Addie clasped her knees to her chest and sat with her back propped against the wall. She glanced at her sleeping mother, then back out across the dark terrain. It was only a matter of time before the intruders tried the door to the tower. When they found it locked, they would suspect she and her mother were hiding up here.
The padlock might not hold determined men for long. Or maybe they’d think the lighthouse tower was locked because the lightkeeper hadn’t been replaced. She prayed for God to blind their eyes, to distract them from their search.
She crawled to the metal stairs and peered into the darkness. It was too impenetrable for her to make out the door. Silence pressed against her ears. But they were down there. She sensed them. Easing back to the window, she gazed out again. Moonlight gleamed on the whitecaps and touched the rocks along the coast. Nothing moved, though.
If only they’d go back to their boat and shove off.
Her mother sat up. A scream tore from her throat. “No, Henry! Please, no!”
Addie leaped to her mother’s side. Her heart hammered at her ribs. “Sh, Mama,” she crooned. “It’s okay. It’s Julia.” Gideon followed her.
Please don’t let them have heard her.
Shouts echoed from below. “Up here,” she heard a man yell. She hunkered beside her mother, who covered her face and moaned.
“I’m sorry, so sorry,” her mother whispered. “I had a nightmare.”
Addie hugged her. Perspiration soaked her mother’s hair and the fabric of the back of her dress. She trembled violently.
“I think I’m going to throw up,” she choked out.
Addie helped her bend over, then rubbed her mother’s back as she retched. The stink of vomit made her gag, but she managed to control herself. “Let’s move you over here.”
Her mother nodded and dabbed her mouth with the hem of her gown. “Did they hear me?”
The answer was the thunderous pounding on the door from below. Mr. Eaton’s voice came from the other side of the door. “Julia, I know you’re in there. Open the door this instant.”
Addie clutched her mother to her. “Don’t answer. Stay very quiet.”
It was hopeless to think he’d just go away. They’d all heard her mother. He knew they were there, but it would take time for him to break down the metal door and padlock. God would come through for them. She knew it, depended on it. He would be sufficient to this challenge.
“Get an ax,” she heard her father say to his unknown partner.
Could an ax break down a metal door? She prayed not.
“Julia, this is your father. You must open this door now. I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to talk to you.”
Hot words hovered on the tip of her tongue. Not hurt her? He’d tried to sink their yacht. If she said nothing, though, he’d have no positive proof she was on the other side of the door.
Her mother clapped her hands to her ears. “Go away, Henry!” she screamed. “Haven’t you tortured me enough?”
Addie shrank back against the wall. If only she had a weapon. There was nothing up here but a wrench. It might come in handy, though. She groped for it, and her fingers closed around it.
A fierce banging commenced against the door downstairs. Gideon sprang to his feet and began to bark. The man must have found the ax in the well house. She and her mother covered their ears as the relentless battering continued. Addie wanted to scream at the horrific din. She imagined the metal denting and caving beneath the blows. When the noise ceased, the pressure on her chest eased, and she drew in a breath.
When no more demands came from her father for a few minutes, she eased onto her knees and peered out the glass. A movement below caught her eye, and she realized he was on the rickety catwalk. She’d forgotten about it. He sidled along the metal support. The moonlight caught a glint at his side. He had a pistol, and he’d be here in minutes.
“Get up, Mama,” she said. “Let’s go.”
She led her mother through the door and to the top of the stairs, but before they could begin to descend, she heard the battering resume on the door below. There was no other exit. If Addie were alone, she could climb out onto the other side of the catwalk and outmaneuver her father, but her mother was much too weak to accompany her.
Addie gripped the pipe wrench. If she leaned out the window, she might be able to use it on the catwalk and loosen it enough that Mr. Eaton couldn’t approach.
“Sit tight, Mama,” she whispered.
She took the wrench and swung it against the glass. Her mother screamed as the window shattered outward. Gideon ran in circles and barked. A few shards rained onto the floor and crunched under Addie’s feet as she knocked the last few pieces out of her way. Holding on to the window frame, she leaned out and began hammering with the heavy wrench against the metal catwalk. The metalwork trembled under the blows but held fast to the lighthouse.
