Harper’s voice cracked as she finished reading, her vision blurring with tears. The room was heavy with the weight of Mary’s pain and the horror of what she’d witnessed. Harper couldn’t even begin to imagine the strength it must have taken for Mary to keep silent, to hold in her screams while watching the person she loved be taken from her in such a brutal way. Then she realized, she’d sort of gone through the same thing back in high school.
More tears threatened at that realization, and she was grateful when Cas pulled her close and held her tight. When she’d finally regained some control, she drew back and swiped the tears from her face.
“They didn’t just kill him,” she said. “They burned away everything—everyone in their path—just to keep their names clean.”
Anger rose within Harper along with a fierce determination to do what Mary never could—to bring the truth into the light, no matter the cost. The families had hidden behind their power for too long, but now, with the missing pages in their hands, she knew they had what they needed to finally expose the darkness that had haunted her family for generations.
“This is it,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “This is the proof we’ve been missing. Nevil Anderson, he—he’s the one who pushed P, and then he just…covered it all up with that fire. All of it, just to protect his family’s name.”
Cas leaned closer, his brow furrowing. “The Andersons have been one of the most powerful in Harland County for as long as anyone can remember. It makes sense that he’d go to any length to protect their reputation, but this…this is beyond anything I imagined.”
Sadie nodded, her face pale. “And to think they were willing to sacrifice innocent lives, too. Not just Mary’s lover but also everyone in that church basement. It’s monstrous.”
She glanced at the pages again, feeling the weight of her great-grandmother’s pain and fear radiating from the fragile paper. “Mary must have been terrified, watching it all happen, knowing what Nevil was capable of and being unable to do anything about it. No wonder she wrote it all down. She needed someone to know, even if she couldn’t say it herself.”
Dale crossed his arms, his expression grim. “They thought they could just sweep it all under the rug, like nothing ever happened. And they almost got away with it.”
Harper nodded, her resolve hardening. “They did. They almost buried it forever. But Mary’s words are still here. Theydidn’t win, not really. We’ve got the truth now, and we’re going to make sure everyone knows what they did.”
She glanced back at the pages, her fingers tracing the faded ink. “I still can’t believe Nevil would go that far. I mean, this wasn’t just about hiding an affair. He destroyed lives, whole families…his own grandson, for God’s sake! And for what? To keep a spotless legacy?”
It was just a stupid bank.
Cas squeezed her hand gently. “Power does strange things to people. And some will do anything to keep it.”
Apparently.
She inhaled, trying to steady her racing thoughts. “Well, we’re not going to let them hide behind that power anymore. We’ve got the missing pages, and we’re going to make sure everyone sees them. Mary’s going to have her truth told, finally.”
She paused, glancing down at the next entry. “There’s still one more.”
With that, Harper turned to the last page and inhaled before blowing out the breath. Then she read her great-grandmother’s final thoughts on the tragic event.
“July 15, 1937. I’ve been running the events of that night over and over in my head, trying to make sense of how everything fell apart so quickly. Andrew keeps telling me to stay quiet, that speaking up now would only make things worse. He’s scared for me, and maybe he’s right. Nevil’s already got people watching my every move. He’s covering all his tracks, and I know he’ll come after me if he even suspects I might talk.
But I can’t keep this inside any longer. I hear P’s voice in my dreams, see his eyes when I close mine. He trusted me, and I promised him we’d find a way out of this. Now he’s gone, and I’m left with this burden that keeps growing heavier every day.They want me to stay silent, but my silence feels like betrayal. How can I live with myself knowing what I know? Knowing that Nevil’s family won’t hesitate to hurt more people to keep their secret safe?
They’re moving fast. I overheard Nevil talking to the Collinses about what happens next. They’re planning to pin the fire on a faulty gas line, something easy for people to accept so they’ll stop asking questions. It’s all lies. And worse, they’ve started spreading rumors about P, painting him as a reckless fool who got mixed up in the wrong things. They’re trying to smear his name, even in death.
I’m writing this down because it’s the only thing I can do. If something happens to me, if Nevil decides I’m too much of a risk, I want someone to find this. I want them to know what really happened—that P wasn’t reckless, that he didn’t deserve to die. That Nevil Anderson and his family are the ones with blood on their hands. I don’t know how much longer I can keep quiet, but I know this: the truth has to come out, one way or another. And if I can’t be the one to say it, then maybe someone else will.
Harper finished reading, her voice trembling as she lowered the pages. The room was silent, the weight of Mary’s words hanging heavily between them. It was clear now. Mary had tried to find a way to speak up, to honor the promise she’d made to her lover. But fear had kept her trapped, just as it had so many others in Harland County back then.
“She knew everything,” Sadie said. “And she was desperate to make it right.”
Dale nodded, his expression somber. “And now we know, too.”
“Yes.” Harper waved the papers in her hand. “We’re going to finish what our great-grandmother started. We’re going to make sure everyone knows the truth.”
Determination surged through her. Mary had been silenced, but her story hadn’t ended with those torn-out pages. Now, it was up to Harper to ensure that Mary’s voice finally broke through the darkness, shining a light on the past that had haunted their family for so long.
Cas rubbed her back. “We’ve got what we need now, Harper. We can finally bring this to light.”
“Yes.” Dale nodded “This changes everything. We have to take this to Gabe and make sure Nevil’s actions don’t stay buried.”
“All right,” she said. “Call Gabe. We have a lot to tell him.”
“And I’m calling Mac,” Cas said, pulling out his phone. “Time to have Carter dig into all three founding families, get a list of all their relatives right up to now, as well as their financials, going all the way back to their first days here.”
