“I wouldn’t know,” Celeste said smoothly. “The estate is so large, and it is very dark tonight.”

She looked down at my hands, which were tucked under the damp blanket.

She was trying to see if I had managed to salvage anything from the burning room.

I kept my arms crossed tightly over my chest, hiding the outline of the folder.

The silver-haired sergeant turned back to Alexander.

“We will need to have the fire marshal inspect the wiring once the flames are out,” the officer said.

“I’ll have my own private team inspect it as well,” Alexander said coldly.

“I want to know exactly how a localized fire started in my locked study.”

He looked at me, a silent, searching question in his grey eyes.

He knew I had been looking for something in that room.

He knew I had found Eleanor’s hidden compartment behind the bookshelf.

“Elena,” Alexander said quietly, stepping closer to me.

“Did you find what you were looking for before the fire started?”

I looked at Celeste, who was watching us with intense focus.