He took another step closer, the smell of damp wool and cheap whiskey coming off him.

“The creditors are done talking,” he whispered, his eyes darting toward the corners of the ceiling. “They gave me until midnight.”

“They’ll take everything, Waverly,” he said, using his old nickname for me, though his voice held no affection.

“They’ll take my car, my apartment, my life,” he muttered. “They don’t care about the forgery.”

“They want the land, and they want it now.”

“Who?” I asked, trying to keep him talking.

“The people who financed the development deal,” Ethan said, his hand shaking so hard the gun wobbled.

“The ones who bought Aunt Claire’s silence years ago,” he added.

He shook his head, wiping rain from his eyes with his sleeve.

“But Claire didn’t have the original deed,” he said. “Rose had it.”

“Where is Rose?” he shouted, his voice echoing down the dark stairwell.

“She isn’t here,” I said, lying to protect my aunt.

“Don’t lie to me!” he screamed, stepping forward and shoving the flashlight directly into my face.