Chapter 29 - The Shadows of the Past
As the sun began to dip beneath the horizon, casting the sky in shades of bruised violet and molten gold, the guests moved inside to the grand dining room for the cutting of the birthday cake.
The villa's front gate bell chimed softly.
I paused near the open French doors. Mateo was already inside, laughing with his father, and the girls were blowing out their ten candles to a chorus of cheers.
A private courier stood at the front courtyard gate, dressed in the dark uniform of an international courier service. Under his arm was a rectangular wooden crate bound with steel straps, stamped with customs clearances from Zurich and Frankfurt.
I walked down the stone path, my heart beating in a quiet, instinctual rhythm of caution. "Can I help you?"
"Consignment for Madame Elena Vance," the courier said in heavily accented Portuguese, checking his digital tablet. "Special diplomatic transit. It cleared customs in Lisbon an hour ago."
"Who sent this?" I asked, signing the screen with a steady hand.
"The sender was listed as an anonymous vault depository in Zurich," the courier replied, handing over the heavy wooden crate before tipping his cap and turning back to his van.
The crate was heavy, smelling of cedar and aged metal.
I carried it into my private study away from the party, setting it down on my drawing desk. Using a steel letter opener, I pried open the metal bands and lifted the wooden lid.
Inside, nestled in dark green velvet, was an antique mahogany jewelry box inlaid with mother-of-pearl. Sitting atop the polished wood was an antique, heavy brass key, cold to the touch, and an envelope sealed with black wax.
May you like
There was no signature on the envelope. Only a single word written in a harsh, hurried hand:
*VERITAS.*
