The door behind her desk was locked. It was always locked. There was a very discreetly placed palm reader next to the door. She pressed her palm against the screen. On the left she passed the unmarked door of the security office. At the end of the hall was another unmarked door, Lea knew this led to the storage area. Lea had never been that far down the hall, she'd been warned that the hallway was criss crossed with motion sensors about 5 feet beyond her destination. The double doors on the right side of the hall stood open. As she walked to the open doorway, she knocked and Richard looked up. She noted that he never looked at the clock on the wall to indicate that she was late.

"Sir?" she asked.

Richard picked up a piece of heavy old fashioned paper and held it out. Lea walked across the plush office and took the paper. Richard was a man of few words. In the six months she'd worked there the only time she'd heard him say more was when he was describing a new acquisition. He was proud of the treasures he gathered while traveling all over the world and enjoyed sharing his passion with others.

Richard Houston had thick black hair, just turning grey at the temples. Lea didn't think he'd ever have to worry about going bald. His face was deeply tanned, but lacked the leathery look of someone that spent a lot of time outside. His eyes were a light golden brown, with a steady gaze. He was always impeccably dressed in expertly tailored suits but wasn't the type of man that went for manicures.

Lea took the piece of paper. Without looking she knew it would contain a list of tasks, phone calls, appointments...the days itinerary. This was a daily routine. Richard kept his own date book, set his own appointments. It was Lea's job to make sure only the people on the list passed through the door to the inner sanctum, as she had begun to think of it. This was Richard's domain. The office was a show place for many of his prized possessions. It was large enough to make any corporate president envious, and Lea knew this was just the outer area. There was a bookcase that opened behind his desk. She had walked in one afternoon to see Richard standing in the opening stirring a cup of hot tea. He had not seemed upset by her discovery, he simply pushed the panel back into place, with a solid click of a locking mechanism.