Chapter 12 - THE LIGHTHOUSE AT THE END OF THE ROAD|
The old customs station stood at the end of a narrow road lined with marsh grass and abandoned warehouses. Beyond it, the lighthouse rose against the gray sky, its white paint stained by years of salt and rain.
Camille held the brass key in her palm.
Gideon stood beside her.
“Rosalind said the archive room was underneath the building,” he said. “We don't know whether anyone has been there recently.”
“Then we'll find out.”
Tobias checked the entrance. The lock was old, but the key turned smoothly.
Inside, the air smelled of damp paper and rust. A narrow staircase descended into darkness. Gideon switched on a flashlight, and Camille followed him down.
At the bottom, they found a corridor with three doors. The first opened onto an empty storage room. The second contained broken furniture and water-damaged boxes.
The third door had a brass plate.
17.
Camille inserted the key.
It turned.
The room beyond was smaller than she expected. Metal shelves lined the walls. On a central table sat a wooden chest, a stack of ledgers, and a framed photograph.
Camille approached the photograph.
Her father stood beside Gideon's brother, Matteo Ferraro. Both men were smiling. Between them was a young boy.
Gideon stared.
“That's me.”
Camille looked at him.
“You knew my father when you were a child?”
“He used to bring me books. He taught me to read the old shipping maps.”
The realization seemed to hurt him.
“My father never told me.”
“He may have been trying to protect you.”
Gideon looked at the photograph for a long moment.
Then Camille opened the chest.
Inside lay a series of notebooks, a small tape recorder, and a sealed envelope with her name written across the front.
Her hands began to shake.
She opened it.
My dearest Camille,
If you are reading this, then someone has finally found the place I hoped you would never need to visit. I am sorry for the years you have spent believing I left you. I did not leave willingly.
I discovered that the Harbor Circle had been moving stolen property through the port. Matteo Ferraro wanted to expose them. I promised to help him. We believed the evidence would be enough.
We were wrong.
Camille stopped reading.
Gideon stood beside her, his face unreadable.
She continued.
There is one person we trusted who betrayed us. I will not write the name here because this letter may fall into the wrong hands. But the person who betrayed us is not the one who gave the orders. The orders came from someone who has worn a respectable face for decades.
The ledger is not the only proof. Listen to the recording. It contains the conversation that changed everything.
Camille looked at the tape recorder.
It was old, but the batteries had been replaced recently.
She pressed PLAY.
Static filled the room.
Then a man's voice emerged.
Matteo Ferraro.
“If you do this, they'll come after the families.”
Another voice answered.
“I know.”
Camille recognized it immediately.
It was her father's.
Then a third voice spoke.
Calm. Educated. Familiar.
“Neither of you understands how much money is involved.”
May you like
Gideon went rigid.
The third voice belonged to his father.
