I reached into my apron pocket once more, feeling the cool plastic of my own phone.

Suddenly, my phone vibrated violently in my hand.

I pulled it out, my heart hammering against my ribs as the screen lit up the darkness.

A new message was flashing from an unsaved, private number.

I looked up at Celeste, but she was staring intently at the police officers.

I looked down at the screen and read the words.

The text was short.

“Put the papers back in the fire, Elena, or you won’t live to see the morning.”

I looked up from the glowing screen.

My eyes found Celeste.

She was standing near the stone fountain, her long coat draped over her shoulders.

She was not looking at the burning wing of the house anymore.

She was looking directly at me.

Her face was completely still, devoid of the panic that Vivian was displaying.

A gust of wind swept across the courtyard, carrying the sharp scent of burning pine and wet ash.

In the distance, the first siren wailed.

The sound was faint at first, then grew louder as it bounced off the surrounding hills.