Noah gripped Henry's coat. "He came yesterday. Mom locked the door. He said if she did not give him the watch, the medicine would stop."
Henry felt anger rise in him.
Noah suddenly tugged his sleeve. "Mom gave me something else."
Voss's eyes sharpened.
Noah reached into the lining of his torn jacket and pulled out a folded paper. It had been stitched inside with uneven thread.
Voss lunged.
Henry grabbed the candlestick and struck his wrist. Voss cursed, and Noah ducked behind the counter. Henry snatched the letter and opened it.
The handwriting was weak.
But he knew it.
Father, if this reaches you, I am alive. I was told you rejected me. I believed it for years. Daniel is dead. Noah is my son. The people from Harrow House are coming for him. Do not trust Victor Voss.
Henry's eyes blurred.
Emily was alive.
The bell rang again.
A police officer stepped inside. Henry had pressed the silent alarm after all.
Voss's expression changed instantly. "Officer, thank goodness. This elderly man is keeping a child from his legal guardian."
The officer moved toward him. "Sir, stay where you are."
Voss looked at Noah.
"You should have listened to your mother," he said. "Now she will pay for this."
Suddenly, smoke burst from a small device in his hand.
The shop filled with gray fog.
When it cleared, Voss was gone.
So was the golden watch.
Only Noah remained, shaking behind the counter, holding a torn paper from Voss's pocket.
On it was one address.
Harrow House.
Chapter 3: Harrow House
Henry had not heard the name Harrow House in decades.
It had once been called a private recovery estate for troubled young women. Wealthy families sent daughters there after scandals, breakdowns, unwanted pregnancies, or marriages they regretted. Everyone knew it existed. No one admitted what happened inside.
Emily had vanished the same summer Henry refused to approve her marriage to Daniel Reed.
He had always believed she ran away.
Now he wondered if she had been taken.
The police wanted Henry to wait. They said they needed warrants and confirmation. Henry listened for three minutes, then put Noah into his old car and drove north.
Noah sat beside him, holding Emily's letter.
"Is she really your daughter?" he asked.
Henry's throat tightened. "Yes."
"Then you are my grandpa?"