She took out her phone and turned on the flashlight, identifying the tiny apertures for keys in its thick steel door. Now her hands were actually trembling with anticipation.
She dropped the shorter key. It fell with a rattle, and she had to grope for it on the dusty floor.
Then she inserted it.
She tried to turn it, but it wouldn't turn or even move, and May felt a brief flare of panic that this wasn't the safe, that it was the wrong one after all, that her sleepless nights and hours of worrying since she learned about this safe's existence had all been for nothing.
And then she remembered that both keys needed to be in place before the safe could be opened.
Hurriedly, she inserted the longer key into the almost invisible keyhole.
It was even rustier. She jiggled and wiggled it, teasing it in, until finally it was in place.
Now, at last, it was time. Her heart was beating hard. Her mouth felt dry. What would she find in here?
She held her breath as she turned the first key.
CHAPTER TWO
May's hands felt slippery with tension as she twisted the long, metal key.
She was aware of her pulse thundering in her ears. She was aware of the dust, the gloom, the cold, and the steps behind her that led back up to the surface and the light. She was aware of the quiet hum of the ventilation system.
But most of all, she was filled with the expectation that she was about to see inside a safe that Lauren's abductor had known about and must have used.
The long key felt rusty and sticky, as if protesting the fact that she was here to open it up and learn about its hidden secrets.
In fact, May was realizing it wasn’t going to give them up without a struggle.
But she'd brought oil with her! There was oil in her purse. She'd almost forgotten about it, having grabbed it out of the kitchen cupboard at the last moment just in case she came across this exact problem.
May took the key out carefully. She fumbled in her purse, looking for the small can of oil. She sprayed the key and then she sprayed into the lock aperture, hoping that by doing this, this ancient safe would finally be able to be opened.
Then she put the key in again.
It wouldn't move. May tugged, turning it harder, but it seemed immovable. Trying to turn it was awkward. Her fingers kept slipping, and she was aware of sweat starting to spring out on the back of her neck.
"Damn!" she whispered, frustrated.
She tried again, feeling panic rise in her again as she remembered the pressure of time. The key would not move. It was not going to move. What could she do? She had to get to work! She couldn't kneel here all day on this dusty floor, struggling with a key that seemed to be firmly jammed in the lock.
Perhaps she wasn't trying hard enough, May decided. She needed to give this everything she had. She needed to force open this rusty old mechanism, because she had to find out what the contents were. She had to!
Her fingers felt slippery, her knuckles were aching, and her wrist was sore from struggling with the key, but she couldn't give up.
What if this was the turning point in the case that would finally provide answers? What if this was the day she'd been waiting for since that day ten years ago when her sister had disappeared?
With a sense of rising panic, May jammed the key deeper, jiggling it from side to side, turning it furiously.
She started to tug it hard, pulling at the key, yanking at it, then pushing it, trying to figure out a way to force it to turn. The key turned slightly and then she felt it stop again. It was as if something was blocking it.
Turning the key harder, she pulled, her fingers burning, feeling the lock mechanism move, reluctantly, millimeter by millimeter.
And then, suddenly, without warning, the key snapped.
May gasped. She stared down in horror at the broken shaft that was now all she had in her hands. There was a rusted point toward the center of the key where the metal had obviously weakened.
This was it. She'd broken it. Her own impatience had been her downfall and now she would not be able to find out what lay inside.
What if she'd broken it beyond repair, May wondered, now feeling ready to burst into tears at the thought. How on earth could you extract a broken key shaft from this tiny and rusted keyhole?
She was practically sobbing with the sense of disappointment and anxiety she now felt.
There was only one thing for it, she realized. She was going to have to call Pete, the locksmith, and ask him to come out here.
He was now her only hope, the only person with the expertise and knowledge to be able to gain access to this old, rusted safe that was so stubbornly keeping its secrets.
Quickly, May took out his business card from her purse and dialed his emergency number, moving closer to the stairs to get a signal.
He answered within two rings, sounding wide awake, and May imagined he was already at work, either at his locksmith's shop, or else out on the road helping a customer.
"Pete speaking?" he asked.
"Pete, it's May Moore. You told me where the safe was located and I'm here now."
"You are, Deputy? And what's happened? Is there a problem?"
"There is! I broke it." May was breathing fast, feeling terrified he’d say that there was nothing he could do.
"What did you break? Explain to me?"
Luckily, his calmness was infectious. Forcing herself to regain control of her emotions, May replied, more coherently this time.
"I tried to get into the safe, but it was rusty and hard to open, and I ended up breaking off the key completely. The longer key is now stuck inside the lock. The shorter key, I haven't yet tried to open, but it's okay so far."
"Oh, dear. That is a problem."
May's heart sank. It sounded serious. "Can you fix it?" she asked.
"Yes, I'll be able to work on it, but it will take some time and some specialist equipment. I probably won't get to it this morning," Pete said. "If I can come through this afternoon, I will."
"Shall I leave the other key at the front desk for you?"
"Yes, you do that. And tell them I'll be along as soon as I can."
"Thank you," May said gratefully, but she hoped that he'd actually be able to fix the problem. He hadn't said he could. He'd just said he would try. She picked up her purse, took the other key out of the safe, and went back upstairs.
"There's been an issue with opening the safe," she told the attendant. "The key broke."
"It did?" The attendant tilted her head, as if she wasn’t sure she believed this story.
"Here's the piece of the key, and here's the other key. Would you be able to keep them here for me, please? Pete the locksmith will be here this afternoon sometime to work on it."
The attendant gave a heavy sigh as if this additional demand from May was really one favor too many.
"Okay," she agreed reluctantly.
May handed over the key and the broken fragment, quickly checking the time. It was already after seven a.m., and she needed to hustle to work now. As the county deputy, she liked to be at the police department earlier than her team. She couldn't let this personal mission interfere with her daily work.
But, as she handed over the keys to the attendant, May's phone rang. Quickly, she checked it, seeing that it was her boss, Sheriff Jack, on the line.