Free The Decrypter: Secret of the Lost Manuscript (Calla Cress Techno Thriller Series: Book 1) by Rose Sandy Page B

hairpin.  Even in the dim light, Calla recognized it.  Allegra always wore the rhinestone, silver plated hairpin, handmade and designed to look like a blooming flower in her tasteful hair.
    “Not a trace of blood, fingerprints, or even a sign of a struggle,” said Eichel. 
    He crouched down.  On the floor next to the hairpin, lay a peculiar object, a tubular cylinder.  Handcrafted out of thick glass, it was transparent enough to display an empty interior. 
    “We’re not sure where this came from or what it is,” he said.  “It’s a container of some sort, but we can’t open it.  It’s electronically protected.  Have you seen anything like this?”
    Calla shook her head.
    “A museum worker in Saint Petersburg claimed it had been sitting with the Priam artifacts for years, even though it was only discovered yesterday.”
    “Where did it come from?” Calla asked.
    Eichel shrugged his shoulders.  “We don’t know.  However, like I said, one gold item from Priam’s Treasure is also missing.”
    Calla examined the cylinder.  “Was it looted from Berlin in 1945 with the rest of the treasure?”
    Eichel let out a defeated sigh.  “My guess is that the cylinder contained the Deveron Manuscript or the culprit wanted to place it in there.”
    Calla studied him closely.  For a stern police officer, probably nearing retirement, the soft eyes behind his spectacles revealed a gentler side to him.  He obviously was still looking for clues and dared not tamper with the crime scene. 
    He examined the cylinder with care, sliding it back and forth with a toothpick.  “It’s locked shut.  We’ve yet to find the access code to this secure system.  It looks a little dated, but it’s as secure as they come.” 
    “Let me see?”
    He raised his head.  “You work in intelligence.  Isn’t this a biometric, fingerprint lock?  I thought these systems only came into existence this past decade.”
    Calla knew the security program.  It had been designed by the UK government a few decades ago and patented globally.  She tunneled a hand through her loose hair, trying to keep up with the pieces of the story.  Was Allegra involved?  If so why?
    He surveyed her stumped expression.  “There’s no way the manuscript could have been taken out of the glass case.  Every inch of this cylinder is intact.  We have already conducted fingerprint tests.  There’s no proof it was there in the first place.”
    Calla relaxed the muscles in her face.  “Why do you think the manuscript was with the treasure?  That makes no sense to me.”
    Eichel was clearly getting to some point, and he realized he’d revealed more than he wished.  He was right about one thing.  According to Jack, these security systems were resilient.  Eichel was looking for a scapegoat.  The manuscript had been lifted from the cylinder, without any damage and according to him, no alarms had been triggered and there was no sign of forced entry. But why is he telling me all this?
    “Are you accusing Allegra of taking the manuscript?  That’s absurd! Don’t you know who she is?” she asked.
    Eichel cast her a superficial sneer.  “You’re the only person who understood Allegra’s real mission here.”
    Am I a suspect?
    He paced around her.  “You know her well.  Therefore, we’d like to ask for your cooperation on a few things.  What was Allegra working on?  What did she discover concerning the Deveron Manuscript?  You’re a historian.  Is it connected to the antiquities of Priam?  After all, it was stolen while on Priam’s guard.”
    He believes the Deveron tales.  And…is quite confident that the two items were equally valuable.
    “Your documentation says you’re also a linguist.  I imagine you’re gifted in ancient hieroglyphics and symbols as those on the manuscript.  That’s why Driscoll needed you here.  You must know something,” he added.
    Calla refused to be cornered.  What were her legal rights in such a