In the rearview mirror, I saw the three guards watching us until we cleared the gates.

As soon as we passed the stone walls, I pulled the car over onto the dirt shoulder.

I turned to my mother.

“What did you see back there?” I asked.

Eleanor turned her head to look back toward the estate.

“The greenhouse on the west side,” she said.

“What about it?” I asked.

“The lock on the glass door has been broken since you were a child,” she said.

She reached into her purse and pulled out an old brass ring with several tarnished keys.

“The service road along the cliff is completely overgrown,” she said.

“Does it still lead to the property?” I asked.

“It leads to the old carriage house,” Eleanor said. “From there, we can walk through the rose garden.”

She looked at me, her eyes brighter than they had been in years.

“The library safe is hidden behind the portrait of my grandfather,” she said.

“Do you know the combination?” I asked.

“I set it myself,” she said quietly. “Before Gregory changed everything.”