I pressed it to my ear, my heart hammering against my ribs.

“Don’t let them leave the house,” a voice whispered through the static.

“Don’t let them leave the house,” the voice whispered through the static.

The connection crackled and then went dead.

I pulled the phone away from my ear and stared at the dark screen.

“Who was that?” Megan asked, her fingers gripping the edge of the wooden sideboard.

“I don’t know,” I said. “The reception was terrible.”

Another roll of thunder rumbled through the floorboards of the foyer.

Daniel stepped closer to the window, his hand resting on the brass latch.

He peered out into the rain-slicked driveway, squinting through the downpour.

“We don’t have much time,” Daniel said, turning back to face us.

He pointed a finger at the documents spread across the heavy oak table.

“Your grandfather, Arthur, started this whole mess fifty years ago,” Daniel said.

I looked at Rose, who nodded slowly, her expression grim.

“What did Arthur do?” I asked, my voice barely audible over the wind outside.

“He unlawfully mortgaged the family trust,” Daniel explained.