“Alden is a complicated man,” Arthur said. “He knows the law, but he also knows who pays his bills now.”

“Did Eleanor actually sign the easement?” I asked.

“She did,” Arthur said. “I notarized it myself right at this table.”

“Then where is it?” I asked. “I checked the county land records, and there is nothing listed.”

“No,” Arthur said, shaking his head. “It was never recorded at the courthouse.”

“Why not?” I asked.

“Eleanor wanted to record it on her eighty-fifth birthday,” Arthur said. “She wanted it to be a public statement to the community.”

“But she died two weeks before her birthday,” I said.

“Yes,” Arthur said softly.

“She kept the signed, notarized original at the house,” Arthur said.

“In her study?” I asked.

“Yes,” Arthur said. “In the hidden drawer of her writing desk.”

I remembered Graham telling Celeste he was going to check the study first.

My chest tightened with sudden anxiety.

“Arthur,” I said. “If that document is still in the house, Graham might have found it.”

“He might have,” Arthur said, his voice dropping.