Chapter 56: The People Who Remained

#Bonus Chapter

"Come on, hubby. Let’s get breakfast."

Damon looked at Vivian, who was still smiling at her own joke.

"You seem rather pleased with yourself."

"I am."

"At least you’re honest about it."

Vivian laughed and walked ahead of him. By the time they reached the dining room, she’d recovered enough of her usual confidence to act as though calling him hubby was perfectly normal.

Damon didn’t bother arguing. If she wanted to tease him, she could do it while eating.

They had nearly finished breakfast when his phone vibrated on the table.

A message from Thomas appeared on the screen.

Thomas: Master, I’ve contacted three former employees of the Thorne household. One was a guard, another was our former head cook, and the third worked as a groundskeeper. All three have agreed to meet with you.

Damon read the message twice before replying.

Damon: Arrange the meetings at the manor. Separately.

Thomas: Understood, Master.

Damon put his phone away and finished his coffee.

Marcus Hale arrived first.

The former household guard was forty-eight, broad-shouldered, and carried himself like a man who had spent years following orders.

He followed Thomas through the entrance hall, taking in the familiar surroundings with a guarded expression. When Thomas opened the study door, Marcus stepped inside—and stopped.

For a moment, he simply stared at Damon.

Something shifted across his face. Surprise first, then a flicker of relief that disappeared almost as quickly as it came. He straightened and lowered his head.

"Master Thorne. It’s good to see you back."

Damon watched him for a moment before gesturing to the chair.

"Sit down."

Marcus took the offered seat, keeping his back straight.

Damon had read the brief information Thomas collected about him. Marcus had served the Thorne family for nearly fifteen years, handling security around the residence and supervising smaller teams of guards.

He had left shortly after the family’s collapse and now worked in private security.

"You worked here for a long time," Damon began. "Tell me about the weeks before my parents disappeared."

Marcus’s shoulders tightened slightly.

"There were changes to security. More guards were assigned to certain parts of the manor, and some areas were suddenly off-limits."

"Suddenly?"

"Yes, Master." Marcus paused, as if deciding how much detail mattered.

"We’d always had restricted areas. That wasn’t unusual. What caught my attention was how many additional instructions came through in a short period. We were told to follow them and not ask questions."

"Did you?"

"Ask questions?" Marcus gave a faint, uncomfortable smile.

"I was responsible for keeping the residence secure, not questioning the people who ran it."

Damon leaned back. "Who gave the orders?"

"Some came through the senior security office. I knew the officer who passed them down, but I couldn’t tell you who had given him the instructions."

"Did the staff know something was happening?"

"I can’t speak for everyone." Marcus rubbed his thumb across the edge of his knee.

"But people were tense. Even those who normally talked too much had learned to keep their mouths shut."

Damon studied him. "And you?"

"I did my job."

The answer came quickly. Marcus seemed to realize that and added, more quietly, "Whatever was happening, no one told the guards what it was about."

Damon let the silence linger before continuing.

"What about the family’s private records? Were you ever assigned to guard them?"

"Not directly. I knew there were places ordinary staff weren’t permitted to enter, but I wasn’t told what was kept there."

"Did anyone outside the family request access?"

"Not that I witnessed."

Damon watched his face, looking for a sign that Marcus was holding something back. The former guard met his gaze, though his hands had gone still on his knees.

"I understand what you’re trying to find, Master Thorne," he said. "But I guarded the residence. I wasn’t trusted with the family’s private affairs."

Damon accepted that.

"Do you remember who was in charge of security at the time?"

Marcus gave him the name of the senior officer who had overseen the household guards. He could provide no further details about the man’s whereabouts after the family’s collapse.

Damon made a note of the name. It was something he could investigate later, but he wasn’t going to chase every lead before hearing the other two accounts.

"That’s all for now. Thank you for coming."

Marcus rose.

"If you remember anything else, contact Thomas."

"I will."

He set the notes aside as Thomas announced the next visitor.

Margaret Bell had worked at Blackstone Manor for more than twenty years. At fifty-nine, she still carried herself with the composed dignity of someone accustomed to managing a large household.

When she entered the study, she looked at Damon for a long moment.

"Master Thorne," she said softly.

"Margaret."

