have strange ideas, don't they?' He put the cheque on the table. 'Here's your money, my dear. I really can't waste time playing games.' He nodded to his men and said. 'Boys, take that chest and put it in the truck.'
The men moved forward, but Danny was quicker. He ran to the chest and sat on the lid. He put his arms up to stop the men.
'You'll have to take me too,' he said. The men were twice his size. They could have done it. Instead they stopped and looked at Carter.
   'This is silly, my dear,' he said to Kate. 'I'm becoming a little angry now. You're not going to listen to these children, are you?'
    'Just have a look, Kate,' I begged.
He looked at me for a On my way! my and then gave me the key. I ran to the chest. Danny stood up. We lifted the lid and looked inside. There was nothing.
   'See, my dear? Nothing,' said Carter to Kate.
  I looked at the outside of the chest, hoping to find a second keyhole somewhere. The chest was in the corner of the room, so we could only see two sides of it. 'We need to move it away from the wall,' I said. 'We can't see the other sides.'
  Carter's men moved to help us, but Carter put out an arm to stop them. So Kate moved the small table and a chair, while Danny and I pulled the heavy chest until it was about a metre form the corner. I looked at the back of the chest. I felt it with my hand. There was nothing. I went to the end of the chest. Then I saw it.
   'Here,' I said.
  Towards the bottom of the chest there was a narrow drawer with a small lock. We had found the secret compartment.
   'I didn't know that the drawer was there,'  said Kate.
  She thought for a moment. And then she added, 'the same side of the chest was in the corner at Aunt Mary's house too. I got some men to move all the furniture for me. So I never noticed it.'
   'But somebody knew it was there,' I said. We all turned to look at Mr Carter. His face was red.
   'You must know about chests like this one,' I said.  'Why is there a drawer in it?'
Carter gave me a nasty look, but said quickly, 'When people move from place to place, they put their clothes in the chest. They used the drawer to store their jewellery.
  'You knew all the time!' said Danny.

Then Carter laughed. His voice was nasty.
   'You imagined I was a thief,' he said. 'But can only be a thief isle there is something to steal.' He pointed at the drawer. 'And there is nothing to steal there. Nothing precious. Just some old letters.'
   He was right. Danny and Kate reached into the drawer and took out a letter each. They opened them.
   At once Danny said, 'this is written to you, Kate.'
  Kate was reading fast. She took more letters form the drawer and quickly looked at them. She turned to Carter. Her eyes were full of tears, but she was smiling. Her face was shining.
   'You're wrong, Mr Carter,' she said softly. 'There's some very precious here. More precious toe than all the jewellery in the world.'
   She looked at Danny and me and said, these are form my mother.'
   She showed us a letter. 'Look at the date at the top of the page. She wrote to me when I was a baby.'
    Danny picked up a page and read softly.

    My dear sweet Kate,
Today, you are three days old. And we are a family! We have began a new life together. I want you to know all the things that I am feeling. I have made a promise to wrote to you everyday. Perhaps we can read these letters together when you are older.

Danny stopped reading. Kate picked up all the letters. Tears ran down her face. She looked at Danny and me.
   'Thank you, thank you,' she said. She stood up. 'I won't be selling the chest, Mr Carter.'
   She held the letter in one hand and picked up the cheque on the table. Her voice was strong.
  'In fact, you can take this and go. I don't want to sell anything to you.'
   Carter was angry.
I said to him, 'You followed the clues just as we did. You never met Mrs Moreton, did you?' That was a lie.'
   Carter knew we had beaten him. He took his cheque and he and his men left without any trouble.
   Kate smiled at us. 'Thank you,' she said again. She looks at the letter in her hand.
   'We'll go too,' said Danny. You have some reading to do.'
   'Yes,' Kate said.
I took the key out of the lock and looked at it one last time.
  'I'm really glad we found the owner of this key,' I said an gave it to Kate.
    'I am too,' she said. 'And I am glad you found what it opened.'
   Danny and I said goodbye and left.

We began to walk to the bus stop. For a moment we didn't speak. Then I began to laugh.
  'What?' said Danny.
  I laughed harder. I put my arms up in the air. I tried to copy Danny's voice. 'You'll have to take me too,' I said.
  'I didn't say it like that,' laughed Danny. 'Besides, it stopped them.'
  'That's true,' I said. 'It was a brave thing to do.'
We continued walking.
  Danny said suddenly, 'School holidays begin on Friday.'
  'Oh, yes,' I said. 'I nearly forgot. I'm going away with my family. Maybe I can phone you when I come back.'
I looked at Danny and said slowly,
'You know, I couldn't have done it without you.'
   Danny looked at the ground, 'I didn't do much.  
   'You read the address upside down. That was the best clue we had.'
  Danny smiled at me. I felt wonderful. I began to run.
  'Come on ,' I shouted. 'Let's go and tell Mrs Marshall.'

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This is the end of the story. I hope you liked it. Do vote and comment. I'd be waiting for ur votes and comments. Till then u can read my second book —
    ALICE IN WONDERLAND.
u will love this story. Do read this story✌🏻️❤️......