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Amelia then turned her gaze to Finn, she looked concerned. And Finn could feel that his form was hunched, exhaustion evident in every line of his face.
“Care to fill me in?” Amelia said to Finn.
“You first... Let... Let me catch my breath,” he said, rubbing his aching ribs.
"It was a miracle. I found that key to the attic," Amelia began, voice shaky. "It must have fallen out of your pocket. When you went after the killer, I heard more of the building crumbling, and I realized we'd locked Nathaniel in that attic. He could have died in there. So, I ran back up to the attic, fearing the worst. When I unlocked the door, Nathaniel was still inside." Her voice faltered as she glanced at Nathaniel. "He...
Nathaniel, pale and shivering, whispered, "I saw her...my mum...hanging there."
Finn's heart clenched. He wished there was something he could say or do to take away his pain. "I'm so sorry, Nathaniel," he murmured. “No one should see that. She was a good woman. She just wanted to protect you, and in the end, she gave her life doing that.”
“Anyway, I'm more interested in knowing who the killer was?” Amelia said. “I didn't get a good look at him.”
Turning to Amelia, Finn composed himself. "Bruce McCulloch... he was behind it all. The fisherman we met at the Fair Folk Inn."
Amelia's eyes widened in disbelief. "But why? What was the connection? What did Lady Ferguson or any of the others do?"
Finn looked away, trying to hide how badly beat up he felt. It was one thing to chase after a faceless killer, but another to realize it was someone they had spoken to, someone who had concealed his monstrous side so well. There would always be the regret in Finn that he couldn't have figured it out before Frederick and Lady Ferguson died.
But then, he did find it all strange. The case had been filled with coincidences. If the wind hadn't broken that window, he would never have found the drawing that led him to ask Nathaniel about it.
The darkness of the cave was only interrupted by the occasional flash of lightning from the storm outside. The sounds of rain and wind, muted by the rocky walls, created an eerie background to the conversation that unfolded.
Finn, his voice gravelly from the events of the night, began, "When we were in the attic, I did a web search and I found an old article about what Nathaniel had told us. There was a boy named Jamie McCulloch who was kept here after a fire took down the local clinic. He died under circumstances that were... dubious, at best."
He pulled his slightly damp phone from his pocket and revealed the faded newsprint article. Amelia leaned in to see the article, her eyes scanning the headlines and the images.
"Jamie was Bruce's younger brother. The way the report read, it seemed like the death was brushed under the carpet. There was talk of an investigation, but Lord Carmichael's name came up, implying some sort of influence on the press. I think he helped make the scandal go away with his influence."
Amelia's brow furrowed. "So, Bruce came back for revenge? But why wait all this time?"
"I think Lord Carmichael's return to the island was a catalyst. He must've seen it as the universe giving him an opportunity for retribution," Finn speculated. "Lady Ferguson, Lord Carmichael... they had a role in Jamie's cover-up. And Ivar Ward, he was part of the medical team. It's almost poetic justice that he landed back on this cursed island."
“Or fate,” Nathaniel said.
Amelia's gaze fell on Nathaniel. "But that doesn't explain everything. Nathaniel, can you tell us what happened to Jamie?"
Nathaniel's eyes shimmered with tears. "We were friends," he began, voice quivering. "One night, I convinced Jamie to leave his bed. I thought it would be fun, you know? An adventure in the big house when the adults weren't watching. We snuck up to the attic, and... and he had a seizure. I didn't know what to do. He just... stopped."
Amelia, wore an expression of heartbreak, and whispered, "And you stayed in that room, after all these years knowing what happened in there?"
Nathaniel nodded, sniffling. "It was my fault. I wanted to be close to Jamie. And after mum and the others covered it up, I felt... I felt I had to pay for my sins. I needed to be reminded of the guilt every day. Jamie's accident was my fault, you see. He died because I was afraid. When he had his seizure, I hid in a cupboard. If I'd gone and gotten help right then, he might have lived. But I was scared I'd get into trouble and didn't know what to do. I think my mother was worried that I would be blamed, and with my mental health issues, she felt I was too fragile for the press circus that would follow."
The tragedy of Huldra House, the tangled web of deceit and grief, had come to light in the darkest of nights.
“You can't blame yourself,” Finn said. “You were only a child. I'm not saying it was right, but your mother and the others, they must have covered up what happened to protect you.”
"And Frederick was killed because he was part of it, the cover-up?" Amelia asked.
“As far as Bruce McCulloch was concerned,” Finn answered. “Anyone there at the time of his brother's death deserved the same fate.”
Amelia reached out and placed a gentle hand on Nathaniel's shoulder. "Nathaniel, after all you've been through, it might be good for you to get a fresh start. I have a friend on the mainland who runs a retreat. It's peaceful, therapeutic, and it might just be the refuge you need."
Finn nodded in agreement, "The Home Office will probably be more than happy to help you get settled somewhere new. A fresh start can do wonders."
But Nathaniel's expression remained resolute. "I can't leave this island. Not after everything. This is my home. Huldra House will be rebuilt. It's what mother would have wanted. I hid away when one tragedy happened in my life, I refuse to do that again."
“You're mother would be proud of you,” Amelia said, softly.
