Samuel walked straight to the center of the oak floor, paying no attention to the twenty relatives crowded against Dad’s bookshelves.

“Victor Moreno gave me precise directives four weeks ago,” Samuel said, stopping beside the desk.

“This safe was only to be opened in the presence of a bank representative and his legal counsel.”

Julian adjusted his gold wristwatch twice with his right thumb, stepping back three inches from the open safe door.

“Dad was eighty-one and dying of heart failure,” Julian said, raising his voice so everyone in the hallway could hear him.

“He was on heavy pain medication and didn’t know what he was signing in those last weeks.”