For a moment, nobody spoke.
The words echoed through the clearing.
They were searching for Winchester records.
The cemetery suddenly felt much colder.
Not because of the night air.
Because that wasn't random.
It couldn't be.
Lucien's expression hardened immediately.
The amusement he'd carried all evening vanished.
"How much damage?"
Adrian glanced at the phone again.
"Still coming in."
"Who found it?"
"The archivists."
Lucien cursed under his breath.
Mayson listened.
Carefully.
The conversation had changed.
Completely.
Until now, everything had been history.
Mysteries.
Questions.
Now?
This was happening in the present.
"The founder archives," Mayson said.
Both older vampires looked at him.
"What are they?"
Adrian rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"The official answer?"
"Sure."
"A historical collection."
"And the real answer?"
Neither vampire answered immediately.
That told him enough.
Interesting.
Lucien finally spoke.
"It's where the families keep records they don't want disappearing."
That got Mayson's attention.
"What kind of records?"
Adrian laughed once.
Without humor.
"The dangerous kind."
Silence followed.
The answer was vague.
Unfortunately, it was also probably accurate.
Mayson thought about the message he'd received.
The cemetery.
Black Hollow.
Founder families.
Now somebody was searching specifically for Winchester records.
A pattern was forming.
He just couldn't see all of it yet.
"Who has access?"
The question came naturally.
Adrian immediately answered.
"Very few people."
"How few?"
"Less than twenty."
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Lucien folded his arms.
"If someone got inside, they either had help…"
A pause.
"Or they're extremely capable."
Neither possibility sounded particularly encouraging.
The older vampire looked toward the monument again.
Thinking.
Calculating.
Mayson noticed.
Both of them were worried.
Not panicked.
Not afraid.
Worried.
Which meant whoever broke into the archives wasn't an amateur.
Another vibration.
Adrian checked the phone.
His expression darkened.
"What now?"
Lucien asked.
The older vampire read silently for several seconds.
Then looked up.
"The records weren't destroyed."
"That's good."
"No."
Adrian's voice remained calm.
Too calm.
"They were copied."
Silence.
Lucien swore again.
This time much more creatively.
Mayson frowned.
"What's the difference?"
The two older vampires stared at him.
Then Adrian answered.
"If records are destroyed, information disappears."
A pause.
"If records are copied…"
Lucien finished the thought.
"Someone intends to use them."
The clearing fell silent once more.
That was significantly worse.
Because destruction created chaos.
Information created plans.
And somebody was clearly planning something.
The wind stirred through the trees.
Leaves whispered overhead.
The monument stood motionless behind them.
Watching.
Waiting.
For the first time all night, Mayson found himself reconsidering several assumptions.
When he'd arrived in Broken Falls, he'd believed he was the mystery.
The unusual newcomer.
The unknown variable.
Now?
The town seemed determined to prove otherwise.
Another thought occurred to him.
"What exactly is in the Winchester records?"
Adrian immediately looked away.
Interesting.
Lucien looked amused.
Again.
"That's a very good question."
"Then answer it."
Lucien pointed at Adrian.
"He hates when people ask that."
"I've noticed."
Adrian sighed.
Long and slow.
Then—
Unexpectedly—
He answered.
"Genealogies."
Mayson waited.
"Land ownership."
Still waiting.
"Historical records."
Silence.
"That's not all."
"No."
Adrian admitted it immediately.
"What else?"
The older vampire stared at him.
Clearly debating how much to reveal.
Finally—
"Things certain families would prefer remain private."
Which sounded exactly like what someone would say when avoiding the real answer.
Lucien laughed.
Adrian glared at him.
"What?"
"That was terrible."
"It was accurate."
"It was useless."
Mayson found himself agreeing with Lucien.
A sentence he hadn't expected to think tonight.
The older vampire looked offended.
Then his phone vibrated again.
Everyone's attention shifted immediately.
Adrian checked the screen.
His expression changed.
Again.
Not concern this time.
Surprise.
That was new.
"What?"
Lucien asked.
Adrian stared at the message.
Then read it a second time.
And a third.
Finally he lowered the phone.
"Well."
Nobody spoke.
"That's unexpected."
"Adrian."
"Someone identified the intruder."
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Lucien straightened.
"Who?"
A long pause followed.
Then Adrian answered.
"I don't know."
Silence.
Lucien blinked.
"What?"
"They don't recognize him."
That got Mayson's attention immediately.
Not recognize.
Not identify.
Not place.
Meaning the person wasn't from one of the familiar groups.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Adrian continued.
"The security descriptions don't match any founder family."
A pause.
"Any local faction."
Another pause.
"Or anyone currently living in Broken Falls."
The cemetery became completely silent.
Because suddenly the problem had grown larger.
Someone from outside the town had broken into one of the most protected collections of records in the area.
Specifically searching for Winchester information.
And nobody knew who he was.
Lucien looked toward the forest.
Thinking.
Calculating.
Then he asked the question Mayson had already been considering.
"When did he arrive?"
Adrian glanced back at the phone.
His eyes narrowed.
Then—
Slowly—
He looked directly at Mayson.
And said:
"According to the reports…"
A pause.
"He arrived in Broken Falls three days after you did."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Mayson didn't move.
Didn't react.
Didn't speak.
But internally—
The pieces began shifting.
Because that wasn't coincidence anymore.
Not even close.
Someone had come to Broken Falls shortly after him.
Stayed hidden for months.
Broken into the founder archives.
Searched specifically for Winchester records.
And vanished again.
The timing alone was enough to raise alarms.
Lucien clearly agreed.
"He's connected to you."
Mayson looked at him.
"Maybe."
"That's not a maybe."
A pause.
Then Lucien's eyes narrowed slightly.
The look wasn't hostile.
It was analytical.
Like a hunter finally spotting tracks.
Or a researcher discovering a missing page.
Then he said something that made both Adrian and Mayson go completely still.
"Unless…"
The older vampire's gaze drifted toward the monument.
Toward the names.
Toward Black Hollow.
And then back.
"He's not looking for you."
Silence.
Lucien's expression hardened.
"He's looking for what happened before you were born."