Chapter 15 - THE ENEMY WITHIN THE CASTLE
The realization hit Mark like a bomb exploding inside his chest. The grief, the funeral four years ago, the sealed coffin—it had all been a staged illusion. The mastermind behind his family's destruction wasn't an outsider. It was the monster who had worn his dead wife's memory like a ghost mask!
The SUV roared up the winding driveway of Mark’s coastal home. The front doors hung wide open, blowing wildly in the coastal wind. rain lashed into the grand entryway.
Mark surged into the house with his crowbar in hand, Vance following right behind with his service pistol raised.
"SOPHIE!" Mark screamed, his voice echoing off the high ceilings. "SOPHIE!"
Silence answered him—except for the soft, steady ticking of a grandfather clock in the drawing room.
Mark sprinted up the marble staircase into Sophie’s bedroom. The nursery was torn apart. Stuffed animals were ripped open, drawers pulled out, and light fixtures shattered. Sitting in the middle of the carpet was Sophie’s favorite stuffed bear, soaked in fresh blood.
On the wall above the bed, written in red paint, was a single address: BLACKWOOD LIGHTHOUSE — 10 MILES NORTH.
Vance’s radio crackled. "Dispatch to Unit 4, we have automated traffic camera hits on a black SUV leaving the coastal road toward Blackwood Point. One female driver, one child passenger."
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"She's taking her to the old abandoned lighthouse on the cliffs," Vance said, turning to Mark. "SWAT is ten minutes out, but the storm is knocking out coastal communications. We can't wait for backup."
"I'm not waiting another second," Mark hissed, his eyes burning with pure venom. He snatched the steel Black Lily ledger from his coat, tucked it firmly into his belt, and charged back down the stairs into the tempest.
