Page 57 of Murder in the Lighthouse

“Not today. Go home. Today, we gather as much evidence as possible to put the bastards away for the rest of their lives.”

Lucien watched Trish walk back toward the pump house, a sense of closure beginning to settle in. The weight of the case, the secrets uncovered, and the justice finally within reach all swirled in his head.

He turned to Birk, admiration in his eyes. “We did good. I never imagined I’d ever be part of something like this when Brogan and I started web sleuthing. Can I just say, you must’ve been a helluva Navy SEAL?”

Birk clapped a hand on Lucien’s back, a grin spreading across his face. “I was, but brother, what I saw during this whole thing, you could’ve been one yourself.”

“Me? No way.”

“Yeah, you. You never run scared. You’re always up for the challenge. And you always do the right thing. That would put you at the head of the class over most other candidates.”

“That means a lot. Thanks. Some days, I feel like we stumble into a real-life mystery, and by some stroke of fate, we help crack it wide open.”

“Never sell yourself short or what you do for the families. Somewhere out there, a lot of people will be grateful you found answers they wouldn’t normally have had.”

19

After the arrest hit the airwaves, rumors swirled around the county about what had been discovered at the prestigious vineyard. The once-glamorous Noir Hills Estates, where politicians and celebrities hung out, was now tainted with blood and betrayal, unveiling the work of a serial killer from 1999.

An ex-cop turned serial killer story garnered the headlines, but so did their drug operation, the one that snared a string of others worldwide.

Forensics still had testing to do, experts who could painstakingly piece together murders while detectives pursued leads and witness statements. As Theo and Trish’s investigation delved deeper, they unearthed more chilling surprises. The bodies of long-missing individuals were discovered buried in shallow graves throughout the sprawling vineyard, their tragic fates finally coming to light.

As the days went by, the truth behind the heinous crimes committed at Noir Hills began to surface. Keith and Ken Shepherd were not only responsible for the murder of Sam and Bethany Heywood but also linked to a series of unsolved cases spanning the last decade deemed unfortunate accidents. Many were employees of the winery. Families of those victims were left to process the newfound knowledge that their loved ones’ deaths hadn’t been random at all but carefully orchestrated acts of violence.

Behind bars, the Shepherd brothers remained defiant in their claims of innocence, but the mounting evidence against them was undeniable. Theo and Trish worked tirelessly to build a massive case against them, determined to present the strongest case possible to the county attorney. With each new piece of evidence collected, the puzzle of deceit and murder slowly fell into place, revealing a web of lies that had been carefully woven over decades.

The community remained in shock, grappling with the revelation that such evil had lived among them for so long without suspecting their neighbors of untold murder.

During it all, Brogan and Lucien found themselves thrust into the spotlight unwillingly. They were pursued around the clock by reporters, bloggers, podcasters, and media outlets wanting an interview. The British tabloids begged them to go live, hoping to cash in on their notoriety as children of rock stars. If they had known Brogan wanted to find her birth mother or Lucien had a half-brother living in San Diego, they would’ve pounced, set up their equipment outside on the lawn, and waited for comment when the story broke.

But Lucien and Brogan were smarter than that. They kept their mouths shut with one exception.

For Jade, both blogger and podcaster, they sat down for a six-part series exclusive chat about the case because she’d been an integral part in solving it.

Joined by Birk, the four of them took listeners through their thought processes, reviewing their decisions, their actions, and the eventual outcome. They took questions from callers. But only those pertaining to the case were answered. After the first part aired, Jade’s podcast went viral getting three million listeners over an eight-hour time period.

Brogan and Lucien weathered that storm despite the chaos surrounding them, just as they had done as children, deflecting questions with practiced ease and sharing only what was necessary to satisfy the relentless press.

After a week of it, the media went on to the next big story, and life returned to normal. Thanksgiving was still two weeks away, but it meant they could start preparing for it now. Somehow, their circle of friends had blown up, and Brogan had invited everyone they knew. Standing in the dining room, she realized they had a problem.

“We need a bigger table,” she concluded, measuring the dining table, rearranging chairs that would squeeze people closer together, and wiping off the dust from the buffet with her fingertips before taking inventory of the good dishes in the China cabinet.

Lucien chuckled, shaking his head. “I don’t think I have time to build one. Maybe by Christmas, but not in two weeks.”

“Why not?”

The dogs, Stella and Poppy, sensing a heated discussion brewing, crawled under the table.

“Because I’d need to find the perfect piece of wood. To build it right, I’d need time to draw up the design, cut the pieces I need, buff out the rough spots, and apply the finish. Applying the finish could take a week.”

“Then we’ll just have to use what we have on hand.”

“How many people are we talking about?”

“Twenty, maybe twenty-five.”

Shocked by that number, Lucien scrubbed his hand through his hair before pulling out a chair and sitting down. “How did you invite twenty-five people to Thanksgiving dinner when we’ve been swamped with the Shepherd case since the day after Halloween?”

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