I woke to the sound of a drill in the east wing.
I had been packing the last of my mother's books into a suitcase when the vibration shook dust from the ceiling. I ran downstairs and found a contractor standing in the corridor with a tool belt and a roll of plans.
"Stop," I said.
He turned off the drill. "We were told to remove the paneling in the north room."
"That room holds the archive."
"It's on the work order."
"Who authorized that?"
"Mr. Mercer."
Rafe came through the dining room doors, holding a travel mug. "It's a test panel. Northline wants to see what needs replacing."
"The town has been notified that the archive could be covered by a public-access agreement."
"Could be. Until someone finds it, that's just speculation."
"Then wait until they find it."
"Every delay cos
