Further digging led Clara to a name she hadn’t expected to find again: Dr. Malcolm Wexler. The same man who had designed the Blackthorn vault had once been Jonathan’s closest collaborator. But in 1995, their partnership ended abruptly under mysterious circumstances. A memo from Jonathan’s archive hinted at the cause:


    “Malcolm’s ambition exceeds his ethics. He sees only the power in our creation, not the responsibility. I cannot allow this work to fall into his hands.”Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Clara’s stomach churned. Wexler’s name had already surfaced during her investigation of the estate. Could the vault have been his attempt to reclaim what Jonathan had hidden?


    Hensley’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “I found something in the old police files,” he said, holding up a folder. “Wexler was in Ashbourne two weeks before the Blackthorn fire.”


    Clara’s pulse quickened. “He was looking for the vial.”


    Hensley nodded grimly. “And I’d bet he wasn’t the only one.”