Chapter 8 - The Ghost of Blackwood
Out of the misty shadows of the indoor boat slip stepped a man everyone in the state believed had been incinerated in a fiery car crash twelve years ago. He was older, his hair completely snow-white, and deep burn scars carved across the right side of his face. He leaned heavily on an iron-tipped walking cane, his deep-set eyes glowing with grim remorse.
""That's enough, Victor,"" the scarred man spoke, his raspy voice echoing through the damp boathouse like a tomb opening.
Arthur lowered his gun by an inch, his voice catching in his throat as if he were looking at an apparition. ""Julian...?""
Eleanor gasped, her body stiffening as she clutched Chloe tighter against her chest. ""Julian? You're dead. We buried you... we identified the dental records!""
""Those records were bought, sister,"" Julian said softly, limping slowly into the circle of yellow light. He looked at Arthur, his eyes swimming with unspoken shame and decades of guilt. ""Father bought the coroner. He bought Thorne. He bought everything to bury the sins of this family. But I couldn't let Victor finish what we started.""
Victor’s face twisted in disgust. ""You pathetic coward. You've been hiding in the shadows of this lake for twelve years living off scraps I threw you. Put the cane down, Julian, before I put a hole in the other side of your head.""
""I may be a coward, nephew,"" Julian whispered, lifting his cane to reveal that the heavy brass tip was fitted with a concealed steel blade. ""But I am still the eldest Vance. And I won't let you murder Eleanor's daughter to protect my rotten name.""
Chloe looked between the scarred man and the woman holding her hands, her mind reeling from the avalanche of impossible truths. ""You... you're the one who left the locket in my crib,"" Chloe murmured, her voice trembling. ""The matron said a man with a scarred cheek watched over the orphanage gates every Christmas.""
Julian closed his eyes, a single tear cutting through the burned tissue on his face. ""I tried to keep you safe from them, Clara. I couldn't undo what I did, but I couldn't let them kill you.""
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""Shut up!"" Victor shouted, his composure shattering as he cocked the hammer of his automatic weapon, swinging the muzzle between Arthur and Julian. ""I don't care about your redemption! None of you are leaving this boathouse!""
Before Victor could squeeze the trigger, the loud crack of a sniper rifle echoed across the dark lake, shattering the upper glass window into a thousand pieces.
