Page 26 of Caspian (HC Heroes #14)

S adie gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. “Oh my God, Harper, is that—”

Harper nodded, carefully opening the envelope.

Inside were the missing pages, neatly folded and tucked away as if waiting to be found.

Her hands shook slightly as she pulled them out, the ink faded but still legible.

She glanced at Cas, who gave her a reassuring nod, and then she began to read out loud.

P tried to calm me tonight, said we could run, disappear somewhere they’d never find us.

But how could we live like that, always looking over our shoulders?

And what if they found us anyway? Nevil is ruthless.

He’s already proven that. Andrew says we need to lay low, to be careful.

But I’m terrified. I feel trapped, like the walls are closing in.

Every time I look at P, I see the fear in his eyes, hidden behind his brave smile.

Andrew warned me not to tell anyone, said we need to handle this quietly.

He promised to find a way to protect us, but I can see the doubt in his eyes.

I’ve never seen my brother look so lost, so unsure of what to do.

And now, knowing that Nevil’s men are watching us, every moment feels like a ticking clock.

I can’t lose P. I can’t let Nevil win. But what choice do we have when he holds all the power?

Harper’s grip tightening on the fragile pages as she finished reading the first one. She glanced up at the others, her stomach knotted. “Poor Mary.”

“I know.” Sadie blinked, wiping away a tear. “Keep reading.”

“July 5, 1937. It’s worse than I thought.

Andrew says Nevil has already bribed people, paid off anyone who might have spoken out about seeing P and me together.

He’s making sure that if anything happens, no one will question it.

Andrew begged me to stay away from P, just until he can figure out a plan, but I can’t.

I can’t turn my back on the only person who makes me feel like this life is worth living.

P’s voice trembled today. He said he felt like something bad was coming, that the air was too thick with threats we couldn’t see but could feel in every shadow.

He’s scared, and I am too, but we both tried to put on brave faces for each other.

I know he’s lying to me, pretending it’ll all work out when deep down, we both know it might not.

I’m starting to wonder if we’ll ever find our way out of this mess.

Andrew thinks Nevil might act soon, and I can’t help but feel like we’re running out of time.

I’m writing all of this down because I need someone, someday, to know the truth.

Nevil Anderson isn’t a man of idle threats.

He’s a snake with venom that spreads through this town, poisoning everything it touches.

And now he’s after us. And P is his own grandson. God help us.

Harper swallowed, wiping her face, and clearing her throat. “That’s despicable.”

Cas was by her side now, his hand steady on the small of her back, giving her the courage she needed to read the next page. Harper instinctively knew it would be the toughest one.

“July 12, 1937. I can’t unsee it. The argument, the shouting, P trying to stand his ground against Nevil and his goons.

It was chaos—everyone yelling, accusations flying.

Nevil kept saying that P was a disgrace, that he was ruining everything the family had built.

I watched from the shadows, hiding in that dark corner where I thought I’d be safe, but my heart felt like it was about to beat out of my chest.

And then it happened. Nevil punched P so hard that he stumbled back, his eyes wide with shock.

I thought it would end there, that they’d just yell some more, but no.

P lost his balance, his foot slipping on the edge of the old rug.

I saw him fall, and before I could even think to scream, his head struck the corner of one of the statues.

The sound of it—a sickening thud—I’ll never forget.

He didn’t move after that, just lay there, lifeless. The whole room went dead quiet.

I wanted to scream, to rush out and hold him, but I couldn’t.

I clamped my hand over my mouth so hard I thought I’d break my own jaw, just to keep that scream from coming out.

I couldn’t let them know I was there, couldn’t let Nevil see me.

All I could do was watch, my tears burning hot trails down my cheeks, my whole body shaking so hard I thought I’d give myself away.

That’s when the others started to panic.

There were whispers and shouts, the men from the three families—Nevil’s, the Collinses, and the Everetts.

They were frantic, trying to figure out what to do.

Nevil kept saying they had to clean it up, that no one could know what happened.

They decided right there, with P’s body still warm on the floor, that they’d set a fire to cover it up.

My P wasn’t even gone for more than a minute before they were already planning how to erase him.

But what they didn’t realize, or maybe didn’t care to remember, was that there were people in the basement that night.

A separate meeting, people trying to organize for the church’s fundraiser.

Innocent souls who had no idea the danger lurking above them.

Nevil didn’t care. None of them did. All they saw was a solution to their problem—a fire to consume the evidence, to burn away the truth that P had died because of their cruelty.

I stayed hidden until they all left, until the fire was already crackling, and the smoke filled the air.

My heart was breaking, not just for P but for everyone down there, trapped because of Nevil’s desperate need to protect his family’s reputation.

I knew I had to help as many of the others as I could get out before the flames made it impossible.

But I also knew I had to remember every detail.

They think the fire will hide their sins, but I won’t let them forget.

I will find a way to make sure the truth is told, even if it’s the last thing I ever do.

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. They didn’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.”

Dale nodded. “Roger that,” he said, before dialing the sheriff.

Sadie wrapped her arms around her in a tight hug. “You did it, Harper. You found the missing piece.”

She clung to Sadie. They had the truth now, and she knew that Mary’s voice would finally be heard.

As they stood together in the quiet living room, Harper felt a renewed sense of purpose.

The secrets that had haunted their family for so long were finally out in the open, and she was ready to make sure that justice was served.

They owed it to Mary and her lost love, to ensure that Nevil Anderson’s actions were exposed for all to see.

She just hoped no one else got hurt in the process.