Chapter 27 - Jacob's Final Visit
Henry led the group into the underground storage room.
Unlike the ruined tower above, the bunker remained almost perfectly preserved. Shelves lined the concrete walls, stacked with weatherproof containers, faded maps, and old emergency equipment. A small wood stove sat in one corner beside a neatly made cot.
"You've been living here?" one rescuer asked.
Henry smiled.
"Hiding."
"For twenty years?"
"Long enough."
He opened an old cabinet and removed a faded coffee tin.
Inside were dozens of photographs.
Henry spread them across a wooden table.
Every image showed the lake.
Nighttime boats without navigation lights.
Wooden crates being unloaded.
Groups of armed men meeting beneath the cover of darkness.
Then Elias noticed one photograph that made him stop.
Jacob stood beside Henry.
Between them was Sheriff William Brooks—the father of the current sheriff.
Henry followed Elias's gaze.
"He wasn't always corrupt."
"What changed?"
Henry's smile disappeared.
"Nathan Cross."
The room fell silent.
Henry folded his hands.
May you like
"Cross didn't buy people with money."
"He bought them with secrets."
