Page 57 of The Lighthouse on Plum Island
“That’s amazing.” Brad looked out the window unseeingly, his mind filled with the events of the evening.
“Are you going back to the Summer Inn?” Sam enquired.
“Yes, please, Sam.” Brad nodded. “If you’ll excuse me. I need to make a phone call.”
Sam rolled up the partition and Brad pulled out his phone. His mind replayed the moment when Daniella informed him and Jennifer about the nature of the wound on Clover’s arm—a dog bite. It added another layer of complexity to the already perplexing situation.
Brad was going to stay behind, but Jennifer had stayed. Her logic was that she was less likely to spook Clover into realizing they knew her wound was a dog bite and suspected her as the burglar. Brad had reluctantly let her stay, torn between his worry for Harriet and Caroline.
Jennifer hadn’t given him much choice when she jumped out of the ambulance, and Daniella pulled off. Brad still felt guilty about leaving them alone to deal with Clover, even more so since they’d been locked in the lighthouse.
The limo glided through the streets of Newbury Port. With Caroline stable, his immediate concern shifted to Harriet, Jennifer, and Liam. Pulling out his phone, he dialed Harriet’s number, the anticipation building with each ring as he wondered if they’d been freed.
“Brad?” Harriet’s voice was sleepy as she greeted him.
“Are you okay?” Brad’s voice was laced with urgent concern.
“We’re all fine,” Harriet told him, and he heard her yawn. “Oh, excuse me.”
“Were you sleeping?” Brad asked, frowning. “Since when do you sleep when the sun is up?”
“When I’ve had no sleep for two nights in a row and got locked in a dark, creepy old lighthouse,” Harriet informed him sarcastically.
“Of course!” Brad sighed and rubbed his eyes. He was also starting to feel tired as the strain from everything that happened began to wear on him. “I’m sorry I woke you. I was worried when I didn’t hear from you or anyone else that you’d been freed from the lighthouse.”
“I should’ve messaged you,” Harriet said around another yawn. “I’m so sorry. I can’t seem to stop yawning.”
“I understand, but you’re going to make me start yawning in a minute,” Brad warned her.
“I’m glad Caroline’s going to be okay,” Harriet surprised him by saying.
“How did you know that?” Brad asked.
“Oh. Jules messaged Jennifer, Liam, and Finn on their group chat, and Liam told me,” Harriet explained. “I don’t think Jennifer and Finn like me much.”
“Why do you say that?” Brad sighed. Harriet acted tough and as if nothing got to her, but she was actually quite sensitive and very perceptive to people’s feelings. “I’m sure they’re just wary of strangers. You know how celebrities can be.”
“Finn’s the celebrity, and I guess I understand that,” Harriet said. “But while Jennifer and I teamed up to watch Clover, she was still cold.”
“She also gave me the icy treatment, so I wouldn’t worry about it,” Brad reassured her. “Editors and celebrity managers, which I believe she’s now going to be, can be just as stand-offish as their clients.”
“That’s probably it,” Harriet agreed.
“How the heck did you all get locked in the lighthouse?” Brad decided to move the conversation onto another topic.
“Clover locked us in!” Harriet’s voice held hints of anger and annoyance. “She’s so fired when I find her. I don’t care who her brother is and how unhappy your father is with me for doing it either.”
“I don’t blame you,” Brad wouldn’t stop Harriet. “And this ismyproject. We run it how we see fit.”
“Thank you,” Harriet said sincerely. “I think Clover saw what Liam was messaging to Officer Crowley, who got stuck with a flat on his way to the lighthouse to take Clover in for questioning.” She paused. “Her brother was wrong about her. Clover is an excellent actress. She started freaking out, pointing to the window and saying she saw a shadow out there like the one that dashed in front of her car earlier.”
“Let me guess, so you all traipsed outside, and Clover thought they went into the lighthouse?” Brad guessed.
“The lighthouse door was open,” Harriet explained. “Liam grabbed the keys, intending to lock it after we’d checked it out. Clover was acting very scared, so we went in first with Liam, telling her to get behind him. She knocked the keys from hishand, pushed Liam into us, and by the time we’d untangled ourselves from the heap on the floor, Clover had locked us in.”
“Did you at least have flashlights?” Brad asked, knowing how much Harriet hated the dark.
“No, Liam had his phone.” Harriet gave a laugh. “Jennifer and I left our phones charging inside the house.”
