Chapter 10
Ian sat alone in his office. His secretary had left for lunch and would not be back for an hour. He had an appointment with a tax accountant at three. At least ninety minutes of uninterrupted time stretched before him.
Even as a small boy, Ian had been interested in history. The fascination continued into his undergraduate days at Cornell, where he’d majored in American history. Now, all these years later, one of his favorite parts of his job was research. He loved going through old documents and papers that sometimes held secrets to a company’s or a family’s past.
He opened the thick Beaumont file on his desk. Inside were papers Ian had gone over many times: wills, deeds, and titles mostly. But inside the folder there was a small pocket affixed, and inside that was a key whi