“Julia, stop at once!” her father yelled.
Pain rippled up Addie’s arm from the blows, but she continued to batter at the metal. She saw him draw his gun and ducked back inside as a bullet ricocheted off the frame where she’d been a moment before. He couldn’t fire his gun while sidling around the building.
She waited a moment, then peered outside to see him on the move again. She leaned out and swung the wrench once more. This time she detected a weakening of the bolt holding the catwalk in place. With renewed vigor, she pounded at it again. Her father was moving faster now. He was within reach of the nearest window. He’d be inside in moments.
Glass shattered to Addie’s left. Her mother had found a wooden box and swung it against the window. Henry’s face was inches away.
“You killed my father, Henry!” she shrieked. “I hate you!” She threw the box at him. “I won’t let you hurt my daughter too.”
He batted it out of the way. One foot slipped from the catwalk, but he recovered his balance and inched closer. “Laura, darling, you know I did it all for us. For our future. Help me in. We can talk about it.”
Addie saw it coming. Saw her mother’s dress flutter in the breeze as the older woman hoisted herself into the window. Saw her poised with both feet on the bottom stile. It seemed everything moved in slow motion.
“Mama, no!” Addie scrambled back from the opening where she perched.
Her outstretched hand grasped at her mother’s arm. And missed. Her mother launched herself at Mr. Eaton. Gideon lunged and caught the hem of her dress in his teeth. She was far enough out the window that her body struck her husband’s. The force of weight knocked him from his perch. They grappled with each other, then Mr. Eaton hurtled toward the ground.
Her mother’s dress began to rip in Gideon’s teeth.
“No!” Addie shrieked.
She leaned out the window and grabbed her mother around the waist. It was all she could do to get both of them back inside the light tower. The battering at the door began again, and she covered her ears.
The minutes ticked by too slowly. John paced the deck and stared into the darkness. “Why aren’t we seeing it yet?”
“We should be,” the first mate said.
John squinted in the darkness. “There it is!” He ran along the deck. “Do we have another dinghy? There’s no pier.”
“Sorry, no.”
“I’ll swim.” He shucked his jacket, shoes, and socks.
“Wait, sir. Let me get the yacht as close as possible and upstream a bit so the current will help propel you to shore.”
John nodded but clambered to the top of the railing to be ready. When the first mate gave him the nod, he dived overboard. The cold water shocked him and gave him renewed purpose. He surfaced and gasped in air, then struck out for land. The tide carried him just past the lighthouse, but he struggled to shore, cutting his knees and hands on the sharp rocks.
He staggered from the ocean, with cold water dripping from his body. His legs trembled from the long swim, but he forced himself up the slope that led to the back of the lighthouse. He heard the sound of metal against metal. What on earth?
As he neared the lighthouse, he caught sight of something on the ground at the base of the tower. As he approached, he realized a body lay there. “Oh please, God, no.” He started forward.
He ran to the heap of arms and legs and stared down into Henry’s face, twisted into a grimace. John’s eyes burned with uncustomary emotion. Where was his Addie?
The pounding of metal on metal had stopped, but he turned toward the back door. Addie had to be here somewhere. He strained his ears to hear her voice, but there was nothing. Not even a bark from Gideon.
“Just the man I need.”
John turned at the sound of the man’s voice. He squinted in the darkness. “Walter? Is that you?”
The man emerged from the shadows. “Hello, John.”
The moonlight glinted on the gun in Driscoll’s hand. John looked at it, then back at Driscoll’s face. “What’s going on?”
The gun came up. “Your fiancée is holed up in the lighthouse. You’re going to get her down for me.”
“I don’t think so.”
Driscoll gestured with the gun. “Through that door.”
“Nope. I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“I’ll shoot you where you stand.”
John clenched his fists. “Then do it.”
The gun wavered in Driscoll’s hand. “Addie!” he shouted. “I’ve got John down here. I’m going to shoot him if you don’t come down.”
John started to yell out to tell her not to listen, but he hoped if he kept quiet, she’d assume Driscoll was lying. He heard something overhead. He glanced up and saw moonlight illuminating Addie’s face in the lighthouse tower. Their gazes locked.
