The Beginning of the End

An old greying woman sharp of face and language, guided me to this compact office, the walls were a disgusting shade of brown, with strips peeling themselves off, however the rest of the room was not aiming for class. Apart from a large metallic filing cabinet, the only other noticable object was a rusty desk and two chairs on either side, in the centre of the room.
She flicked through her notepad quickly, her glasses drifting to the bottom of her nose as she turned every page, so she would push them back up and stutter. She gestured towards the closest chair, and I sat down reluctantly. She turned her back, and still with her face in her notepad, she scuffled outside back into the hallway. Surveying the room I did notice one other thing, a miniscule wallclock, hung next to the window. I could not see through the window, for the blinds appeared to be broken and would not show me the city.
In the back of my head I could hear footsteps, and turning round I noticed that the woman who had so carefully made sure I was safe earlier, was now standing in the doorframe holding a strange keepsafe. It appeared to be an antique treasure box, the sides were gilded with golden leaves and the rest was fashioned in deepset leather. In the centre of the box, on the front face, there appeared to be a small keyhole, crafted of silver. What was this thing, and why was she in possession of it?
Surely she stepped forward and handed me the strange contraption. I inspected it with my fingers and it really did seem quite small. Looking up at her, I muffled a snigger and asked 'Is this the bill?' She did not seem best pleased and sighed with her lip curled upwards, blowing her pointy fringe away. 'That's it. Apparently there are some other things in his flat that the coroner is still inspecting... I don't know how long it'll be until you'll be able to see those. There is no key for the box. I suppose it can be prized open but I'm not sure I want to be a liability-' she paused, and our eyes caught each other's, she then cracked a smile '- and I'm sure you don't want me snooping around,' and with a flick of her pencil skirt she had darted out the room.
Outside, the night had really come down fast. It was now only five o'clock, but these winters are so dark. So, I tied the box up in a package I had in my jacket pocket, and bundled it under my armpit. Here's where I lost my train of thought, I knew I had arrived somewhere near Euston Square, but that was in broad daylight; now there was nothing but dim lamplights to lead my way, and I was growing uneasy. Sooner or later I came across a back alley that appeared to lead to a main road, and decided to take it.

Halfway through the alleyway I paused, ducked under a ladder, behind a doorway and looked around. I slid the box out from under my arm and began to push the lid open with the back of my cigarette lighter...