As he started to rise, metal clattered on the other side of the door.
“Got it.” She pushed the bottom corner of the door, and it wiggled a little. Not much, but more than it had before.
She stood, hatpin in hand, and reached up to the top hinge.
“Let me try that one? Might be easier for me.” The hinge was at his eye level, but she’d have to stretch to reach it, which would surely hurt her arms after a minute.
She didn’t hand him the hatpin, just kept on with what she’d been doing. “Let me fit it in the notch between the pin and hinge, then you can work the pin up.”
Less than a minute later, she stepped back, holding the hatpin secure in the crack with one hand. “Careful not to dislodge it. You have to be really gentle. Just a slight wiggle until you get the pin loose.”
As he placed his hand over hers and she pulled away, he did his best to keep the hatpin still. He needed to get a feel for how much effort he should apply to make it wiggle. She was rightthough. He had to use the slightest of movements or the tool would slip out of the crack between the hinge and the hinge pin.
Jess was trusting him—even though a man might struggle with such a delicate touch. From the corner of his gaze, he checked her expression.
Hopeful. Maybe a bit nervous. He would prove worthy of her trust.
It might have taken him a little longer to release his hinge than it had her, but at last he worked the pin high enough that it fell out of the hinge.
He blew out a breath as he lowered his arms.
The door shifted a little, but not much.
“We should be able to pull it out of the lock.” She mimed sliding the wood to the right, probably pulling the lock bar out of its secure setting in the stone.
He placed the hatpin and both lanterns behind them so he’d have room to maneuver the door.
Jess was already there, trying to pull it, but her arms barely extended the width of the wood.
He bit back a chuckle. “Can I try?”
She stepped away to allow him room. In the hinge side, he could now work his fingers in the crack between the door and frame, but he had to pinch the edge of the wood to pull it enough to create a finger space on the lock side.
When he did, he gripped the door with both hands and slid it sideways.
The lock bar pulled free, and he moved the door fully out of the way, resting it against the cave wall.
His heart hammered as he reached for his lantern.
Jess already had hers and was stepping into the doorway.
He stood beside her, lifting his lantern high to take in the sight before them.
Crates piled all the way to the ceiling, just taller than Gil. Some were slightly smaller, but most looked very familiar.
He stepped closer to touch one. He and his brothers built the crates for their gems, and didn’t mark them until they were ready to be shipped. Even then, they’d usually be labeled as potatoes or pickles or some other relatively heavy staple that shouldn’t stir undo interest.
But these…they had to be from the Coulter mine. He could see at least five crates that looked like theirs. Adjusting his lantern, he pulled one down from the top of a stack and placed it on the floor. The lid had been nailed shut, but everything about the outside proclaimed it to be from his family’s mine. He had to know if the sapphires were still inside though.
Jess watched him without speaking.
He gripped the edge of the lid and pulled upward, working the nails loose. He opened the lid enough to expose the contents.
A layer of black felt lay on top.
Jude always packed their gems in black felt.
Gil lifted the fabric, bringing the lantern closer to make out the rich blue of the stones inside.
