SOMEONE WAS OBVIOUSLY KEEN THAT I SHOULD KNOW ABOUT DOUGLAS BLACK BUT I WAS LEFT WONDERING WHAT HE HAD TO DO WITH THE SHADOW ARCHIVE. I FOUND SOME TRACES OF HIM IN BOSTON NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS FROM THE PERIOD. THE STORIES STOPPED IN 1873, AROUND THE DATE OF THE LETTERS BETWEEN VICTORIA AND SIR CHARLES, SO I ASSUME HE RETURNED TO ENGLAND THEN, BUT I COULDN’T FIND ANY RECORD OF HIM IN THE IMMIGRATION FILES AND THERE WAS NOTHING IN THE OFFICIAL RECORD TO SUGGEST THAT HE MET WITH SIR CHARLES, LET ALONE WITH HER MAJESTY. THE TRAIL HAD GONE COLD AND I MIGHT HAVE MOVED ON AT THAT POINT, BUT THEN I GOT THE THIRD EMAIL. THIS TIME IT WAS A KEYWORD CIPHER AND IT TOOK A LITTLE LONGER TO BREAK, THOUGH THE WORD STRUCTURE HELPED A LOT. IT CONFIRMED EVERYTHING I HAD GUESSED SO FAR ABOUT BLACK, AND RAISED A WHOLE LOAD OF NEW QUESTIONS! IT ALSO SUGGESTED THAT I MIGHT FIND ANSWERS IN THE SHADOW ARCHIVE, BUT FIRST I HAD TO FIGURE OUT WHERE IT WAS, AND HOW I COULD GET IN. I STILL CAN’T BELIEVE IT, BUT THE ANSWER CAME FROM A GOOGLE SEARCH. I WAS LOOKING FOR A LOCATION THAT WOULD HAVE PROVIDED BLACK WITH COVER FOR A STREAM OF VISITORS, PREFERABLY IN A CENTRAL LONDON LOCATION, AND WITH FACILITIES FOR SECURE STORAGE OF OFFICIAL RECORDS, AND IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN OPENED IN 1873 OR 1874. I SEARCHED FOR “BLACK, LONDON, 1874” AND I LIKED WHAT I FOUND. AND THAT IS WHY I FOUND MYSELF LYING ON THE ROOF OF THE NORMAN SHAW BUILDINGS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AND IN POURING RAIN! I HAD TO FIGURE OUT A WAY OF GETTING INSIDE ONE OF THE MOST SECURE LOCATIONS IN ENGLAND!