I gasped, dropping my hand to my lap.

“Arthur, is this true?”

“It is,” Arthur said. “But there is a complication.”

I looked back down at the paper, my eyes scanning the next lines.

*I could not leave the true will with Arthur,* Garrett had written.

*Victoria suspects him too much, and she would have had his office searched.*

*Instead, I hid it inside the mansion, in the one place they will never look.*

*You must retrieve it yourself, Eleanor.*

*The hidden safe requires your physical presence, and the clock is ticking.*

Before I could ask how, the cell phone on the table began to buzz loudly.

Arthur reached across the Formica table and picked up the device.

His brow furrowed as he looked at the glowing screen.

“It is Victoria,” he said, his voice flat.

“Do not answer it,” I whispered.

He pressed a button on the side to silence the ringer, then placed the phone face down on the table.

The vibration continued to hum against the wood for several seconds before finally stopping.

“She is likely calling to ensure I am not advising you,” Arthur said. “She wants you isolated.”