6. CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 6
T he beam from Liam’s flashlight cut a swath through the stale air of the hidden room, illuminating rows of dust-laden shelves packed with leather-bound journals and miscellaneous papers. The mustiness was overwhelming, a testament to the decades, perhaps even centuries, the room had remained sealed.
“This looks like something straight out of a mystery novel,” Liam murmured, stepping carefully over the threshold. His eyes scanned the ancient desk centered beneath a cobwebbed chandelier, its once ornate crystals dull with grime.
Dawn, clutching Hicks’s leash tightly, followed close behind. “It’s incredible,” she whispered, her voice tinged with awe and a slight tremor of apprehension. “Do you think the thief used this?”
“Or maybe it was just a very secretive writer,” Liam joked half-heartedly, trying to lighten the mood.
He approached the desk, the old wood creaking under his touch as he opened a drawer. Inside, he found a stack of faded photographs and several old maps of the island.
Hicks, sensing the tension from his human companions, whined softly, his head tilting as if puzzled by their concern.
“Look at these,” Liam said, holding up a photograph for Dawn to see.
It was a black-and-white image of the Summer Inn, dating back to the early 1900s. The back of the photo was inscribed with elegant handwriting, simply noting the date and ‘ renovation complete .’
Dawn leaned closer, her flashlight beam dancing over the photo. “This could help us understand some of the Inn’s history,” she noted, her fingers brushing against the edge of the photo, touching a piece of the past.
Liam replaced the photo and sifted through the papers, uncovering a journal with a cracked leather spine. He flipped it open, the pages yellowed and brittle. The handwriting was a looping script, difficult to decipher, but the date on the top of the page caught his eye: May 7th, 1896.
“This could be someone’s personal diary,” he said, intrigued. He read aloud, “‘The renovations are complete, and the secrets of the Inn will remain hidden, just as the walls now hide the passage of its true history.’”
Dawn shuddered. “Secrets of the Inn? What does that mean?”
Liam scanned the room, his mind racing with possibilities. “Maybe the Inn was more than just a hotel. This room, these journals… it could have been a meeting place, or maybe a hideout for someone who didn’t want to be found.”
“Or something they wanted to hide,” Dawn added, gesturing to the rows of journals. “What if there are more clues in these?”
“We’ll need to go through them,” Liam decided. “Let’s bring a few back with us and see if we can learn anything useful.”
As they prepared to leave the secret room, Liam noticed another door, almost entirely hidden by shadows in the corner of the room. It was smaller, almost like a cupboard, but when he tried the handle, it was locked.
“Another mystery,” he said, half in frustration, half in excitement. He pocketed a small key he found on the desk, hoping it might open the door on their next visit.
Back in the hotel suite, the room felt oppressively normal after the secret they had uncovered. Liam and Dawn laid the journals and photos on the coffee table, their minds still reeling from the discovery.
“We should start looking through these tonight,” Liam said, his voice determined. “Whatever secrets the Inn is hiding, they could be in here.”
Dawn nodded, her expression serious. “I don’t know if this is exciting or terrifying,” she confessed. “I’ve written so many mystery scripts, and I’m always longing to live one.” She frowned. “Well, I’ve kind of lived a few mysteries over the past year while here on Plum Island. But they weren’t my mysteries. They were my friend’s mysteries. If they were movies, I’d be the sidekick in them.”
“Let’s hope this is not one of those careful what you wish for wishes coming true.” Liam smiled. “Rather an adventure that helps us unravel the mystery of who’s been stealing from the hotel guests and how.”
“Let’s not forget the why.” Dawn’s frown deepened. “I can’t help but think finding all the loot that was stolen was a little too easy.” She looked at Liam contemplatively, chewing her bottom lip. “It was almost as if they wanted us to find it.”
“I got that impression as well,” Liam agreed with her deduction. “And whoever’s doing this has done their homework on this place. They knew about the secret passageway.”
“Which would explain why the thefts only happened on this wing of the hotel and not the new one,” Dawn pointed out.
“Yes, exactly,” Liam said with a nod. “Having knowledge about the hotel would also have alerted the thieves to the fact that we no longer use the old storerooms out the back. I’m waiting to get it renovated and expand the kitchen into that area so I can eventually expand the restaurant.”
