Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 102280 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 511(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102280 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 511(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
“Did anyone investigate these disappearances?”
“Someone would look into it for a day or two. People came and went, especially people involved with the Aldriches. If someone vanished, well, maybe they’d gotten word that federal agents were approaching. Maybe they’d decided to try their luck elsewhere. Or maybe they’d crossed the Aldrich family somehow.”
Captain Henley stood up and stretched, his joints creaking audibly. “I should be getting home. Margaret will have dinner waiting.”
“Thank you so much for talking with me. This has been incredibly helpful.”
“You’re welcome, dear. Just remember—these are old stories from a different time. The lighthouse today is just a lighthouse, and the people who work there are good, honest folks who keep things running.”
Back in her bedroom, Lily called Sarah again before she’d even put down her backpack.
“Okay, I just talked to a ninety-three-year-old fisherman who basically confirmed everything I found in the records. But Sarah, there’s something else.”
“I’m listening.”
Lily pulled out the maintenance records and spread them across her desk. “Examine these entries from 1923. March fifteenth: ‘Completed modifications to storage area beneath main structure.’ July eighth: ‘Reinforced flooring on the lower level.’ October twelfth: ‘Sealed access point to coastal side.’”
“Modifications for what?”
“That’s just it—these modifications don’t appear in the original construction plans. Someone altered the lighthouse structure during the height of the smuggling operation, then sealed off whatever they’d built.”
“You think they created hidden storage spaces?”
“I think they transformed the lighthouse into a smuggling hub.” Lily grabbed her highlighter and marked each date. “Examine the timing. They modify the storage area in March, reinforce the floor in July—probably because they’re storing heavy cargo—then in October, right when Keeper Thompson starts documenting ‘systematic operations,’ they closed the coastal access point.”
“The coastal access point being . . .”
“A secret entrance they could use to move contraband without going through the main harbor.” Lily stood up, pacing within her phone cord’s reach. “Sarah, what if those modifications still exist? What if there are still hidden rooms or tunnels under the lighthouse?”
“Have you asked your dad about the building’s layout?”
“Not yet. I wanted to gather all my research first. But I’m going to ask him tomorrow about touring the whole building, including areas the public doesn’t normally see.”
“Lily.” Sarah’s voice carried a note of caution. “You’re talking about a federal building that your father maintains. If there really are hidden spaces, don’t you think he’d know about them?”
Lily stopped pacing. “Unless the spaces were sealed so well that even the current maintenance staff doesn’t know they exist. Think about it—if you were running an illegal operation in the 1920s, would you trust future generations to keep your secrets?”
“Or,” Sarah added slowly, “people do know about them, but they’re not talking.”
She checked her watch: 9:30 PM. Too late to call anyone tonight, but tomorrow she would ask her father about the lighthouse’s lower level. She was curious to see if the modifications mentioned in the 1920s records remained visible.
As she prepared for bed, Lily reflected on how her research had evolved. What had started as a straightforward historical investigation had become something much more complex. She now uncovered not just facts about the past, but evidence of how that past had shaped the present community.
The lighthouse wasn’t just a historic building—it was a structure that had been modified and adapted to serve illegal purposes, then returned to its official function once those purposes became too dangerous. The records suggested that many people in town had known about the smuggling operation, and some had profited from it.
She wondered how many of those families remained prominent in Westerly Cove today. How many of the current community leaders were descendants of people who had been involved in the Aldrich smuggling operation? It was a fascinating question from a historical perspective, though she recognized it might be a sensitive one for current residents.
Her research now revealed layers of local history that had been carefully preserved in official records but never openly discussed. The lighthouse keepers had documented what they saw, but their reports had been suppressed. Captain Henley’s family had maintained oral traditions about the “night fishermen,” but these stories had been treated as folklore rather than historical fact.
Lily began understanding that her thesis would be more than just a study of lighthouse operations—it would be an examination of how communities handle and remember their complicated pasts. How they decide which stories to preserve and which to forget.
As she drifted off to sleep, she made a mental note to ask her father about scheduling a thorough tour of the lighthouse building, including areas that weren’t normally accessible to the public. If the 1920s modifications remained visible, they might provide the perfect conclusion to her research.
She had no way of knowing that her innocent request would set in motion a chain of events that had been waiting twenty-five years to unfold.