He found the steep steps carved into the rocks and began to climb them. At times they were so narrow he had to use his hands and knees, but finally he could hear voices above him, and knew he was getting to the top.
He switched off the torch and allowed his eyes to get used to the darkness. Then he climbed slowly up the last few steps. All the time the voices, though muffled, were getting louder. Finally he came to a wooden partition. This must be the back of the cupboard, he thought. There was a small hole in the wood, and Jake peered carefully through and saw an empty cupboard in front of him. Empty, that is, except for some dust-covered bottles on a shelf.
Good, he thought. No one should want to open this cupboard to get anything.
Jake looked for a latch or some kind of catch in the wooden partition; and found it at one side. As quietly as he could, he pulled on the catch, and the wooden partition opened like a door.
Jake crept in. He worked his way towards the actual door of the cupboard, which was just an arm’s length away. There was another hole in this piece of wood. He put his eye to the hole, and had to dig his fingernails into his palms to stop himself yelling out.
Lauren was there, tied to a chair. At the far back of the room, near to the door, were two tough-looking Russians, both with pistols in holsters strapped to their belts.
Jake twisted to try to get a better view of the room, and saw the tall figure of Professor Lemski come into focus. The professor was standing next to Lauren, drumming his fingers on a small wooden table next to her. On the small table Jake saw the familiar black-leather casing, embossed with the symbol of the Order of Malichea, which he recognised as the protective cover for the book. The book itself lay open on the table. Next to it were some racks of test tubes filled with different sorts of liquid, and in front of them was a hypodermic needle, with a yellowish liquid inside.
‘As I was saying, you’re presence here is very opportune, Ms Graham,’ said Lemski.
Jake saw Lauren glare at Lemski.
‘And as I’ve already told you, my name is Helen Cooper,’ she said. ‘I am from New Zealand . . .’
‘Please, spare us the cover story,’ said Lemski with a sigh. ‘We knew who you were soon after you arrived. Your fame precedes you.’
Lauren looked puzzled.
‘What do you mean ‘‘fame’’?’ she asked.
‘We are both interested in the same areas of science,’ said Lemski. ‘It is natural that someone like myself should check on what others in the same field are doing. I discovered your account of the history of the Order of Malichea, and the hidden library, some time ago, and followed your researches devoutly until they were terminated by British intelligence.’
Lauren still looked puzzled.
‘I didn’t publish anything,’ she said. ‘Not in print or on the net.’
‘You didn’t need to,’ said Lemski. ‘Once you had checked out a website about Malichea that we had set up, we had access to your computer. Our technical people are very advanced in their use of surveillance techniques. Better than your own MI5.’
‘So you hacked into my computer and you’ve been spying on me?’
Lemski nodded.
‘And not just during your time in England. Once we learnt that you had been exiled to New Zealand . . .’
‘How did you discover that?’ asked Lauren.
Lemski smiled.
‘Please. Every security service has agents inside those of other countries. You British have yours in ours; we have our people inside yours. It is the same whether it’s the Americans, the Chinese, the French . . . whoever.’ He smiled. ‘There are very few secrets in the world of secrets.’
‘Can we get on with it?’ growled another voice. An American. It was Muir!
The American came into view, a scowl on his face as he said, ‘Let’s see if this thing works! That’s what we’re here to do! Time is money!’
Lemski turned to the American and shook his head disapprovingly.
‘Patience, please, Mr Muir,’ he murmured. He tapped the open book. ‘This information has lain hidden for hundreds of years. It should be savoured, not rushed. Remember, that until Ms Graham arrived on the scene in this timely fashion, we might have had to wait until I returned to Russia before testing it out.’
‘Don’t give me that!’ snapped Muir. ‘We were always going to find someone local to test it out on.’
Lauren looked apprehensively at the book, and at the hypodermic syringe.
‘Test it out?’ she asked, and Jake could detect the note of fear in her voice.
‘Of course.’ Lemski nodded. ‘You know what this book is about, of course?’