“And you keep those old stores locked?” Dawn enquired.
“Yes, at all times,” Liam replied. “I remember when I first bought the hotel. The storerooms were no longer used, but the Peters didn’t lock them. Lila and Caroline’s daughter, Jules, were ten and were playing around the hotel.” Flashes of that terrifying day crossed his mind. “They went missing, and we couldn’t find them. Aunt Betty brought her dog, who died three years ago. He was a beagle named Beagle, and he found them in the storeroom. The door had closed, and the handle on the inside had fallen off.”
“Oh no, how frightening for the girls and you.” Dawn’s eyes filled with compassion.
“Ever since then, I make sure all store doors and any place I think an inquisitive child would crawl into are kept locked and secured,” Liam told her.
“So your Aunt Betty had a beagle named Beagle?” Dawn pursed her lips and nodded. “I like that. Do you think she’d mind if I created Beagle as a character?”
“No, not at all,” Liam assured her. “I think Aunt Betty would get a laugh out of it.”
“Let me get my journal,” Dawn said, standing and going into her room.
It wasn’t five minutes before she rushed back into the living room, her eyes wide and panicking. “It’s gone.”
“What’s gone?” Liam frowned and his eyes widened, realizing what she meant. “Your journal?”
Dawn nodded. “All my notes about the script changes. All my new ideas, they’re all in there.”
Liam glanced toward her room. Standing, he and Hicks walked to Dawn’s room.
“Maybe it just slid beneath the bed?” Liam suggested.
“No!” Dawn shook her head. “I keep it in the drawer of the nightstand or my purse when I’m out and about. But I haven’t looked at it or used it since the wedding.” She pointed to the dresser beside the bed. “It’s been in that drawer since the day of the wedding.”
“Wasn’t that where your watch was?” Liam stared at the dresser as if he could magically make the journal appear. Dawn nodded. “And you didn’t check if it was there after the watch went missing.” She shook her head. “So it could’ve been missing from the same time your watch was.”
“This is a disaster,” Dawn said. “All my notes…” She swallowed and blew out a breath, trying to calm her frazzled nerves.
“Don’t you have them backed up?” Liam asked.
“No,” Dawn said with raised eyebrows. “You can’t back up notes written by hand.”
“I meant, didn’t you transcribe them onto the computer?” Liam rephrased the question.
“No!” Dawn shook her head. “Carrying a notebook around is a lot easier than carrying a laptop, and I can’t type on tablet screens. Nor do I like using digital dictaphones. I like to see what I’m writing.”
Liam knew it was futile, so he walked over to the drawer and pulled it open. Something in the drawer sparkled. He tilted his head to get a better look before leaning closer to zoom into it. He picked up a small diamond studded hoop earring. Liam turned and held it up for Dawn.
“Is this yours?” Liam asked her.
“No.” Dawn’s brown creased into a frown as she shook her head. “Was that in the drawer?”
“Yeah,” Liam confirmed. “There’s not a lot in there. I’m surprised you didn’t see it.”
“It wasn’t in there before,” Dawn told him. “I mean, it wasn’t in there before I put my journal in the drawer the other day.” She moved closer to have a look at the earring. “I know because I couldn’t find my favorite pen to sign Alex and Daniella’s card, so I pulled that entire drawer out and shook it onto the bed.”
“This could give us DNA evidence,” Liam stated.
“I think you watch too much television,” Dawn told him. “And now you may have tainted whatever evidence is on there by touching it.”
“Oh shoot,” Liam said. “Do you have something we can put this in?”
“I have an earring box I’m not using,” Dawn went to the dresser drawer and pulled out a maroon velvet box. “Here, put it in this.”
Liam put the earring into the box, snapped it shut, and pocketed it. “This will go to the police station tomorrow.”
Dawn nodded. “I think we need to go through those old documents and the clipping Harper and Lila got.”
“Agreed,” Liam said. “And I’m sorry about your journal.” His eyes filled with determination. “We’ll get everything back.”
“I hope so,” Dawn said without much hope in her eyes. “Do you want some coffee or tea?”
