Chapter 5: The Lighthouse in the Living Room
“Daniel, look outside.””
He crossed the room and joined me at the window.
The black SUV remained parked across the street.
Its engine was running.
Daniel studied the vehicle for several seconds before reaching for his phone.
“I'm calling the police.””
Julian stepped toward us.
“What is happening?””
I showed him the message.
He read it twice.
“Maybe it's a prank.””
I looked at him.
“Someone is sitting outside the house watching us.””
“Could be a neighbor.””
“Then why did they threaten me?””
He had no answer.
Daniel made a call and gave the address. He described the vehicle and explained that we had received a threatening message.
When he finished, I turned toward the hallway.
“We need to find that recording device.””
Daniel nodded.
“Let's do it carefully.””
We went downstairs.
The living room looked almost exactly as it had during my childhood. My father's leather armchair stood beside the fireplace. A photograph of my parents on their wedding day remained on the mantel, although someone had turned it slightly toward the wall.
I noticed that immediately.
My mother had never liked that photograph after Robert entered her life.
The wooden lighthouse stood beside a brass clock.
It was about eighteen inches tall, with a small red door and a tiny window at the top.
I picked it up.
“Dad made me promise never to throw this away,” I said.
Julian approached.
“He told me it was ugly.””
Despite everything, I almost smiled.
“He said you had no appreciation for craftsmanship.””
Julian gave a weak laugh.
Then I noticed something unusual.
The lighthouse was heavier than I remembered.
I turned it over.
A small brass screw held the wooden base in place.
“Daniel, can you help?””
He examined it.
“Your father probably modified the base.””
Julian fetched a screwdriver from the kitchen drawer.
I loosened the screw.
The bottom panel came away.
Inside was a small black recording device, wrapped in a plastic bag.
My breath caught.
“That's it.””
Daniel carefully removed it.
There was a memory card inside.
“Does it work?”” I asked.
“I don't know. We should make a forensic copy before listening to anything.””
Julian stared at the device.
“Dad was recording people in his own house?””
“Apparently,” I said.
Daniel put it in a protective case.
Then he noticed a folded piece of paper tucked beneath the plastic wrapping.
He opened it.
It was a note.
If the first recording is compromised, check the second location. The person who called the ambulance knows where it is.
I looked at Daniel.
“Mrs. Bennett.””
He nodded.
“Probably.””
I took out my phone and called her.
She answered on the second ring.
“Miss Sienna?””
“Mrs. Bennett, Dad left something in the lighthouse. He mentioned a second location.””
Silence.
Then she whispered, “I was hoping you wouldn't find that until Daniel arrived.””
“Do you know where it is?””
“Yes.””
“Where?””
“Your father's old workshop. Behind the blue cabinet.””
I closed my eyes.
The workshop was in the detached garage, where my father had spent weekends repairing clocks, building shelves, and fixing things nobody else considered worth saving.
“Why didn't you tell Daniel?””
“Because I was afraid.””
“Of Robert?””
She didn't answer.
I lowered my voice.
“Mrs. Bennett, did you see something the night Dad collapsed?””
Her breathing changed.
“Yes.””
“What?””
“I saw Robert leaving the study.””
Julian turned sharply.
I continued.
“When?””
“Just before I found your father. He was carrying a small leather case. Your mother was standing near the stairs.””
“Did you tell the police?””
“No. Your mother told me not to interfere. She said Richard had been drinking and that I would lose my job if I repeated anything.””
I felt anger rise through my chest.
“You should have told someone.””
“I know. I know, sweetheart. I was frightened. I needed this job, and Robert said he could make sure I never worked in this town again.””
“Do you know what was in the case?””
“No. But I heard him say something before he left.””
“What?””
Mrs. Bennett paused.
“He said, ‘The original is gone. Nobody can prove anything now.’”
I looked at Daniel.
He had heard every word.
“Mrs. Bennett, can you come to the house?””
“I can't.””
“Why?””
“I received a phone call this morning. Someone told me to stay away from the Sterling family.””
My stomach tightened.
“Who called?””
“I don't know. But they knew where my daughter works.””
I glanced toward the front window.
The SUV was gone.
“Mrs. Bennett, listen to me. Don't speak to Robert.
Don't answer unknown numbers. Daniel will arrange for someone to contact you.””
She began crying.
“Your father was a good man, Sienna. He was trying to protect you.””
“I know.””
“He told me something the night before he collapsed. He said if anything happened to him, I should tell you that the truth was hidden in the blue cabinet.””
I looked toward the garage.
“Thank you.””
I ended the call.
Daniel was already gathering his things.
“We need to secure the recording and contact the authorities.””
“I want to see the workshop first.””
“Sienna, we shouldn't be searching alone.””
“Then come with me.””
He studied my expression.
Finally, he nodded.
We crossed the garden toward the detached garage.
The workshop smelled of cedarwood, machine oil, and old paint. My father's tools remained neatly arranged above the workbench.
The blue cabinet stood against the back wall.
I opened its doors.
There were old manuals, spare parts, and boxes of photographs.
Behind the bottom shelf, I found a narrow compartment.
Inside lay a brown leather case.
Julian stepped closer.
“Is that what Robert was carrying?””
I opened it.
There was no recording device.
Instead, there were several original company documents, two encrypted USB drives, and a photograph.
I picked up the photograph.
It showed my father shaking hands with Victor Haines outside a hotel.
On the back, my father had written a date.
And beneath it:
Victor admitted Robert has been using my signature for eighteen months.
I looked at Daniel.
“Why would Victor admit that?””
Daniel examined the photograph.
“Because he may have been trying to protect himself.””
I opened the first USB drive's accompanying folder.
There was a handwritten inventory.
One line had been underlined twice.
*Original transfer agreement — signed by Robert, Eleanor, and Julian.*
Julian stared at the page.
“Why is my name there?””
I turned toward him.
“Because you may have signed something much bigger than you realized.””
He shook his head.
“No. Robert said it was a temporary management agreement.””
Daniel took the inventory.
“Then we need to find the original.””
A metallic sound came from behind us.
The garage door was closing.
I spun around.
Someone had activated the automatic lock.
Then a voice came through the small speaker beside the entrance.
“Put the case down, Sienna.””
Robert.
I looked toward the ceiling camera.
He was watching us.
“Give me the documents,” he said.
“And nobody has to get hurt.””
I stepped closer to the speaker.
“You're going to have to do better than that.””
His voice hardened.
“Your father made the same mistake.””
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The lights suddenly went out.
And somewhere behind the blue cabinet, something heavy crashed to the floor.
