26 Conte's Grave

Chapter 26 Conté's Grave The children walked silently through the cemetery. 'If your theory is right, Rockwell, Mr White will be heading to Conté's grave,' said Peanut. So we need to find it quickly. Which way, Little-Bit?' Little-Bit had been put in charge of map-reading and was leading them along the wide paths that served as 'streets'. 'If we carry on down here, turn left at the end, go past Serge Gainsbourg and Samuel Beckett, and then turn right on to that proper road bit, Conté should be somewhere on our left,' said Little-Bit confidently. 'OK. But we need to watch out for Mr White,' said a worried Rockwell. 'We don't want him to notice that we're following him.'

'I don't think he's spotted us yet,' said Peanut. Anyway, he's so focused on getting back to Chroma, he's probably not thinking about anything else.' Five minutes later, they arrived at sector twenty-five, the area in which, according to the map, Conté's grave was to be found. The headstones and tombs were packed very tightly together, with every last bit of space being utilised. It was obviously a very popular place among dead Parisians. ' Right, Rockwell, you start checking the names over there,' said Peanut, pointing to the left, 'and LB, you take the right-hand side. I'll concentrate on the middle.' Another five minutes passed before Little-Bit gleefully shouted, 'Found it!'

It was a fairly unremarkable memorial compared to some of those surrounding it. It comprised of a large, vertical headstone that sat at the end of a shallow, roof-shaped ledger, which Peanut thought reminiscent of an upturned book. On the headstone, a wreath containing a neat 'NJC' logo had been carved above the words 'CI-GiT NICOLAS JACQUES CONTÉ' and the dates of his birth and death. Two inverted torches (that bore distinct likenesses to pencils) featured in relief to the left and to the right of the inscription. 'What does CI-GIT mean?' said Rockwell. 'Here lies,' replied Little-Bit. 'It says he was fifty when he died. Younger than Gran. That's very sad. Peanut and Rockwell, meanwhile, were examining the grave carefully. Any sign?' asked Rockwell. ' No evidence of a portal yet,' she said, walking around the headstone. 'There's nothing like those pencil hinges we saw on the Venus de Milo's plinth. There must be something here somewhere though... A-HA!' 'What?' said Little-Bit and Rockwell at the same time. 'Look,' said Peanut, pointing to the back of the headstone. 'Can you see?' 'Where? ' asked Rockwell, squinting. A tiny door handle, drawn with a pencil. A very special pencil, I'll bet! I'd recognise that graphite anywhere.'

Sure enough, there was a very small doorknob drawn near the right edge. The shade of grey was exactly the same colour as the granite, so it was practically invisible. 'So Mr White was here!' said Little-Bit. 'You were right, Rocky!' 'Well? What are you waiting for?' said Rockwell. 'Let's get this over with.' Peanut turned the knob, and the three of them heard the faint clicking sound of a latch releasing. She pulled, and, as if by magic, a door the full width of the stone began to open. 'Here we go again,' said Peanut, swallowing hard. 'Heaven knows where we'll end up this time.'