“I’m actually starving and was going to suggest I head home and get the pizza to bring it here.” Liam glanced around her room. “I’m not comfortable with leaving you alone here now that we know how the thief is getting in and out of the rooms.”
“I’m hungry too,” Dawn said.
“Maybe I should get the pizza and stay on the sofa bed again tonight?” Liam suggested.
“You don’t have to do that,” Dawn said and looked at Hicks, who was lying on the floor beside her. “Why don’t you leave Hicks here with me?”
Liam looked at the big dog. “Do you want to stay here with Dawn?”
Woof! Hicks responded, wagging his tail.
“I’ll go home and get the pizza, which is going to be cold,” Liam said. “I’ll get the kitchen in the hotel to heat it for us.”
“That sounds great, I’m starved,” Dawn admitted as she and Liam went back into the living room with Hicks. “We can come with you and help you bring Hicks’s bed and bowls.”
“No, I’ll bring my car, and one of the hotel staff can help me,” Liam told her, glancing toward her bedroom once again. “I’m worried about that door in your bedroom.” He looked at her. “I get the creeps just thinking of you sleeping there while someone’s sneaking around your room.”
“Or something,” Dawn said with a soft smile, trying to inject some humor into the tense situation. “Let’s not rule out the phantom thief just yet.”
A thought hit Liam. “About the phantom thief.” His eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “What if someone’s pulling off these thefts to make it look like the hotel is haunted?”
“I guess that would explain why they made it so easy for us to find the loot,” Dawn said. “Except for my watch and Lila’s locket.” She shook her head. “Only the things taken from my suite are still missing.”
“You think someone is targeting you?” Liam’s frown deepened.
“Or us,” Dawn pointed out. “What’s in Lila’s locket?”
“A picture of my mother and Aunt Betty,” Liam replied, his eyes widening at the implications. “Anyone who’s done their homework at the hotel will know that Aunt Betty is the woman who raised me and Jennifer after our mother died and father left us.”
“Which adds another layer of targets as well,” Dawn pointed out. “Your father’s a prominent judge in Boston.”
“And your family is considered the royalty of showbiz,” Liam stated. “Which means until we figure out the who and why, we’re not the only ones potentially in danger.”
Dawn nodded in agreement. “It also means that we need to keep this quiet. If my brother finds out about this, poor Harper will be shipped back to the Hamptons and this hotel will be swarming with Vanderbilt security detail.”
“Maybe that’s not a bad thing?” Liam pointed out. “Well, not Harper going back to the Hamptons, but having your brother beef up the security.”
“You don’t understand,” Dawn told him. “My brother oversees every new security project involving Harper or me. It was okay when the Blackwells were here because my brother and Harley ensure that the security is discreet and tight.”
“But with all of them away…” Liam added with a nod of understanding. He frowned. “Wait a minute.” He picked up his phone and started messaging Finn. “Someone’s going to be moving into Finn’s holiday house on the other side of my house. Finn said it was one of Alex’s relatives. You know the one Harriet’s parents and uncle stayed in?”
“Yes, it’s a beautiful house,” Dawn said. “And completely different from your house. Which is odd because from the outside of the house, you’d think besides a few subtle differences, they would be the same.”
“Finn designed them that way,” Liam explained. “He modeled them off the glass house that Alex bought, which was sadly burned down.”
“At least it’s going to be rebuilt in the same style but just not as a house,” Dawn reminded him. “But the new library and various centers.”
“I know,” Liam said with a nod. “I’m glad it’s going to be changed into something useful. It’s just that it’s been a landmark in Cobble Cove for a long time, so it’s going to take a little getting used to.”
“I understand,” Dawn said with a smile. “We get used to something being a certain way.”
“But change is always inevitable,” Liam sighed. His phone pinged, and he looked at it. It was a reply from Finn. “As I was saying, Finn has someone moving into his holiday house, and he’s just replied that it’s Alex’s younger sister.”
“Bailey?” Dawn’s eyes widened. “She couldn’t make the wedding as she was stuck in Egypt.”
