Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 102280 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 511(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102280 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 511(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
Police Chief Morrison dismissed suggestions of foul play. “Sometimes bad things happen in clusters,” he said. “But there’s no evidence of criminal activity. The girl was clearly disturbed, and accidents happen.”
Acid burned through Lily’s stomach. The fire had happened the night after Catherine’s death, erasing everything that might reveal her discoveries. Those same officials who’d ruled her death a suicide dismissed the fire as a coincidence.
Catherine’s research materials were conveniently destroyed. Just like Dr. Whitmore’s notes when his boat sank. Just like Margaret Thornton’s work when she vanished.
She scrolled through more newspapers, hunting for earlier incidents. Everything was held together. Every researcher who’d approached the lighthouse’s secrets had died under mysterious circumstances. Every death received quick explanations from local authorities. Every piece of evidence vanished or faced destruction.
Names blurred as she read. Academic researchers, freelance historians, even curious tourists who’d asked dangerous questions. All were eliminated before they could share their discoveries.
The next newspaper made her gasp.
LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER DIES IN STORM Edmund Hawthorne, 45, principal keeper of Westerly Cove Lighthouse, died yesterday evening when he fell from the lighthouse gallery during a severe storm. Police Chief Morrison said the death appeared accidental, noting that the storm had created dangerous conditions throughout the area.
“Ed was a good man and a dedicated keeper,” said Winston Aldrich, lighthouse supervisor. “He’d been acting strangely lately, asking a lot of questions about the lighthouse’s history and operations. I think he was under a lot of pressure.”
Hawthorne’s wife, Mathilde, was unavailable for comment. The family is said to be making arrangements to leave Westerly Cove.
Lily’s hands shook as she read the date: October 13, 1923. Seven months after Catherine Hartwell’s death. Edmund Hawthorne wasn’t a visiting researcher—he’d been the lighthouse keeper. He’d lived and worked in the building, accessing areas others couldn’t reach.
And he’d died asking questions about lighthouse history.
This went beyond eliminating outside researchers. They killed anyone within their operation who grew too curious.
She thought about her father, Robert Morgan, who’d worked in lighthouse maintenance for twenty years. How many questions had he asked? How many unusual things had he noticed and dismissed?
The microfilm revealed more incidents. A harbormaster who’d questioned shipping records in 1934. A Coast Guard inspector who’d investigated structural modifications in 1952. A town historian who’d examined lighthouse finances in 1961.
All dead. All within weeks of their investigations.
Lily ejected the microfilm and loaded another reel from the 1960s. She needed to understand the full scope. How many people had died protecting these secrets?
Margaret Thornton’s file provided answers.
GRADUATE STUDENT MISSING Margaret Thornton, 24, a graduate student from Harvard University, has been missing for five days. Miss Thornton disappeared after leaving the Westerly Cove Public Library on Tuesday afternoon. She had been researching local maritime history for her thesis on New England lighthouse operations.
“She was very dedicated to her work,” said librarian Mrs. Warren. “She’d been coming in everyday for two weeks, studying old shipping records and lighthouse logs. She appeared excited about something she’d discovered.”
Police Chief Kenneth Morrison said the search would continue, but noted that Miss Thornton had been asking unusual questions about local families and their connections to lighthouse operations. “She may have gotten herself into a situation she couldn’t handle,” he said.
Winston Aldrich, lighthouse supervisor, expressed concern for the missing student. “These academic types sometimes get obsessed with conspiracy theories,” he said. “They see patterns where none exist. I hope she’s safe, but I worry she may have let her imagination run away with her.”
Follow-up articles remained sparse. The search ended after a week. Margaret Thornton was presumed dead, though her body never surfaced. Police confiscated her materials, later destroying them due to “space constraints.”
Lily stared at the screen, her mind spinning. Three generations of Winston Aldriches had managed lighthouse operations. Three generations had been present when the researcher died under mysterious circumstances. Three generations had offered identical explanations about academic obsession and conspiracy theories.
She loaded the most recent microfilm from the 1970s. Dr. James Whitmore’s death received thorough documentation.
HISTORIAN DROWNS IN BOATING ACCIDENT Dr. James Whitmore, 52, a respected maritime historian from Boston University, drowned yesterday when his sailboat capsized during a sudden storm. The Coast Guard recovered his body this morning near the lighthouse rocks.
“It’s a tragic accident,” said Police Chief David Morrison. “Dr. Whitmore was an experienced sailor, but weather conditions can change quickly here. He was probably caught off guard.”
Winston Aldrich, lighthouse supervisor, said Dr. Whitmore had been researching lighthouse operations for several weeks. “He was very thorough, maybe too thorough. He’d been asking questions about things that had happened decades ago, digging through old records. I think he was trying to prove a theory about historical irregularities.”
Dr. Whitmore’s research notes drowned when his boat sank. The university said that his work would be impossible to reconstruct without his original materials.
Lily shut off the microfilm reader and sat in darkness, her mind racing. This truth was clear, but terrifying. She wasn’t just researching local history—she walked in the footsteps of murdered researchers.