The Hidden Lockbox

I knelt upon the dark floorboards near the umbrella stand to test a working deduction. If the wire fastener and wax were discarded here, the opened container could not have traveled far. Pressing my shoulder against the wall, I reached into the narrow recess beneath the bottom shelf of the low shoe rack. My fingers struck cold, textured tin. I eased a small, unlatched tin box with a cogwheel relief into the lamplight. Inside rests a single, miniature brass key, fitting the insignia cataloged earlier.