Chapter 7
Fragmented Newspaper Clipping (from three years ago)
…one of Wychshire’s most beautiful estates, Swanley Hall, now a crumbling and condemned pile of bricks, sinking under the weight of its own decay, is finally set to be auctioned following years of legal entanglement.
Once home to the noble House of Swanley and former Earls of Fleetwater, the isolated estate has been empty since the tragic fire seven years ago that claimed the lives of Edward and Margaret Swanley, along with several of their staff at the time.
(illegible)
…son was remanded to a juvenile facility after allegations of arson and obstruction.
Sources close to the investigation say that the fire may have originated... (fold or scorch mark obscures the rest)
Local officials declined to comment further, most likely due to sealed records and “extenuating psychological factors.”
Pictured above: Swanley Hall, prior to the fire. Right: Young Swanley, 16 years old. (image defaced with heavy scratching over the teenager’s face)