Samuel tapped a silver ballpoint pen against his open ledger.

The sharp click repeated every few seconds while he read through a page of handwritten notes.

“Your father came into this office three weeks ago,” Samuel said.

He paused for six full seconds, watching me over the rims of his reading glasses.

“He modified his estate directives.”

“Did he mention the brass key on the steel chain?” I asked.

“He did,” Samuel said, choosing his legal phrasing with slow precision.

“He gave me very clear instructions regarding the steel safe in his study.”