Chapter 17

Evelyn stepped into the motel room, her boots crunching on broken glass from the door. Her face was Clara's face, but harder, colder, like a statue carved from ice. She held a knife in one hand and a crumpled photo in the other.

"You look just like her," she said, her voice low and rough. "Your mother, I mean. Same stubborn chin. Same stupid bravery."

Jesse stepped in front of me, his hands up. "We don't want trouble. We've got proof now. The Circle's done."

Evelyn laughed, a sound like nails on glass. "Proof? You think proof matters in a town like this? They'll bury it. Just like they buried me."

Mara stirred on the couch, her eyes wide with fear. "Who… who are you?"

"The ghost they couldn't kill," Evelyn said, tossing the photo onto the table. It was a picture of Clara and her, standing on the lighthouse steps, their arms linked. "Twins drown together," she said, echoing the words from the pocket watch. "But I didn't drown. I fought."

I picked up the photo, my hands shaking. "They said you died. They said you both drowned."

"They lied," Evelyn snapped. "Just like they lied about the light. Just like they lied about her."

"Her?" Jesse asked.

Evelyn's eyes locked on mine. "Your mother."

The room felt like it was spinning. "What about her?"

Evelyn leaned in close, her breath hot on my face. "She knew. She knew everything. And she did nothing."

"No," I said, shaking my head. "My mother spent her life trying to expose the Circle. She—"

"She protected them," Evelyn snarled. "She made a deal. Her silence for your safety."

The words hit me like a punch. I stumbled back, my legs hitting the edge of the bed. "You're lying."

Evelyn tossed a folded piece of paper onto the table. "Read it."

I unfolded it with trembling hands. It was a letter, written in my mother's handwriting.

*"To the Mariner's Circle,

I will keep your secrets. I will bury the truth. But you leave my daughter alone. If anything happens to her, I will burn this town to the ground.

Signed,

Margaret Harper."*

The room was silent except for the sound of my own breathing, ragged and uneven. Jesse reached for the letter, but I pulled it away, clutching it to my chest.

"No," I whispered. "This isn't real."

Evelyn's voice softened, but only a little. "She loved you, Ellie. Too much to let them hurt you. But she paid for it. Every day. Just like I did."

Mara stood, her fists clenched. "So what now? You just show up to mess with her head? We've got proof. We can take them down."

Evelyn turned to her, her eyes narrowing. "Proof isn't enough. You need leverage. And I've got it."

She pulled a small, rusted key from her pocket and slid it across the table. "The lighthouse cellar. There's a safe. Inside, you'll find everything you need to destroy them. But it's not going to be easy."

"Why?" Jesse asked.

Evelyn's lips curled into a grim smile. "Because the safe is rigged. Open it wrong, and the whole town goes up in flames."

"A bomb?" I choked out.

"A legacy," Evelyn said. "One last gift from the Circle. They built it to protect their secrets. But it can be turned against them."

Jesse picked up the key, turning it over in his hands. "And you're just giving this to us? Why?"

Evelyn's eyes met mine again, and for a moment, I saw something softer there. Something sad. "Because I'm tired of running. And because Clara would've wanted you to finish this."

She turned and walked to the door, pausing with her hand on the frame. "One last thing. The safe's locked with a riddle. Solve it, and you win. Get it wrong…"

She didn't finish. She didn't need to.

The door slammed behind her, leaving us in silence.

The lighthouse loomed ahead, its beam cutting through the fog like a sword. The storm had passed, but the air was heavy with the promise of rain. Jesse carried the key in one hand and a flashlight in the other. Mara walked beside me, her arms wrapped tight around herself.

"You sure about this?" Jesse asked, his voice low.

"No," I said. "But we don't have a choice."

The cellar door creaked open, revealing a narrow staircase. The air smelled of damp stone and old wood. We descended slowly, our footsteps echoing in the dark.

At the bottom, the safe sat in the center of the room, its surface pitted with rust. A plaque on the front bore a single line of text:

"The tide takes, but the moon gives. Speak the truth, and the door lives."

"A riddle," Mara said, her voice trembling. "What does it mean?"

I stared at the words, my mind racing. "The tide takes… but the moon gives. It's about balance. About truth and lies."

Jesse frowned. "So what's the answer?"

I closed my eyes, thinking of my mother's letter. Of Evelyn's words. Of Clara's face in the photo.

"The truth," I said. "The answer is the truth."

I stepped forward and spoke the word aloud.

"Truth."

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, with a loud click, the safe door swung open.

Inside was a stack of documents, a USB drive, and a small, black device with a timer.

"The bomb," Jesse whispered.

Mara reached for the documents, her hands shaking. "This is it. Everything we need."

But my eyes were fixed on the bomb. The timer was set for 60 minutes.

"We need to go," I said. "Now."

We grabbed the evidence and ran, the timer ticking down in my mind.

Back at the motel, we spread the documents on the table. They were damning—ship manifests, financial records, names of Circle members. The USB drive held videos of meetings, confessions, even a recording of Clara's drowning.

"This is enough to put them all away," Jesse said, his voice filled with awe.

But my eyes kept drifting to the bomb, its timer now at 45 minutes.

"We need to call the police," Mara said.

"No," I said, my voice firm. "We need to call the news."

Jesse frowned. "Ellie, if we go public, the Circle will—"

"The Circle's done," I said, cutting him off. "But the town needs to know. They need to see the truth."

I picked up my phone and dialed the number for the state news station.

"This is Eleanor Harper," I said when they answered. "I've got a story that's going to blow your minds."

The bomb exploded at dawn.

The lighthouse was gone, reduced to rubble and ash. But the town was safe. The evidence was safe. And the truth was out.

As the sun rose over Haven's Cove, I stood on the beach, the ruby necklace in my hand. The tide lapped at my feet, cold and relentless.

"What now?" Jesse asked, coming up beside me.

I looked out at the sea, at the waves crashing against the rocks. "Now we rebuild."

Mara joined us, her face pale but determined. "And we make sure nothing like this ever happens again."

I nodded, slipping the ruby into my pocket. The tide takes, but it also gives back.

And sometimes, it gives you a second chance.