Chapter 12 - Anna's Letter
Mia read the letter twice. She struggled with some of the longer words, so Lorenzo read them aloud.
Anna wrote that she had survived the bombing, but suffered injuries that kept her hidden for months. She had discovered that Vale planned to use the port to move witnesses and children across state lines. She had gone to Luca because she trusted him to protect Mia.
The last paragraph was shorter.
I am alive. I am not safe. Do not come looking for me until the lighthouse is dark.
Mia looked up. “What lighthouse?”
Luca closed his eyes. “The one outside Harbor Point. Your mother used to take us there.”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because I thought she was dead.”
“Everybody keeps deciding things for me.”
The words landed hard. Luca reached for her, but Mia stepped away.
Lorenzo understood. A child could forgive a frightening truth more easily than a dozen quiet lies.
Rebecca traced the letter's paper to a small print shop near Harbor Point. The owner remembered a woman with a limp who paid cash and asked for a package to be held under the name Anna Bellini.
The package was still there.
Inside was a key, a photograph, and a small memory card. The photograph showed Anna standing beside the lighthouse, holding a toddler. On the back, she had written: When the light goes out, look below.
They drove to Harbor Point under federal protection. The lighthouse stood against a gray sky, its lamp dark even though it was still afternoon.
Lorenzo found a metal hatch beneath the stairs. The key fit.
Inside lay a waterproof case containing bank records, audio files, and a list of names. At the bottom was a note:
If you found this, Peter is already close.
A sound came from the top of the lighthouse.
May you like
Footsteps.
Then the door slammed shut.
