The Cathari Treasure (Cameron Kincaid) by Daniel Arthur Smith Page B

moving.
    Halfway through the kitchen the
orange haired man slipped around the end of a stainless counter that hugged the
wall and pushed a tall stainless steel metro rack forward to reveal a pocket
door.  He then slid open the pocket door and disappeared into the
wall.  The three followed him inside to a small room.  To the right
was a stack of empty crates and large bags of onions and rice, to the left
dozens of plastic containers full of dried spice filled another metro
rack.  The orange haired man pulled the spice covered rack away from the
wall revealing yet another pocket door.  Behind this door was a stairwell
that led back toward the front of the building, lit only by a small window at
the top of the stairs.  Close behind each other, Cameron, Marie, and
Nicole squeezed through the space between the metro rack and the doorframe and
climbed the creaky wooden steps.
    Standing below the small
circular window on the top landing, the young man’s orange hair looked dirty
brown and his blue suit no longer had sheen.  Without the flamboyant props
and animated smile Cameron saw the young man for what he was, a boy in his late
teens.
    The young man wrapped on a metal
door in a broken rhythm, waited a second, and then repeated.  The door
opened as Nicole reached the landing.  At the top of the door, a thin
brass security chain kept the door from opening more than a few inches. 
Near the bottom of the door, Cameron could see a heavy steel chain was also in
place.  The young man rattled off something in Thai that sounded to
Cameron loosely translated like ‘they have arrived’.  Cameron turned to
Marie and Nicole and grinned.  The young man had developed a sudden
recollection of the old language.
    Through the door, they saw first
a man’s forehead and then an eye briefly peek around the edge of the
door.  The door then shut with a thud.  They could hear the sound of
the security chain being unfastened from the door and the heavy chain below
falling to the floor with a clank.  Then the door opened again, this time
wide.
     
    * * *
* *
     
     

Chapter 23
    Toronto
     
     
    An old balding Thai man with
thick glasses stood in the doorway.  He wore a sweater buttoned over a white-collar
shirt that was closed all the way to the top and his black slacks fit
loosely.  The old man reminded Cameron of someone’s grandfather.
    “Come in, come in,” said the old
man.  Cameron was surprised by the man’s deep froggy voice and unmistakable British accent.
    The young man turned away from
the door.  “There you go,” said the young man, punctuated with another of
his open mouth smiles.  He slid by Cameron and the women back down the
stairs.
    The older man stepped back from
the door, “Welcome, I am Ananda.”
    “Hello, my name is Cameron.”
    Cameron stepped through the
door.  He held his hand out to the old man only to have his wrist grabbed
by Marie.  Cameron flashed Marie a glance and she subtly shook her
head.  Cameron lowered his arm and proceeded to introduce Marie and
Nicole.  “Ananda,” said Cameron, “this is --.”
    “--Miss Marie and Miss Nicole,”
interrupted Ananda.
    “Bénisse, personne n'est content
que nous,” the women said almost in unison with their heads bowed.  Ananda
returned the greeting.
    Something occurred to Cameron,
neither of the women had met Ananda before, yet he knew them by name. 
Ananda had been waiting for them after all and was sincerely pleased to see
them.
    Faded pink floral wallpaper
covered the walls and white panel curtains muted the daylight, making the room
hazy and ethereal.  The only furniture in the room was an old sofa that
sat between an empty coffee table and the windows and against the far wall, an
old round tapestry covered table.  On the table were a small Buddha statue
much like the one in the restaurant below and a short lamp with an embroidered
shade and hanging red tassels.  The French doors centered on the interior
wall were draped and