“Well, she’s coming to stay on Plum Island for a while and will be renting Finn’s holiday house next to mine,” Liam told Dawn. “I wonder if your brother knows about that?”
“I’m not sure,” Dawn said. “Bailey tries to fly under the radar and avoid my overprotective big brother.” She raised her brows. “My brother became overly paranoid after Bailey was kidnapped when she was…” She frowned. “I think seventeen or eighteen.”
“Bailey is Alex’s younger sister, right?” Liam asked Dawn for confirmation.
“Yes,” Dawn said, nodding. “There is a big age gap between the Blackwell twin brothers and Bailey—twenty-two years.”
“That is a big age gap,” Liam said. “Don’t you also have a much younger brother?”
“Yes, Wade.” Dawn sighed. “He’s the black sheep or likes to think he is.” She shook her head and looked at her hands. “My little brother is fourteen years younger than me and nineteen years younger than Scott.”
“Was it a theme or something where you lived?” Liam teased. “All your moms having late lambs.”
“You’d think so.” Dawn laughed before her face fell serious. “Harriet’s mother lost what the medical world likes to term a geriatric pregnancy. Harriet was sixteen, and the family was devastated.”
“Oh, no, that family has been through such a lot,” Liam said. “So Harriet nearly also had a much younger sibling.”
“Twin siblings,” Dawn told him. “It was twins.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Liam said. “Sally nearly lost Lila, but the doctors managed to fix the problem, but Sally was bedridden for the last four months of the pregnancy.”
“This is why I chose not to have kids,” Dawn confessed. “My mother’s family has a history of difficult pregnancies. My mother had three miscarriages, and when she nearly lost Wade, the stress got to her. After Wade was born, my mother started drinking again and eventually killed herself in a car accident driving under the influence.”
“Dawn, I…” Liam looked at her in shock. “I don’t know what to say to that because I’m sorry seems so lame.”
“It’s okay.” Dawn’s eyes were deceptively bright as she gave him a tight smile. “While my mother’s death was a shock, I think we all knew deep down how she was going to end up.” She glanced at her hands. “My father’s death was the tragic one.”
“What happened to your father?” Liam asked.
“He was driving home from New York to the Hamptons and lost control of his car.” Dawn’s voice dropped and became hoarse with emotion. “The doctors say he lost control of the car because he suffered a massive heart attack.” She cleared her throat. “He was probably dead when the oncoming truck hit his car and sent it flying down an embankment.”
Liam sat staring at her wide-eyed. He was no stranger to loss and losing a parent. He and his sister Jennifer had watched their mother suffer from a hereditary heart disease before she died. But what Dawn and her brothers had been through was horrendous—losing both parents to violent car crashes.
Liam closed his hand over hers and told her he understood the pain of losing your parents. While they’d lost their mother to a hereditary heart disease, their father had left them two years before that and just disappeared. They fell into silence for a few minutes, each lost in their memories, before Dawn broke the silence.
“Good grief, how did the conversation become so morbid?” Dawn said with a snort. “And I think that pizza must be so cold by now.”
“I’ll go home quick.” Liam stood.
“Okay,” Dawn nodded. “I’ll stay here with Hicks, and I’m sure my brother has someone watching out for me anyway. They’re probably doing some stealth surveillance.”
“A silent ninja stalking through the shadows, watching your back,” Liam said with a teasing smile. “It makes me feel better about you being here alone with a secret passage leading off from your room.” He glanced at her bedroom. “Maybe close and lock the bedroom door for now.”
“That’s a good idea,” Dawn said. She moved to her bedroom and took the key from the inside lock before pulling the door close and locking it. “There, now I feel safer.”
Liam nodded and looked at the documents lying on the coffee table. “If you want to keep your mind off things, I don’t mind if you want to start going through the information.” He gave her a small smile. “I may even have another journal for you, compliments of the Summer Inn Hotel.”
“Thank you, Liam,” Dawn said, “I’d appreciate that.”
“Okay, but for now,” Liam moved to the table near the suite door, pulled open the drawer and got out a notepad, handing it to her, “you’re going to have to make do with this.”
“Okay.” Dawn took the notepad before flopping back onto the sofa with Hicks faithfully by her side. “I need a pen too.”
