Page 63 of Pursuit of Her

"The founding women chose this location carefully," Reagan said, pointing northward where mountains created a natural boundary. "Cliffs to the west creating a harbor defense. Mountains to the north providing resources. Desert to the east limiting approach routes."

"You've studied the city's history," Eve noted with surprise.

"When you live in the shadows of a place for ten years, you learn its stories," Reagan replied. "Elizabeth Ridge and twelve women purchased this land grant in 1873. They established a charter guaranteeing women equal voice in governance—revolutionary for the time."

"The lighthouse was their first major construction project," Reagan continued. "Sarah Brighthope was the first keeper. She maintained the light through the great storm of 1879 that destroyed half the harbor."

"I didn't realize you were a history enthusiast."

A faint smile touched Reagan's lips. "Not history so much as heritage. These women built something extraordinary, a place where traditional power structures couldn't take root. Where women's voices mattered."

"Like your network," Eve realized.

Reagan nodded. "These founding women facedcorruption too. When railroad interests tried to seize the harbor in 1882, they discovered Judge Monroe's correspondence revealing the bribery scheme. They published everything, destroying his reputation."

"They used evidence against corruption. Just like we're doing."

"Phoenix Ridge was built on the principle that exposure is the most powerful weapon against entrenched corruption," Reagan confirmed. "Light cast into darkness."

Eve focused her binoculars on their targets. "Security patrols match Sophia's reports. Fifteen-minute rotation with overlap at transition points."

"Service entrance C has the blind spot we identified," Reagan added. "Seven seconds of unmonitored approach if timed precisely."

"My grandmother served on the police force in the 1950s," Eve said suddenly. "One of the first women on regular patrol rather than just administrative duties."

Reagan turned with interest. "You never mentioned that."

"She used to tell me stories about walking her beat along the harbor. How the male officers would sabotage her equipment, hide her reports, and assign her the worst areas hoping she'd quit."

"But she didn't."

"No. She outlasted most of them and became a detective when they finally couldn't deny her anymore. My mother followed her path, became Assistant Chief."

"Three generations of Morgan women serving Phoenix Ridge," Reagan observed. "A legacy you abandoned when you chose me."

"The corruption did that," Eve corrected. "I couldn't serve a system that protected predators, not even for family legacy."

The sun disappeared below the horizon, leaving Phoenix Ridge transformed into a constellation of artificial stars.

"What happens after tomorrow?" Eve asked. "After Barrow and Stroud are exposed."

"The network continues its work. There will always be injustice requiring exposure."

"And us?" Eve pressed gently.

"Ten years ago, I had plans. A life I thought we'd build together," Reagan admitted, her gaze turning toward the distant cliffs. "Now I find myself wanting that again. But I'm not the woman you knew then."

Eve moved closer, her hand finding Reagan's. "We've both changed. But some things remain constant."

Reagan's fingers tightened around hers. For a moment, they stood in silence, the city stretching below them like a physical manifestation of everything they were fighting to reclaim.

"Did you know Sarah Brighthope kept this lighthouse during a hurricane that nearly destroyed the harbor?" Reagan asked finally. "The town evacuation was mandatory, but she refused to leave. Said someone had to keep the light burning so ships could find safe passage."

"Sounds like someone else I know," Eve observed.

Reagan acknowledged the parallel with a slight nod. "The city council wanted to punish her afterward. Instead, Elizabeth Ridge had her name inscribed on the foundation stone: 'For those who maintain the light when darkness threatens all.'"

The words resonated with their current mission—two women working to expose darkness that had threatened their city for too long.

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