Chapter 7 - The Hidden SafeLeaving Clara under a discreet guard of undercover officers disguised as orderlies, Mason accompanied Helena back to the Thorne estate under the pretense of retrieving Clara’s health proxy and trust documents. The massive stone residence, usually filled with Clara’s warm laughter and the scent of jasmine, felt cavernous and dead.
"I'll check Julian’s old study safe," Helena offered casually as they entered the grand foyer. "He kept duplicate copies of the trust bylaws there. It might save us time with probate."
"Take your time," Mason said, walking toward the kitchen with an unsteady gait, playing the role of an exhausted man on the verge of collapse. "I need some water."
Instead of pouring water, Mason tapped an earpiece hidden behind his collar. "Vance, she’s heading up to the second-floor library. Thermal feeds active?"
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"We're on it," Vance’s voice crackled through the comms. "Two units in a surveillance van down the driveway. If she accesses an unrecorded compartment, document the timecode."
Through a hidden camera installed inside an antique bookcase, Mason watched Helena on his smartphone screen. She did not open the central wall safe. Instead, she knelt beside the decorative wainscoting beneath the window, prying loose a false baseboard to reveal a small biometric lockbox.
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