“My ancestor thought of that too,” Cassie said. “Besides maintaining possession of that piece of the agreement, we also kept a collection of gemstones that serve as a verification key.”

“I’m not following.”

“It’s a safeguard of sorts. Gems of different sizes and shapes were imprinted into the metal. In order to claim the throne, the jewels would have to be retrieved from the royal vault and placed in the separate pieces of the agreement to verify that they were truly the originals,” Cassie explained. “One of the stipulations of the agreement specifies that all twenty-four parts, along with the gems, must be presented to prove each is authentic.”

“It was your family’s way of ensuring someone couldn’t create replicas of the various sections.”

“Yes.” Cassie nodded. “This requirement is known by the heads of state of the countries that safeguard the various sections of the agreement.”

“You think the bank robbers were after the different sections of that agreement?”

“It’s the only thing that makes sense.”

“If that’s truly the case, the person behind your assassination attempt is likely a descendant of Luigi Escobar.”

“Yes, but it also would have to be someone who knows of the agreement and the nations involved. That isn’t public knowledge,” Cassie said.

“Yes, but surely Escobar would have passed that information down to his descendants so they would know how to claim Sereno in the event it ever became theirs.”

“I would think so,” Cassie said. “It’s also possible a member of the extended family unearthed the details of the agreement.”

“I think that’s our next place to look.”

“I’m tired of looking,” Cassie said. “I’m ready to start finding.”

“We’ll work on that.”

CHAPTER 14

Levi had to give it to her. Cassie was a trooper, and her education on her country was thorough. For the past hour, she had educated him on the European history surrounding the safekeeping of the founding agreement that created her island nation and made her family royal. After World War II, the four original safekeepers of the documents had expanded to nine, with the national banks becoming the vaults where the original metal engravings were held.

“Tell me what you know about the Escobar family.” Levi retrieved two water bottles from the minifridge he kept in his office closet and handed one to Cassie. “I want to know who would benefit from the fall of your family.”

“In the early 1960s, the man who would have been first in line for the throne behind my family made some bad business decisions and lost most of his family’s fortune.” Cassie set her water bottle on a coaster but didn’t open it. “According to my father, my grandfather gave him some money to bail him out only to watch Jeremiah Escobar gamble it away.”

“That couldn’t have gone over well.”

“No, it didn’t. Still, my grandfather didn’t yet have any children, and he didn’t want to see the possible future royals in poverty. He bought the home the Escobar family lived in and allowed them to stay rent-free.”