Page 33 of Fangs, Frost, and Folios
“It’s in the library of course.” Elise nodded over Beatrice’s shoulder. “I’m surprised the renowned book detective missed such an obvious clue.”
Beatrice glanced over her shoulder for a second, catching the portrait of Penelope and Charles over the fireplace. She pictured it in her mind, examining the details that she’d admired when she first saw it.
“I think they had it painted here. Under that stained glass window.”
“Why do you say that?”
“There’s a slightly rosy tint… During the day, that’s where the sun hits.”
“No, there’s a door in that picture and there’s not one on the wall.”
“They could have moved it.”
“Moved a door in a place like this?”
Beatrice smiled. “They didn’t move the door. They covered it.”
René murmured, “The mudroom.”
It was small because Lord Mortimer had turned part of it into a treasure room. Who would look for treasure sandwiched between a library of old books and a mudroom with rickety hunting gear?
“Dear Lord,” Nick said. “Is that why that mudroom is such a mess? I told Aunt Penny a hundred times that we needed to expand it, but she always—”
“Shut up.” Elise jammed the gun in Nick’s ribs. “You and your stupid family. Your ridiculous traditions and titles.”
Nick was clearly scared, but his face fell. “I thought you loved me.”
Elise muttered something in French that Beatrice also didn’t hear, but René’s eyes only grew more stormy.
“The bookcase swings out,” Elise said. “I can reach the door, but I can’t open it. What is the combination?”
“You expect me to know?” Nick’s eyes went wide. “I didn’t even know there was a safe in the mudroom.”
“A vault,” Elise hissed. “And you expect me to believe the Mortimer heir doesn’t know anything about the Mortimer treasure? That they would pass this house to you and not tell you where to find the real source of your wealth?” Her voice rose. “Do you think I’m an idiot?”
Nick was sweating, which made his blood pump harder and his scent rise. Beatrice saw the two vampires holding René turn toward him, their instincts drawn to the lure of prey. One already had his fangs out, and the other’s eyes were fixed on the panicking human.
Beatrice quickly calculated how she could protect Nick and Barnes, who were the only truly innocent people in the room. René would have to fend for himself.
The human holding Barnes didn’t have a weapon, and his compatriots upstairs had been easily taken down. Beatrice could rush Elise and knock the gun out of her hand, but unfortunately, the chance of her shooting Nick at close range was high.
De-escalate. It was the only option to keep everyone alive.
“Tell me the combination.” Elise was losing patience. “I’ve wasted two years of my life in this ridiculous village. Tell me now!”
Nick’s voice was desperate. “Elise, I don’t know it. I don’t know about any vault.”
“Liar. Your aunt told you everything.”
“Not… everything.” Barnes’s voice was a balm on the swiftly escalating situation. He looked at Beatrice. “Not nearly everything.”
Elise turned the gun on Barnes. “You.”
“The earl passed quite unexpectedly, you see.” Barnes glanced at Nick but kept his eyes on the gun. “He did intend to tell you, but of course he hadn’t expected to die until you were old enough to know. And he wasn’t particularly proud of what he’d done.”
“Barnes?” Nick frowned. “What are you saying?”
“Your father…. His Lordship loved him very much, but he had quite expensive tastes. The earl didn’t trust your father or your aunt to do the right thing, but he’d hoped that you might return some of the more culturally important things in time. The gold, of course, would have been up to you.”
