He looked down at the crumpled paper Brielle had left behind.

“Who was that?” he asked.

“Grant’s mistress,” I said, holding up my grandmother’s ring. “She just returned this.”

General Vale looked at the ring, then at the paper.

“And she gave you his location?”

“His storage unit,” I said. “He has my grandfather’s wooden case there.”

“The one with the original estate records?” the General asked, his brow furrowing.

“Yes. He wants to destroy them to stall the probate court.”

General Vale reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

“We don’t have time to wait for the local police to process a standard warrant,” he said.

“I’ll contact the federal magistrate in Alexandria directly.”

He tapped the screen, dialing a number.

“Naomi Pierce is already working on the paperwork, but she needs a signature,” I said.

“She’ll have it within the hour,” General Vale replied, holding the phone to his ear.

He walked toward the window, speaking in low, urgent tones to someone on the other end.

I looked down at the ring in my hand.