“How did he propose they would decide who would be the ruler if they both succeeded?”

“Whichever man married and produced the first heir would become king of Sereno. The other’s family would get nothing beyond a land grant on the island.”

“And your ancestor was the first to produce an heir.”

“Yes, but it wasn’t as simple as it sounds,” Cassie said. “My ancestor produced a son a few months before his counterpart. The documentation was sent to the king, and my tenth great-grandfather was named king of Sereno.”

“And?” Levi asked.

“A few days after receiving the official notice, the child died of a fever,” Cassie said. “The man who had been named ruler no longer had an heir.”

“But he had fulfilled the requirement to be named king.”

“Yes. Luigi Escobar immediately protested the king’s decision and insisted that the kingdom be granted to him instead, but the king of Spain had already granted the kingdom to my ancestor.

“In order to maintain peace, an agreement was made. My ancestor would remain in power, but if at any time a member of the Rossi family was not available to rule, the kingdom would transfer in its entirety to Escobar or his heirs.”

“That’s an interesting story, but what does that have to do with the bank robberies?”

“My ancestor was understandably concerned that if and when he fathered another child, Escobar’s family would try to destroy any heirs to the throne in order to gain possession of Sereno.”

“That would be a valid concern.”

“Shortly after his wife became pregnant again, they attended a wedding in Spain for the king’s youngest daughter. Luigi Escobar was also in attendance,” Cassie said. “My ancestor was granted an audience with King Philip. He petitioned for the agreement to be dissolved to protect his unborn child, offering him gold and jewels in exchange for his help.”

“I get the feeling he didn’t agree.”

“No, but he proposed another solution,” Cassie said. “The agreement would be engraved into metal in sections and given to various royals and heads of state who were in attendance at the wedding. Escobar and my ancestor were also entrusted with a section to make sure neither side could hide its existence,” Cassie explained.

“And what happens if your family ever dies out?”

“In order for Escobar or his descendants to take control of Sereno, the allies who were entrusted with a piece of the agreement would have to come together and verify that the death of the final royal heir had been of natural causes.”

“And if it wasn’t?”

“If any member of the Escobar family is ever convicted of involvement in the murder or attempted murder of a royal heir, the agreement becomes void.”

“That’s the piece of the agreement your family kept in its possession,” Levi said.

“Yes.”

“What would keep the other family from collecting the first twenty-three parts of the agreement and pretending that piece didn’t exist?” Levi asked. “If your family was killed, no one would be the wiser.”