“Stay there!” he shouted.
Driscoll fired, and a bullet zinged off a rock by John’s feet. “I’ll aim for his head next, Addie!” Driscoll screamed.
Addie’s head disappeared. “Addie, no!” he yelled. He started toward the door to the house so he could gain entry to the tower, but a bullet plowed into the earth by his feet. Driscoll raised the gun to John’s chest. All he could do was pray Addie wouldn’t come down.
A few moments later she and Laura emerged from the house with Gideon. Her mother leaned heavily against her as they moved slowly.
Laura flinched when she saw her brother. “Walter?”
“Hello, Laura,” he said.
“What are you doing?”
“Get over there by John,” Driscoll ordered.
The women joined John, and he embraced Addie. Gideon whined and nosed at John’s wet pants. Laura continued to stare at her brother.
“Let’s take a moonlight stroll,” Driscoll said. “That way.” He motioned to the path that led to the cliff.
John put Addie behind him. “Why, Walter?”
“Why take a stroll? Because I said so.”
“Why are you doing this?” Addie whispered, peeking around John.
“I have no choice,” Driscoll said. “My creditors want their money now.”
"The man in Henry’s office demanding money,” John said. “I overheard him tell the fellow it wasn’t his debt or his problem. He was trying to get money from Henry for something you owed. Gambling?” He recalled seeing Walter two weeks ago, exiting the alley. “We saw him coming out of the alley where games are going on all the time.”
“I remember,” Addie said slowly. “I thought he was delivering medicine.” She rubbed her forehead. “I found a note in my father’s office, asking for ten thousand dollars to keep quiet about a child. I assumed it might be his indiscretion, but it was yours, wasn’t it, Uncle Walter?”
Driscoll motioned with the gun for them to move along. “Henry had always bailed me out in the past, but he decided I had to face the music this time. I would have been ruined if the truth came out. I tried to get the money by gambling, but I only succeeded in digging myself into a deeper hole.”
“Was that you pounding on the door?” Addie asked. “Why would you work with Henry when he wouldn’t help you?”
“When you told me about the clues you’d found, I knew Henry had killed my father. I told him to pay what I needed, or I’d go to the constable. He agreed before he left for his trip to Fort Bragg. One of his men called me from Fort Bragg and told me to meet him here. He said that if I’d help him with a problem, he’d give me double what I needed.”
“But why kill us now?” Addie asked, stepping out from behind John.
“It’s because of your grandfather’s will,” John said, keeping his gaze on Driscoll for an opening to attack. “You saw it, too, didn’t you, Walter?”
His lips thinned. “I never dreamed Henry would cheat me out of my inheritance that way. I should have had my share all along.”
Laura held out her hand toward him. “Did you know Henry had me penned up?”
His eyes held regret. “Not until recently. But you’ve been dead to me for years. I can’t let sentiment keep me from my needs. Now that Henry is dead, the Eaton estate is all mine, so long as I take care of this problem here. Very tidy, don’t you think?”
John’s muscles coiled. “So with us out of the way, you inherit what’s left. Once you dispose of Edward too.” He had to save them. His son’s life depended on it.
Driscoll waved the gun. “Enough of this chatter. Move or I’ll shoot the dog.”
Addie cried out and reached for Gideon. “Come with me, boy,” she said.
John clenched and unclenched his fists.
“Follow the little lady,” Driscoll said. “I’d hate to shoot her dog.”
John didn’t have a choice. He caught up with Addie and kept his body between her and the madman. Driscoll marched them out to the edge of the cliff.
“Right there is fine,” Driscoll said from behind him.
John turned quickly. For all he knew, Driscoll was going to shoot him in the back.
“Was this your plan all along?” Addie asked. “When you brought me to the manor?”
“Quite honestly, I wasn’t sure how I might use you to get the money I needed. I had thought Henry might be so grateful to get you back that he’d give me the money to pay my debts. When my creditor attacked me before I had proof, I knew I had to move faster.”
“You killed Josephine, didn’t you? Looking for more proof,” Addie said. “That’s how you came up with the pictures of me as a child.”
