Page 52 of Leafpoint Lighthouse

“None of that, William. Recognising something is wrong doesn’t require a college education. If you agree to work with me, then we can do some research,” I suggested.

William chewed the inside of his cheek. “The evil…”

“What if that is part of it?” I demanded.

“I don’t understand.”

“You are convinced you’re stopping some evil escaping. Could it be linked to this? If we can figure out what happened, then we might be able to end its life?”

William paced back and forth again. He was clearly thinking about it.

“You’ll do as I say?” he asked.

“Nope. But I will consider your thoughts. Let’s face it, two hundred-plus years ago, a lot of people died and disappeared. Then you had peace until the Jaspers returned. We’re at the heart of this somehow. If I can help, I want to. William, this is my family legacy,” I replied.

“Your legacy?” William looked intrigued by that idea.

“Yes. I’m a direct descendant of Charles. His blood runs through my veins.”

“We’ll work together. Could your net thing bring up the information we need?”

“The internet can. Let’s get started.”

“Well, that’s not something we expected,” I said several hours later. William and I glanced at each other, puzzled.

“How could that possibly happen?” William asked, surprised.

“I’ve no idea. But there’s nothing after the fire, and that alone is sparse. It doesn’t even say how it began or who survived.”

“Yet you come from his bloodline,” William said.

“Yes, Charles’s daughter; however, there’s no mention of her either. What could have happened to stop the timeline around the Jaspers, lighthouses and the Damerell gang?”

William shook his head. “This is beyond the scope of my understanding.”

We both paused as we heard a bang followed by a smashing noise. “The chimney!” William yelled and disappeared before my eyes

“The what now?” I murmured and headed for the stairs.

William

As soon as I heard the crash and shattering of glass, I knew what had happened. I raced for the lamp room, arriving precisely when the shadow was escaping.

“Damn it!” I hissed, seeing the shattered chimney. A minute later, Lyra appeared, out of breath and holding onto the railing.

“What is that?” she asked, pointing.

“It covers the wick for the light to work. Our enemy smashed it.”

“Do we have a backup?” Lyra demanded with panic in her eyes.

“Yes, luckily. I can replace this. Stay back; there is glass everywhere, and you might get hurt.” I paused. “That box of yours. Can it locate people who build chimneys?”

“Certainly, but I would need the details,” Lyra stated.

“Good. I’ll put the spare in, and then we must find someone. If we lose the chimney, the light won’t work.”

Lyra went pale. “Would that mean shipwrecks?”