Marcus began pulling down the heavy volumes, shaking them.

The minutes were bleeding away.

I looked at the fireplace, the cold ashes gray in the hearth.

Above it hung the portrait of my grandfather, the founder of the estate.

I walked over and tilted the heavy gold frame.

There was a small wall safe behind it.

The keypad was dark.

“Do you have the code?” Marcus asked, standing beside me.

“Only Caleb and I had the combination,” I said.

I entered my code.

The safe clicked and swung open.

Inside was a small black velvet box.

I opened it.

It was empty.

“He cleared it out,” I whispered.

The phone in my pocket vibrated again.

My heart leaped into my throat.

I pulled it out, expecting the screen to be dead, but it lit up.

There was a text message from the blocked number.

*Look up.*

I slowly raised my head.

The high ceiling of the library was crossed with heavy oak beams.

Near the center, where the chandelier hung, something small was taped to the wood.

It was a small, blinking blue light.