Chapter 5 - The Enemy Inside the Family
Margaret Hale stood outside the farmhouse door and whispered:
"You finally brought her here."
When Garrick Hale opened the door, he found a blood-stained envelope belonging to Eleanor hidden beneath Margaret's coat.
But inside was one sentence:
"He was never the enemy."
Garrick suddenly realized the truth was not where he had been searching.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
The woman standing outside the farmhouse looked nothing like the person I expected.
I had imagined a monster.
Someone cruel.
Someone who could look at a family and decide to destroy it.
But Margaret Hale looked tired.
Older.
Broken.
She stood beneath the moonlight with a gray shawl around her shoulders and tears forming in her eyes.
And Garrick looked at her like he was seeing a ghost.
"Mother."
The word left his mouth before he could stop it.
I froze.
Mother.
The woman Elias had whispered about.
The woman who had been standing outside our home.
The woman connected to Eleanor's death.
Margaret looked at Garrick.
"I know what you think."
His hand remained near his pistol.
"You have no idea what I think."
Her expression changed.
Pain crossed her face.
"Yes, I do."
Nobody spoke.
The children watched from behind me.
Thomas held Clara's hand.
Samuel slept upstairs, unaware that the past had walked back into his home.
Garrick stepped outside.
I followed him with my eyes.
"You left."
His voice was quiet.
"You left after Eleanor died."
Margaret lowered her head.
"I had to."
"Why?"
The question carried ten years of anger.
Ten years of unanswered questions.
"You knew something."
Margaret looked toward the farmhouse.
Toward me.
Then toward Eleanor's old room.
"I knew enough to be afraid."
Garrick laughed bitterly.
"Afraid?"
He stepped closer.
"You let me believe Eleanor died because nobody could help her."
"I was trying to protect you."
"By disappearing?"
Her eyes filled with tears.
"By staying alive."
The words silenced him.
Elias stepped forward.
"She knows."
Margaret looked at him.
"You shouldn't have come here."
"I came because it was time."
Margaret shook her head.
"No. You came because you wanted revenge."
The accusation surprised me.
Elias looked away.
And for the first time, I wondered if he had told us the entire truth.
Maybe everyone in Hollow Creek was hiding something.
Not just Garrick.
Not just Margaret.
Everyone.
I stepped outside.
"Someone needs to tell me what happened."
All eyes turned toward me.
"I came here because my mother sent me."
I held up the journal.
"I found her warnings."
My voice became stronger.
"I found Eleanor's name."
I looked at Margaret.
"And now I find out Garrick's mother was here the night Eleanor died."
The silence was unbearable.
Margaret looked at the journal.
Then her face changed.
"You have it."
"What?"
"Your mother's journal."
I nodded.
Margaret took a slow breath.
"Then she trusted you enough to finish what she started."
The words made my skin crawl.
"Finish what?"
Margaret looked toward the dark fields.
"The truth."
Garrick stepped back.
"No."
Everyone looked at him.
"I spent ten years searching for the person who killed Eleanor."
His voice cracked.
"I blamed everyone."
He looked at Margaret.
"I blamed you."
Then Elias.
"I blamed you."
Then himself.
"But the entire time..."
He stopped.
"What?"
Margaret looked at him.
"The person who hurt Eleanor was never outside this family."
The words landed heavily.
Thomas and Clara were brought back inside.
The children were too young to hear the rest.
But I stayed.
Because I needed answers.
Margaret entered the farmhouse slowly.
She looked around.
Every corner carried a memory.
"She loved this place."
Garrick said nothing.
"Eleanor loved you."
His expression changed.
"Then why did she hide things from me?"
Margaret looked at him.
"Because she was trying to save you."
From what?
I wanted to ask.
But I already knew.
The answer would hurt.
Margaret sat at the table.
"Eleanor discovered something about Hollow Creek."
"The stolen money."
Elias nodded.
"Not just that."
Margaret looked at him.
"Tell her."
Elias remained silent.
Margaret continued.
"There was a group of people controlling this town."
My stomach tightened.
"People with power."
"People who owned land."
"People who controlled the courts."
"They made people disappear when they became problems."
I looked at Garrick.
"And Eleanor found proof."
Margaret nodded.
"Yes."
"What happened after?"
Margaret looked down.
"She came to me."
The room went silent.
"She knew someone was watching her."
"She knew someone close to Garrick was giving information away."
Garrick clenched his fists.
"Who?"
Margaret looked at him.
"I never found out."
"You're lying."
The accusation was immediate.
But Margaret did not react.
"I wish I was."
She reached into her coat.
Everyone moved.
Garrick raised his gun.
But Margaret only pulled out a small envelope.
Old.
Damaged.
Covered in stains.
"I kept this because I was afraid."
She placed it on the table.
Garrick stared at it.
"What is that?"
"The last letter Eleanor wrote."
His face changed.
"You said my mother had it."
"I said your mother had the evidence."
Margaret looked at Elias.
"He had the letter."
Everyone turned toward Elias.
The room changed instantly.
Elias remained still.
But his silence answered before his words did.
Garrick slowly lowered his gun.
"Is that true?"
Elias looked away.
"I was trying to protect her."
"From me?"
"No."
"Then why hide it?"
Elias had no answer.
I watched the two men.
Both had claimed to protect Eleanor.
Both had hidden things.
Both had allowed Garrick to live with unanswered questions.
And both had reasons to lie.
Margaret pushed the envelope toward me.
"Your mother wanted you to read this."
I looked at Garrick.
Then at Elias.
Then at the envelope.
My hands trembled as I opened it.
Inside was Eleanor's handwriting.
The first line immediately made my heart stop.
"Dear Nola's mother, if you are reading this, then I am already gone."
I continued reading.
"My husband cannot know the truth yet."
I looked up.
Garrick had seen the words.
His face had gone pale.
The letter continued.
"Because the person who betrayed me is someone Garrick would never suspect."
A cold feeling moved through me.
The fire cracked.
Nobody spoke.
I kept reading.
"I trusted this person with my life."
The next line was darker.
"And that was my mistake."
Suddenly, a sound came from upstairs.
A floorboard.
Everyone froze.
Garrick looked toward the hallway.
The children were supposed to be downstairs.
But someone was moving inside the house.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Margaret whispered:
"No."
Her face lost all color.
"What?"
She looked at the upstairs hallway.
"The person who killed Eleanor..."
Her voice shook.
"They never left."
Garrick grabbed his weapon.
Elias moved beside him.
I stood frozen.
Then a shadow appeared at the top of the stairs.
Someone stepped into the light.
May you like
Someone carrying Samuel's blanket.
And when the person looked down at us, Garrick whispered the name of the one person he trusted most.
