Page 148 of Hidden Tide

“He did.”

“Where?”

“At my boathouse.”

“Was anyone working there?”

Thomas frowns. “Occasionally.”

“Who?”

“A few boys from the marina helped during the summers. I paid them to sand boats and clean the workshop.”

“Names.”

“I don’t remember all of them.”

“Try.”

Thomas closes his eyes.

“There was Marcus Bell for one summer.”

Willow stares at him. “Arthur’s son worked for you?”

“Arthur asked me to keep him out of trouble. Marcus was sixteen.”

“Who else?”

“Elliot came with him several times, but he was younger. I wouldn’t let him work near the equipment.”

The Bell brothers knew about the boxes.

They may not have known what Grandpa hid inside them then, but they knew the gifts existed.

Ben looks toward Ivy.

“If Elliot and Marcus saw the camera, they could have recognized it years later.”

“And started watching us,” she says.

“Why wait until now?” Hazel asks.

“Because Grandpa was alive,” I answer. “They were afraid he would know who took it.”

Thomas nods.

“After James died, they may have begun searching carefully. Replacing items so none of you realized anything was missing.”

I turn toward Willow.

“Your watch.”

“The federal team found the prism and the note.”

“But did you notice anything different about the watch before they took it apart?”

“No.”