Holding my hand over the lock, I focused my magic and willed it out of my fingers in search of the mechanics of the latch. I stuck my tongue out in concentration, and after a couple of minutes, I heard a couple of clicks. With hope, I tried the handle again, and the door gave way.
The smell of soot and ash hit my nose, reminding me of the other night. Risking a little more energy, I increased the size of the light orb and cast it into the center of the room. Its glow lit up what was left from the fire. I reached out for Luke to take my hand, needing to ground myself as I absorbed just how much I’d risked that night.
“It is a wonder you survived,” he exhaled, squeezing my fingers in his.
I touched the fire opal of the bracelet I would be wearing from here on out. “Your sister’s things are all gone. Destroyed.”
Luke stayed very still, and I stopped taking stock of the damage. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
He picked up my left hand and held it up. “You said this room contained some ghostly energy. Is my sister’s spirit still here?”
My abilities to deal with ghosts were usually contained to the family homestead. Any encounters I’d had here were not controlled by me. I drew the token from underneath my dress and held it, but Granny Jo didn’t appear as she had before.
“I don’t think so. The fire must have changed things,” I said with regret.
Luke pleaded with me, his eyes full of sadness and regret. He touched the ring he’d given me as a promise for our future. “Will you at least try to contact her?”
With a reluctant nod, I grasped both of his hands in mine and closed my eyes. “Isabella de Rossi, if you are present, please show yourself.”
We waited in the silence, but no sound except my own excited breaths filled the room. The ring itself did nothing, and I feared the worst.
“Isa, please. This is your brother, Luca.” My fiancé glanced about the room, begging. He finished his plea in Italian.
My heart sank with disappointment. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know how it all works. Maybe the effort she made to take control of my hand and stop me from eating the deadly pasta took too much energy.”
Luke’s eyebrows furrowed. “That’s a good probability. Perhaps I’m asking too much of her.”
Taking care as I moved around the room, I walked over to the remains of the desk. Only ash scattered over the marred wooden surface remained. My finger traced patterns through the black dust as I tried to remember the pattern of the handwriting where I thought I’d spotted the written name. If only I had stashed the letters on me before everything burned, we might have had a solid clue to go by. Right now, all we had was my suspicions and no idea what to do next.
Luke approached me from behind and wrapped his arms around me. He placed his chin on my shoulder. “What are you thinking?”
“That I’ve got very little left to investigate. The one solid lead I had burned away,” I pouted. “And I don’t want to get Fiametta in trouble after Claudio told me her house was broken into and asked me not to involve her anymore.”
My fiancé released me from his embrace. “I didn’t know anything about this. The young man has no right to ask you to do anything.”
“Don’t get all high and mighty,” I said, waving off Luke’s sudden offense. “He’s in love with her and is only trying to protect her. You should understand his motives.”
“Still. I could force a situation where she has to speak with you if you think that’s what you need,” he offered.
I thought about what Fia might be able to add. Her biological connection to Paolo could be helpful in trying to summon Isabella again. But if the letters Luke’s sister wrote were lost in the break-in, then there wasn’t much else she could do.
“I may need her assistance at some point, but for the moment, can we think of anyone else who might have information we’re missing?” I asked. “Who is still here that lived back then?”
“This may sound awful, but I don’t know the history of all of the staff,” Luke admitted.
I thought about Fia’s information she shared about how the castle was run. “Many were probably not vampires, so they wouldn’t have been here all those years ago. I’m talking about those you know for sure existed then and are still around now.”
He tapped his foot on the floor while he thought. “Other than me, there would be my parents. And Cassio.”
“And Amara?” I asked.
Luke sneered at the mention of her name. “Yes, her as well.” He paced the floor until he stopped and snapped his fingers. “I know who we need to talk to! Enzo. He’s been around all of my life, and no one would know more about what went on here than him.”
I thought of the kindly gentleman and realized what role he truly played in the household. “In essence, he’s the one who nobody notices but who knows everything.”
“Precisely,” Luke said. “I’m actually disappointed in myself for not considering talking to him before.”
“Is there a way for us to speak to him tonight?” I insisted. “He may provide us another avenue to approach the investigation.”
Luke stood straighter, agitated with purpose. “I can take us to him right now.” He beckoned for me to hop into his arms.
I took one step forward but stopped. “No, wait. We’re so focused on finding out more information that we’re not looking at the whole picture.” An alarming theory formed in my mind and took root.
“What do you mean?” Luke asked with impatience.
Gazing at him, I spoke words I’d only heard in old black-and-white films. “What if the butler did it?”
At first, my fiancé dismissed my idea with a scoff. But his head tilted once he considered the possibility.