“Where’s your lucky pen?” Liam asked her.
“In there.” Dawn pointed at her locked room.
Liam nodded, walked back to the table beside the door, and pulled a pen from the drawer. “Here you go, compliments of the Summer Inn Hotel.”
“Thank you.” Dawn smiled. “I’ll get stuck in here while we wait for you to get back.”
“I won’t be long.” Liam looked at Hicks, who was lying in front of the sofa by Dawn’s feet.
He left and hurried toward his house. When he got there, he collected everything he needed. He was about to leave when Ritz plopped in front of him, nearly scaring the heck out of him.
“Ritz!” Liam growled, picking up the crazy iguana. “What on earth is up with you?”
He started walking her back to her portable home, which she never stayed in anyway. At Finn’s house, she had a vivarium that took up one wall in the entertainment lounge of his house.
“In you go,” Liam said to the iguana and put her back in her mini vivarium, which was a large fish tank. “Now stay there.”
But Ritz wasn’t having it and climbed back out to follow Liam, which was creepy, especially the way she moved her entire body.
“Are you trying to tell me you want to come with me?” Liam couldn’t believe he was talking to a freakin’ reptile.
He sighed and got the crazy iguana leash. Who even thought of making an iguana leash? Ritz even had special jumpers for the winter months. People had gone crazy over their pets. Liam shook his head as he put the harness on Ritz, who he could’ve sworn smiled smugly at him.
“Come on.” Liam picked her up and put her in the large dog bed that he took to his SUV before going back to collect the pizza and Hicks’s bowls, along with some food. “Your doggie brother is having a sleepover tonight.” He told Ritz as he climbed into his vehicle. “Now stay in the back on the bed okay?” Liam looked at the iguana in the mirror before pulling off and heading for the hotel.
When he pulled into the hotel parking lot, he called the night duty manager, who came to help him. Simon was not amused when he saw Ritz and screamed like a baby.
“You could’ve warned me,” Simon, his night manager, hissed and glared at Liam, who was laughing. “Why on earth do you have a giant green gecko in your car?”
“Ritz is an iguana and doesn’t like to be called a gecko,” Liam warned him, dropping his voice. “She’s very sensitive to it.”
“You’re crazy,” Simon told him. “I’m taking the dog food and bowls. You take Godzilla and the dog bed, or is that her bed?”
“Nope.” Liam shook his head and grinned. “It’s a giant dog bed.”
“What is wrong with you?” Simon stared at Liam in disbelief. “Why can’t you just have normal sized animals?” He glanced wearily at Ritz. “Or just normal animals like a cat, maybe?”
“I don’t have animals,” Liam told him, pulling the bed with a smug Ritz in it. “They’re Finn’s pets.”
“You mean Finn’s big black cane corso with the red eyes is here in the hotel?” Simon looked at him questioningly.
“Yup, Hicks is here and is upstairs with Miss Vanderbilt,” Liam told Simon. “So be careful when you take the food and the bed up to her. I have to go get the pizzas warmed.”
“Here’s a better plan,” Simon said. “You take Godzilla, the bed, the bowls, and the food.” He balanced them all on the bed, being careful to avoid Ritz. “I’ll get the pizza and take it to get warmed. I’ll even bring you a nice bottle of wine and some dessert on the house.”
“Thanks for the complimentary items from my hotel.“ Liam stood balancing everything in his arms.
“You’re so welcome.” Simon grinned.
“Here, take my keys and lock my vehicle when you’re done.” Liam dangled the car keys from his finger.
“No problem,” Simon said, pushing the elevator button for Liam. “I’ll see you in fifteen to twenty minutes when your food is ready.”
Liam nodded his thanks and stepped into the elevator. Simon pressed the button to Dawn’s suite, and the doors closed. When the elevator arrived on Dawn’s floor, Liam battled his way to her door. Just before he got there, Ritz’s tail started to swish, and she hissed.
Liam frowned, looking around to see what upset her, and out of the corner of his eye, he could’ve sworn he saw part of the wall move. He gave his head a shake and looked around again but saw nothing but the wall.
