Read Chapter 5: Chapter 5

That night, Julien returned to C-17 with Camille. She had a temporary conservation pass, and Julien signed her in as a research affiliate. The room was cold, the casket still on its shelf. Camille wore cotton gloves and lifted the object with astonishing gentleness.

“The ivory is nineteenth-century, not medieval,” she whispered. “The silver is too thin. The style imitates Limoges, but the execution is wrong.”

“A forgery?”

“A very good one.” She opened the clasp, which came away in her hand. Inside, the casket was lined with faded red silk. A small folded paper lay beneath the lining.

Camille unfolded it. Rows of numbers, handwritten in violet ink.

“These are museum catalogue numbers,” she said. “But they’re from the wartime inventory. 1942.”

Julien felt the room grow smaller. “What does that mean?”

“It means this casket was used to hide a list. And someone has been trying to make it disappear into the past.”