"James really knows how to pick his spots, doesn''t he?" Nick''s voice was as cool and detached as ever.


    James, always the picture of politeness, replied smoothly, "Just here to check on the olddy."


    Nick gave him a sideways nce but kept his thoughts to himself. Really? Choosing this exact time to visit the elderly when his sister was back home? Hmph.


    An awkward silence settled over them, thick and unsettling.


    Mirabe, having just put her luggage down, immediately sensed the tension. Her eyes darted between the two men, but their faces betrayed nothing unusual. She narrowed her eyes, suspicious.


    Just then, Catherine entered with a tray of sandwiches, calling everyone to dinner and breaking the strange atmosphere.


    Nick was always a man of few words, so he mostly listened to Catherine chat during the meal. James wasn''t much of a talker either, but he engaged Catherine every now and then.


    Every time James spoke, Catherine''s face lit up with genuine delight. It was clear she had a special fondness for him.


    This caught Mirabe off guard. She''d heard Catherine praise James before but hadn''t realized how close they''d be.


    After dinner, Mirabe insisted on handling the cleanup, taking the dishes to the kitchen herself.


    In the kitchen, she used the state-of-the-art dishwasher she had bought a while back. She loaded the dishes and pressed the wash button without a second thought.


    James walked in to store the leftovers in the fridge. Mirabe nced over at him, "When did you get back?"


    "Yesterday," he replied, closing the fridge door and looking at her, seemingly knowing what she was about to ask. "Catherine called me a few days ago, said you wereing home to visit. It''s been a while since I checked on the olddy myself, so I thought I''d drop by."


    Mirabe raised an eyebrow, "Just dropped by?"


    James cleared his throat and nodded, "Yeah."


    Mirabe gave a half-smile, "And when are you nning on leaving?"


    "In a few days. Maybe we could head back together," James said, his tone light and easy.


    Alright then.


    Mirabe shed him an OK sign and let it go at that.


    Back in the living room, Mirabe heard Catherine recounting tales from her past


    to Nick. She rubbed her temples before cutting in, "Grandma, where did you put my old books?"


    Catherine paused, then pointed towards her bedroom by the foyer, "They''re in the cab there, dear. The key''s in the usual spot. Help yourself."


    With a nod, Mirabe headed to her grandmother''s bedroom.


    The room was modest, just a bed and an old wooden cab from the seventies, locked up tight. She retrieved a small key hidden under a potted nt on the windowsill and unlocked the cab.


    Inside, the cab was divided in two, with Catherine''s neatly folded clothes on the shelves above and a small trunk along with some other items below.


    Mirabe pulled out the trunk, opened it, and found several books with ancient scripts, their pages yellowed with age-a testament to their long history.