Chapter 41 - The Woman Who Came Home
For three seconds...
I couldn't move.
The shattered lighthouse window whistled as the ocean wind poured inside.
Claire's frightened voice still echoed through my phone.
> "Your mother just walked through the front door."
I looked at Eleanor.
She was standing only a few feet away.
Breathing hard.
Bleeding slightly from a cut on her forehead.
If Eleanor was here...
Who had entered my house?
"Claire."
I forced my voice to stay steady.
"Keep watching."
"Tell me everything."
Claire swallowed.
"The cameras show Elizabeth entering through the main entrance."
"She's wearing the white coat."
"The same one from..."
"My funeral?"
Claire whispered.
"...Yes."
A chill crawled down my spine.
"No."
"That's impossible."
"It gets worse."
I heard keyboard clicks.
Claire was reviewing another camera.
"The little girl is holding her hand."
"She's smiling."
"Like she belongs there."
"Can you see her face?"
Claire hesitated.
"Not clearly."
"The security software keeps... glitching."
"Glitching?"
"The cameras lose focus every time they look directly at Elizabeth."
Eleanor suddenly grabbed my wrist.
"We have to leave."
"Now."
"Why?"
"They're buying time."
"For who?"
She looked toward the broken lighthouse door.
"For her."
Another gunshot echoed outside.
The stone wall behind us cracked.
Someone wasn't trying to scare us anymore.
They were trying to kill us.
I helped Eleanor toward the rear staircase.
The lighthouse had an emergency tunnel built during World War II.
Elizabeth had once mentioned it in passing.
I'd always assumed it was a story.
Apparently...
It wasn't.
Hidden beneath an iron hatch lay a narrow stone passage leading toward the shoreline.
We hurried inside.
As I pulled the hatch closed...
Footsteps entered the lighthouse above us.
Heavy.
Methodical.
Someone searched every room.
Then a familiar voice echoed through the stone floor.
"She's gone."
Jonathan.
My father.
Eleanor closed her eyes.
"I prayed we were wrong."
I stared at her.
"He came himself."
She nodded.
"He never lets anyone else clean up family problems."
My stomach twisted.
Above us...
Jonathan laughed quietly.
"Search the tunnel."
Everything went silent.
Then another voice answered.
"There are two sets of footprints."
Jonathan replied calmly.
"Good."
"That means Eleanor is still alive."
He paused.
"I'll finish both of them myself."
---
Two hours later...
Claire met us at the hidden entrance near the marina.
She looked as though she hadn't slept in days.
Without saying a word...
She handed me a tablet.
Security footage.
Timestamp:
Twenty-two minutes ago.
The front door opened.
Elizabeth stepped inside.
Every movement was identical.
The way she adjusted her coat.
The slight tilt of her head.
Even the way she smiled.
Behind her walked a little girl with bright blue eyes.
The child looked around the mansion with complete familiarity.
Then...
She looked directly into the security camera.
And smiled.
Claire froze the frame.
"There."
I leaned closer.
The girl wasn't looking at the hallway.
She was looking directly into the camera.
As if...
She knew someone was watching.
Then she quietly mouthed two words.
May you like
"Help me."
---
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