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Gram’s mouth tightened. She shook her head.

Jenna understood. Why would her great-grandfather keep something to let this happen? He would have written an explanation in his will of why that side of the family got nothing.

Matt stormed inside the room again. He saw the paper and his lips twisted into an angry sneer. He snatched the paper and threw it into the garbage can. Then he went to the door and shouted.

Running feet pounded on the wooden floors. A man entered the room. Jenna’s breath caught. She recognized the man who’d tried to kill her at work.

“You let everyone leave early,” Jenna realized. She felt her vocal cords move but couldn’t hear her own voice. It didn’t matter. Something inside her needed him to know she saw him for what he was. “It wasn’t a Christmas gift. You wanted him to have clear access to kill me without witnesses.”

The stranger’s smile stretched across his face. He’d enjoy this. How many people did Matt hire to kill her?

“Do you even have money to pay for his services?” she asked. “You don’t have access to my trust fund, and if Gram and I are found murdered, the estate will be tangled up in legal paperwork for a couple of years. Even if you were the heir, it would take a long time before you saw a dime.”

The smile slipped from the hired assassin’s face. He turned his head, a fierce frown on his face, and lashed out at Matt. Matt shouted back. To Jenna, it was all meaningless noise.

She prodded Claudia to stand. The two women inched their way toward the door, taking advantage of the men’s distraction. They moved, then stopped. Moved, then stopped. They made it to within three feet of the door before Matt realized what they were doing.

He charged toward them. Grabbing Jenna by the shoulders, he thrust her back toward the couch. Then he pointed at her and shouted at the man.

The assassin hesitated. Matt shouted something else, and the man’s gaze flickered toward Gram.

Whatever Matt said convinced him. Probably promising he could take some of the treasures and sell them for cash once he finished them off. The man raised his gun.

Jenna braced herself but refused to look away. If she were going to die, she’d stare him straight in the eye while he killed her. She wasn’t afraid to be in the arms of Jesus.

The door behind them crashed open. Brody, Malone, and four other officers charged into the room. The assassin shifted his aim. Within a second, he’d been laid out on the floor, eyes staring upward. Matt charged toward them. Gram tripped him. He flew a few feet and fell, his head banging against a marble table.

He lay still, although Jenna saw him still breathing.

It was done.

Brody raced toward them. Like the prince he was, he handed Jenna her hearing aids. She put them on and nearly cried in joy.

“You saved us!” She flung her arms around Brody.

He chuckled, though it sounded shaky. “It looked like you two weren’t making it easy for them.”

“We did our best, young man.” Gram said with a stately air.

“Was Andy in on this?” Jenna asked.

“No. I will admit, I’m not sure how much Matt intended to share with him had he gotten his hands on any of the money.”

“He never would have,” Gram said. “My father-in-law had it tied up so if my progeny didn’t get it, it would go to charities. There was no way for Matt’s family to ever receive a penny.”

Jenna might have felt bad for them, if they hadn’t tried so hard to kill her.

“So many deaths,” she mourned.

“He’ll be in jail the rest of his life, Jenna,” Sergeant Malone assured her. “I’m going to take him in and call in the coroner.”

Brody looked the women over. “Are you two injured at all?”

Jenna shook her head. “Not a bit. Although I could use something to eat.”

Brody took them to a quiet restaurant. They said grace and settled in for a nice meal.

Jenna looked at the Christmas tree. “Has it only been two days? Tomorrow is Christmas Eve.”