“I’m going mad,” Liam mumbled to himself as he balanced everything in his arms to knock on Dawn’s door.
She opened it with a smile and a happy Hicks by her side.
“Hi,” Dawn greeted him, reaching out to help and jumping when Ritz moved on the bed. “Oh, goodness, Ritz, you scared me.” She laughed.
“I had to bring her,” Liam explained. “The crazy reptile wouldn’t let me leave the house.”
“She misses her friend and holiday family,” Dawn said, taking the bowls and food and then stepping aside for Liam to enter.
“Did anything happen while I was away?” Liam asked.
“No,” Dawn said, shaking her head. “I did order some hot chocolate. I know it’s summer, but I just felt like some warm chocolaty goodness.”
As Liam stepped into the suite, he caught movement from the corner of his eye once again. He whipped his head around to see, but there was nothing. I’m going crazy. All this phantom stuff is getting to me.
“We can put Hicks’s bed in here with us for now.” Dawn pointed to a place near where she was sitting on the sofa. Some of the notes and pictures were spread out over the cushions. “You can put Ritz wherever she wants to be.”
“She’ll stay on the bed,” Liam told Dawn. “It’s warm and fuzzy.”
“I don’t have those warm lights you have for her,” Dawn said. “I hope she doesn’t get cold.”
“She’ll be fine,” Liam assured Dawn, placing the bed where Dawn instructed. “Simon, the night manager, will be bringing up the pizza, some wine, and dessert.”
“Nice,” Dawn said. “I’m starving.”
“Me too,” Liam said, sorting out Hicks’s food and water in the kitchenette.
He walked through to the living room, and when he was done, he sat beside Dawn on the sofa. Hicks decided he wasn’t having Liam too close to his new bestie and plopped himself between them on the floor.
“I’ve been going through all the newspaper clippings Harper and Lila snapped,” Dawn told him. “I’ve been going through the diary trying to tie up some of the dates.” She showed him a few of the clippings. “These dates tie up with the hotel renovations.” She pointed to it with her pen. “Apparently, the Summer Inn was quite the establishment. It wasn’t the run-of-the-mill tavern-type inn. It was respectable.”
“Until the thefts started,” Liam guessed.
“These clippings accuse a thief they caught around the time the thefts started,” Dawn handed them to Liam.
Liam adjusted his position on the sofa to better see the clippings Dawn had handed him. Each article was a fascinating glimpse into a bygone era, detailing various events at the Summer Inn that coincided with the initial rounds of renovation and the subsequent mysterious occurrences that followed. One clipping in particular caught his attention; it featured a photograph of a man, eyes shaded by a hat brim, being led away by local police.
“It says here this fellow was caught with items that disappeared from the Inn during the grand reopening gala after the first major renovation,” Liam read aloud, his voice tinged with curiosity. “They believed he was part of a larger ring but could never prove connections to any others.”
Dawn leaned closer, her interest piqued. “That could mean whoever was behind the original thefts might have passed down methods or even reasons for targeting the Inn. Sort of a twisted heritage.”
“Exactly,” Liam agreed. “And it makes me wonder if the current thefts are somehow linked to those old ones. Maybe someone’s trying to rekindle old legends or settle some old score?”
The thought hung heavily between them, the weight of history palpable in their temporary archive of scattered papers and artifacts.
Liam’s eyes then drifted to the diary open on the coffee table, its pages marked by age. He skimmed the lines written in a neat script, the words echoing the concerns of an era long past yet strangely relevant.
“Listen to this, ‘The shadows grow long, and so too does the list of unexplained misfortunes since the new walls rose. I fear what was meant to be a bastion of respite has become a harbor for darker deeds, unseen yet deeply felt.’”
Dawn shivered slightly, wrapping her arms around herself. “It’s like they were writing about now.”
With a nod, Liam continued, “It makes you think about the foundations of places, not just the physical ones but the stories built into them. What if the renovations stirred something up, something that never really went away?”
“That’s a chilling thought,” Dawn said, her gaze flitting around the well-lit room as if seeing it in a new light.
Their exploration into the past was interrupted by a knock on the door. Liam stood to answer it, finding Simon, the night manager, balancing a stack of pizza boxes, a bottle of wine, and dessert on a cart.
