The more Arthur read, the stranger and safer the suitcase became. It had not belonged to a spy or a criminal. It had belonged to someone named Professor Emil Varga, a food historian who had spent his life studying old coffee recipes from around the world.
The ticking device was part of a rare machine. According to the journal, it had been used to drip tiny amounts of strong flavor into coffee while it brewed. It was not a countdown. It was a timer. A beautiful, tiny, clockwork timer from another age. Arthur laughed once, then covered his mouth, amused. He had nearly called the police over a coffee machine.
Still, something about the discovery made his chest tighten. The notes were too careful. The machine was too rare. This was not junk. This was someone’s treasure. And if Professor Varga was still alive, Arthur knew the suitcase did not truly belong to him.