Secrets of Blackwater Bay

th the downpour. Beside him, Emma sat in silence, her body tense as she stared out the window, lost in thought. She hadn't wanted to leav

im, some clue about who he was or what he wanted. But there had been nothing. No tracks in the mud, no sign that anyon

. Blackthorn Bay had a way of playing tricks on people, b

l howled through the narrow alleys, rattling windows and shutters. Jack pulled into a spot outside the old diner, its neon sign flickering weakly in t

quietly, glancing at E

he exhaustion etched in her face, the tension in her shoulders that hadn't eased since they left the m

what we need to figure out," he said, his voice low. "The guy at your door wasn't just

d give her that. "But why? Why me? I don't even know who he is, and I have

hair. "That's the thing. It might not be about you dir

ng forward slightly

e kind of person to let things go easily-he could see that in her eyes. She wanted a

words carefully. "But not just because of her wealth or her family's name. There were always r

in confusion. "Strang

.. superstition. People here believe in curses, in old family secrets that go back generations. The Hartleys wer

slightly, but she

specially in her later years. People said she knew something-something tied to the house, to your family's past. And now

vously in her lap. Jack could see the wheels turning in her mind, the fear and uncertainty mingling with frustration. She didn't w

involved in something dangerous?" Emma

ough the word didn't seem too far off the mark. "But I d

aze distant. Then she said, almost

er, his brow rai

appened. It's... strange. There are entries about shadows, about someone visiting her in her dreams. She mentioned a secret, someth

say anything about who this perso

all vague, almost cryptic. Like

r something tied to that journal. Maybe your grandmother had something he

herself. "But what could it be? What could be so

that frustrated him. He was used to solv

t secret is," Jack said, his vo

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kept his eyes on the road, his senses alert for any sign of movement, but the surroundi

round them as they drove. The headlights cut through the darkness, illuminating the old stone walls of the house as it came in

sweeping over the grounds one last time before turnin

der the pressure by now, but Emma was holding her own. Still, he could see the fear in her eyes-the un

sed for a moment, scanning the shadows around them. The night was quiet, save for the occasiona

ling Jack's nostrils as they entered the foyer. The house felt different, more alive than it had earlier. The shadow

lose behind, his senses on high alert. He didn't like the feel of the place-not tonight.

the table and handed it to Jack. "Here," she said, her voice

dwriting was neat but rushed, as if Margaret had written the entries in a hurry. He s

ove at night.

reams, whispering truth

no matter the cost. The bl

ing on the journal. The bloodline must be prese

wing as he read the next entry. Th

s coming for me. The house is no longer safe. I must f

he said slowly, looking up fr

eyes wide with apprehen

served to know the truth. "Your grandmother was afraid. Sh

p back, shaking her head. "Why? Why w

o place. Whatever her grandmother had been hiding, it was tied to he

is is," Jack said, his voice

ar flickered in her ey

ore-something hidden in the house, some clue that would lead them to

ets the eye. Your grandmother wouldn't have written all this without le

, but she nodded. "

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