Page 59 of A Mile of Ocean

“It won’t hurt to go out one more night,” Trent answered. “Make it look good.”

Tate angled toward Trent. “Cooper says he’s already started digging into the de Haviland family tree.”

“Then it’s time to open the safe and find out if there’s anything worth dying for inside.”

But when Trenttried to open the safe in his grandfather’s study, they discovered the combination had been changed.

“I’ll go get Duchess,” Tate offered.

“No need. I’m right here,” Duchess said, entering the room. “Why do you two need to poke around in the safe anyway?”

“Why not?” Trent asked. “When did you change the combination?”

“The night of the break-in when Slade died. I felt it prudent to do so.”

“And you didn’t feel the need to inform us?” Tate queried.

“Why would I? There’s nothing in there for you to see.”

Trent narrowed his eyes. “Come again? I’m the chief financial officer of Callum Ranch LLC, doing business as Rio Verde Ranch. I pay the bills. Since when am I not allowed to access legal documents that Granddad used to keep in here?”

“Why are you acting this way?” Tate asked her grandmother. “What are you trying to hide from us?”

“I’ll have you know that I’ve dedicated my life to this family. From the moment I married your grandfather, I’ve lived to protect our legacy,” Duchess declared, her voice quivering with emotion. “There are things in that safe that are better left buried in the past.”

Tate’s eyes narrowed as she regarded her grandmother. “Buried in the past? What could be so terrible that you had to change the combination without telling us? What’s so important in that safe that it cost the life of your husband?”

Duchess sighed heavily, her shoulders slumping. “This isn’t just about Barrett. It’s about protecting our name, his legacy. There are secrets in that safe that could put everyone in danger if they were to come to light.”

Trent stepped forward, his expression flashing between grim and angry. “We’re already in danger. How much more could we be in? We have a madman running around trying to gun us down and blow up things. We need to know what’s in that safe. We need every piece of information we can get to stop this carnage.”

Duchess looked from Trent to Tate, her gaze filled with a staunch resolve. “Alright, fine. The truth is, I found something in there after the break-in. Something that didn’t belong in there.”

Tate’s eyes widened at the revelation, while Trent’s jaw tightened in anticipation.

“What did you find?” Trent asked, his voice steady but demanding.

Duchess hesitated, her eyes clouded with guilt and apprehension before giving in. “If you must know, it was a letter addressed to Barrett demanding some outrageous amount of money,” she began, her voice barely above a whisper. “Something about the Callums owing millions of dollars to his family.”

Trent felt a jolt of shock. “Why didn’t you mention it to Brent? You’ve had any number of opportunities to come clean with him.”

An annoyed expression crossed his grandmother’s face. “I didn’t know how to bring it up. It seemed like such a wild accusation, and I hoped it was just a mistake or a prank.”

“Where’s the letter now?”

“I burned it.”

Tate let out a gasp, trading looks with Trent. She could see the tension in his posture, his mind already churning through the implications of their grandmother’s disclosure. She could practically hear the gears turning in his head, trying to connect the dots between the letter demanding money and the attacks on their family.

“Did you ever consider sharing the demands in the letter with us?” Trent asked.

“I didn’t see any reason to bring it to anyone’s attention.”

“What exactly did the letter accuse the Callums of doing? Why does this guy think we owe him money? Was it a bad business deal gone wrong or what?”

“It was so vague and outlandish that no one in their right mind would believe it anyway,” she huffed. “I hope tonight’spatrols will be the last. The man’s dead. No one could’ve survived that explosion.”

“Only if Brent finds human remains will we know for certain that he’s dead,” Trent pointed out.

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