They had all been waiting for the final transfer tonight to seal the trap.

I zipped the original deed inside my inner jacket pocket.

I needed to get this information to Grace immediately.

If she had these images, she could halt the midnight transfer and file for emergency injunctive relief.

I turned back toward the stone steps, my heart hammering against my ribs.

A floorboard creaked somewhere in the darkness above.

I froze, my breath catching in my throat.

The sound had come from the anteroom, right at the top of the secret stone stairs.

I quickly switched off my phone’s flashlight, plunging the subterranean vault into absolute darkness.

I stood perfectly still, listening.

The heavy, rhythmic sound of leather-soled shoes began to descend the stone steps.

Each step was slow, deliberate, and entirely unhurried.

A faint beam of light cut through the dark, bouncing off the damp stone walls.

The light washed over the iron chest and illuminated the dust motes dancing in the cold air.

I slid behind a massive stone pillar, pressing my back against the wet rock.