“Here you go, piping hot,” Simon announced, stepping inside and setting the items on the kitchenette counter. “Anything else you need?”
“We’re good, thanks, Simon,” Liam replied, appreciating the effort. “This is perfect.”
Once Simon had left, Liam and Dawn arranged the food on the coffee table, the savory aroma of pizza filling the suite and lending a semblance of normalcy to their unconventional evening.
As they ate, the conversation drifted from theories about the thefts to more personal stories. Dawn listened intently as Liam shared his reasoning and excitement about buying the hotel.
“And after everything, taking over the Inn now seems like stepping into a story already in progress,” Liam concluded, wiping his hands on a napkin.
Dawn reached out, touching his arm gently. “But you’ve made the hotel your own, Liam.” She glanced at their research abandoned on the coffee table for their meal. “I get the feeling that whatever is happening now is someone trying to make it seem like something leaked from the past in order to manipulate our future.”
Liam smiled, grateful for her presence and partnership. “I couldn’t have put that better myself,” he agreed.
They continued to sift through the documents, their meal long finished, the wine bottle gradually emptying as they pieced together historical events of the Summer Inn, looking for clues.
As the clock ticked deeper into the night, they laid out a timeline on the floor, marking significant dates and events with notes. The visual representation of their findings painted a compelling picture of cycles repeating through the decades.
“Look at this,” Dawn pointed to a series of entries around the late 1920s. “Every time the Inn changed hands or underwent significant changes, there was a spike in unexplained incidents. It’s like the place itself doesn’t like change.”
Liam considered the pattern. “Or someone uses those periods of upheaval to cover their tracks, taking advantage of the Inn’s storied reputation to add a few ghost stories.”
The night grew late, and their eyes were heavy with the weight of all they had learned. Hicks had long since settled into a comfortable spot on his bed, occasionally lifting his head to watch the two humans puzzling over their mystery. Ritz had slid beneath her furry friend to soak up his warmth.
As Dawn yawned, stretching her arms above her head, Liam stood, gathering the empty plates. “Let’s call it a night. We’ve done a lot of good work here, but we need fresh eyes.”
Dawn nodded, her mind still racing. “You’re right. Let’s get some rest and tackle this again tomorrow.”
Their eyes met a silent agreement passing between them, fortified by the shared thrill of the unknown and the promise of mysteries yet to unravel. Together, they had begun to sift through the pages of history to the soft rustle of paper and the distant call of the ocean waves as if whispering secrets of their own.
Liam had gathered an irate Ritz and was getting ready to leave when Hicks’s head shot up, and he started to growl his head shot around toward Dawn’s locked bedroom door. Liam and Dawn both froze and watched as Hicks rushed to the door and began to bark. It was not a happy to see you bark, but a there’s someone bad in there bark.
Liam and Dawn glanced at each other before Liam sprung into action. Grabbing a silver candelabra from the side cabinet near the door, he rushed to Dawn’s bedroom door. Unlocking it, Liam had just turned the handle when Hicks knocked the door open and rushed in. As Liam stepped into the room, he couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw the wall slither into the mirror door that led to the secret passage.
He gave his head a shake as Hicks flew at the mirror, but it clicked closed, and he went mad, barking and trying to scratch his way into the mirror.
“What happened?” Dawn rushed into the room, sporting the other candelabra and cradling Ritz in her free arm. “Ritz and I were on our way to defend you.”
“We appreciate that,” Liam told her. “But the wall oozed into the mirror and disappeared.”
“I beg your pardon?” Dawn’s frown deepened.
“When I was coming back to your suite earlier, I kept thinking I saw the wall move,” Liam told her. “I thought I was going crazy.” He pointed to the mirror. “And then I saw it disappear into the mirror.”
“It went through the mirror?” Dawn gaped at him.
“Nope,” Liam shook his head. “It went through the secret mirror door.” He frowned again as he spotted a few drops of blood. He kneeled and looked at it. “And Unless phantoms can bleed,” he pointed to the carpet, “I’d say we’re dealing with a human who knows how to disguise themselves like a wall.”