“I watched her leave, but she came back to the house before I was finished. She tried to blackmail me.”
“Did you arrange to have Edward kidnapped?” John demanded, curling his hands into fists.
Driscoll raised a brow. “It was the syndicate. They’d thought to exert pressure on me and Henry to pay what I owed.”
John saw Driscoll turn the gun toward him, then his finger tightened on the trigger. It was now or never. But before he could make a move, Gideon leaped silently out of the dark. His teeth fastened on the arm that held the gun.
Driscoll wrestled with the dog. “Let go, you mangy mutt!”
John jumped and tackled Walter. The man was wiry and stronger than he expected. John tried to get the gun, but the older man kept it just out of reach. Gideon continued to worry Driscoll’s arm, but he hung on to the weapon in spite of all efforts to dislodge it.
“Let go of me,” Driscoll panted.
John kneed him in the groin, and Driscoll groaned but fought back. He kicked out at the dog. Gideon yelped, then leaped into the fray again as Driscoll pinned John to the ground and began to bring the gun around. The dog bit into his wrist again, and Driscoll grabbed Gideon by the neck with his left hand and began to choke him.
John struggled to get his leg free so he could kick out. He reached for a loose rock by his head, but before he could bring it up, Driscoll slumped onto him. John lowered him to the ground, then glanced up into Addie’s face. She still held the rock she’d used to strike Driscoll.
“Wicked arm you’ve got there,” he said. He shoved Driscoll off, grabbed the gun, and struggled to his feet.
Addie collapsed into his arms, and Gideon came to nose at his hand. “I’m glad you two are on my side.” He saw lights on the water. “Here comes the cavalry.”
“A little late,” Addie said.
“I don’t think you need the cavalry. You’re strong, my love. And you have a fearless sidekick in Gideon.”
“And I have you,” she whispered.
Addie warmed her hands with a cup of hot cocoa in front of the fire at the Russell home. Gideon lay at her feet with a self-satisfied smile on his doggy face. She’d fed him until he could eat no more as a reward for being such a hero.
Mrs. Russell bustled in with oatmeal cookies, fresh from the oven. “Are you warm enough, my dear? You were shaking so.”
“I’m fine now. It was shock, I think. Is John back yet?”
“I thought I heard his buggy stop outside. Katie went to let him in.” Mrs. Russell put the cookies on a side table. “Katie and I will leave you two to sort things out.”
Katie led John into the room. Addie drank in the sight of him. They’d nearly lost what they had. Her heart swelled at how good God was. He’d seen them through this valley. She waved back at Katie as she disappeared up the steps.
“Addie.” John was at her side in two steps. He knelt and took her cold hands in his warm ones. “I couldn’t wait to get back to you.”
She took comfort from his grip. “What’s happened with Mr. Driscoll?”
“The doctor says he’ll live.”
“He’s in jail?”
John joined her on the sofa, but he kept control of one of her hands. “Yes, but don’t feel sorry for him, love. He nearly killed you. And his own sister.” He released her hand and slipped his arm around her.
She burrowed into the comfort of his embrace. The clean scent of him reassured her. “I’m so glad it’s over. You saved my mother, John.”
He kissed the top of her head. “We did it together.”
“I’m too tired to think,” she said. “I can’t impose on my friends for too long. I’m not sure what to do.”
He tipped her face up and brushed a kiss across her lips. “You’ll marry me, of course. As soon as it can be arranged.”
Her pulse skipped, and she pulled back. “Right away?”
His eyes were smiling and full of love. “I’d marry you tomorrow if we could arrange it that quickly.”
The thought of being a family with him and Edward brought heat rushing to her cheeks. “I’d like that more than anything in the world,” she said.
“Tell me what to do and I’ll arrange it.”
“There are so many things to do, I don’t know where to start,” she said, laughing.
The smile left his face. “When, my love?”
The possessiveness in his voice heated her cheeks even more. “I need at least two weeks. I have to make a dress.”
“I’ll buy you one.”
“I want to make it. I’ll only have one wedding day.”
He released her hair from its combs and plunged his fingers into the mass of curls. As his lips claimed hers, she realized how God had given her every desire of her heart.