Chapter 5 - The Guest Who Never Arrived.
Claire did not answer Margaret through the wall.
She backed away from the panel and motioned for Adrian and Nolan to follow.
They moved deeper into the east-wing passage until the voices disappeared.
Only then did Adrian speak.
"What happened in Boston?"
Claire kept walking.
"Not now."
"She knew you."
"She knew about me."
"That is not the same thing."
Claire stopped so abruptly that Nolan nearly ran into her.
"Boston was a protection job that went wrong."
Her voice stayed controlled, but Adrian heard the strain beneath it.
"Someone trusted me, and I missed the person standing closest to them."
Nolan folded his arms.
"An inside man."
Claire looked at him.
"Exactly."
Adrian understood the warning.
Claire had spent eleven months inside Vale House because she believed the danger was already inside.
Now Margaret had proved her right.
They reached a narrow servants' stair leading toward the library.
Claire checked the hallway before letting Adrian through.
The library was empty, but one of the tall windows stood open despite the cold night air.
A place card from dinner lay on the carpet.
Adrian picked it up.
The name printed in silver letters read HENRY ROSS.
He frowned.
"He never came."
Nolan looked at the card.
"Who is Henry Ross?"
"A donor from Chicago."
Claire took the card from Adrian.
"No."
Adrian stiffened.
"What do you mean, no?"
"Henry Ross died six months ago."
Nolan stared at her.
"You are sure?"
"Evelyn investigated him before she died."
Claire turned the card over.
A small handwritten number had been written near the bottom edge.
7-19-4.
Adrian recognized the handwriting.
It belonged to Margaret.
"She made the seating cards herself," he said.
Claire nodded.
"Then Henry Ross was never a guest."
Nolan looked toward the open window.
"It was a signal."
Claire studied the three numbers.
"Or coordinates inside the house."
Adrian took the card back.
"Seventh room, nineteenth something, fourth drawer?"
Claire looked at the library shelves.
"Your father numbered everything."
Adrian remembered the old catalog system Charles Vale used for his private collection.
Each bookcase had a brass plate.
Each shelf had a number.
Each position had a letter.
He walked to bookcase seven.
Shelf nineteen was near the floor.
The fourth book was a faded volume called The Architecture of Trust.
Nolan gave a dry laugh.
"Subtle."
Adrian pulled the book free.
Nothing happened.
Claire took it from him and opened the cover.
The pages had been cut away to form a hidden compartment.
Inside was a small black key and a folded note.
Adrian unfolded it.
The note contained only five words.
IF CLAIRE COMES, BELIEVE HER.
Adrian stared at the writing.
It was Evelyn's.
Claire looked away.
Nolan read the note over Adrian's shoulder.
"That helps her case."
Claire shook her head.
"No."
Adrian looked at her.
"My sister literally told me to believe you."
"Which means Margaret wanted us to find this."
Claire pointed to the fake dinner card.
"She placed the clue in the library tonight."
Nolan's expression tightened.
"Why?"
Claire closed the hollow book.
"Because this key opens something they cannot open without us."
Adrian looked at the small black key in his palm.
A soft click came from the doorway.
All three turned.
Margaret Davenport stood there alone.
She wore her usual dark house-manager dress, but her face was no longer warm.
"Evelyn always did make things complicated," she said.
Claire raised the rifle slightly but kept it pointed down.
May you like
Margaret smiled at Adrian.
"You should ask Claire why your sister had to hide that note from her."