Her eyes briefly searched his face, and her lips pressed together. She seemed about to say something else, but instead she took the offered seat and folded her hands in her lap.

"You must have many questions," she said.

"I do. Start with the weeks before my parents disappeared. What do you remember?"

Margaret looked down at her hands.

"The house stopped feeling normal. Meals were cancelled at short notice. Sometimes I was told to prepare food for visitors whose names I wasn’t given. The senior staff stayed late, and everyone seemed to be waiting for something."

"Did you see those visitors?"

"A few. Not well enough to recognize them now." She hesitated.

"One evening, I remember preparing dinner for more people than usual. Then, shortly before it was meant to be served, I was told to put everything away."

"Was the food replaced?"

"No. I was simply told the dinner wasn’t needed anymore."

Margaret rubbed her thumb over the fingers of her other hand.

"I remember because I’d already made most of the preparations."

Damon watched her. "Did that happen often?"

"Not before then."

She gave a small shake of her head, as though she wished she could offer him something more useful.

"I spent most of my life in that house, Master Thorne. I knew when the household was busy, when someone was ill, when your mother had guests. Those last weeks were different. But I never knew why."

"Did you ever hear anything about the family’s inheritances or private records?"

Margaret shook her head.

"No, Master Thorne. Those matters were never discussed with the kitchen staff. We knew the family was wealthy, but we weren’t told how its affairs were managed."

Damon thanked her for her service and asked Thomas to see her out.

Robert Finch arrived shortly afterward.

At sixty-four, he had spent most of his working life maintaining the manor’s grounds. He was lean, weathered, and dressed neatly in clothes that looked more suited to a day’s work outdoors than a meeting in the study.

When Thomas introduced him, Robert’s eyes moved to Damon. He blinked, then gave a small, uncertain bow.

"Master Thorne. I heard you were back, but I wasn’t sure I’d get the chance to see you."

"Take a seat, Robert."

Robert sat near the edge of the chair, his hands resting on his knees. Unlike Marcus, he seemed more uncomfortable with the room than with Damon himself.

"You worked on the grounds for years," Damon said. "Did you notice anything unusual before my parents disappeared?"

Robert thought about it.

"There were vehicles coming in at odd hours. I remember seeing headlights near the service entrance late at night. More than once."

"Did you recognize the vehicles?"

"No. I was usually too far away, and I didn’t make a habit of looking into other people’s business."

"Were you asked to change your usual work?"

"I was told to avoid certain sections of the grounds for a while. I assumed there was maintenance or some private work going on. Nobody explained it to me."

"Which sections?"

Robert described the areas as best he could. Damon recognized that some were close to older parts of the estate, but none of the locations immediately suggested where the family’s records might have been kept.

"Did you ever see anything being moved out of those buildings?"

"Nothing I can confidently remember. There were deliveries and vehicles coming and going, as you’d expect at a large estate, but I can’t say whether any of them had anything to do with the family."

Damon asked about the private rooms and storage areas that ordinary staff weren’t permitted to enter.

Robert confirmed that several sections were restricted, but he had never been allowed inside them. He didn’t know what they contained, and he had no knowledge of the Thorne family’s inheritances.

He thanked Robert and let him leave.

Thomas returned to the study after seeing Robert out.

"Did you learn anything useful, Master?"

"Nothing conclusive."

Damon glanced over his notes. Marcus remembered the security changes. Margaret remembered the cancelled meals and unfamiliar visitors. Robert had seen vehicles using the service entrance at unusual hours.

Three different memories of the same uneasy period. None of them knew anything about the secret inheritances, at least as far as Damon could tell.

"Thomas, ask them whether they’d consider working here again."

The old butler paused.

"Working here again, Master?"

"Yes. Their experience would be useful while we rebuild the staff."

"Of course."

Thomas left to make the calls. Damon returned to his notes, expecting the answers to depend on the positions and compensation offered.

He hadn’t expected Thomas back so soon.

"Master, all three have declined."

Damon looked up. "All three?"

"Yes."

"What did they say?"

"Marcus said he had other commitments. Margaret thanked me, but said she couldn’t return. Robert said he’d moved on."

Damon set down his pen.

"Did any of them ask about the salary? The duties? Anything at all?"

"No, Master. None of them asked about the terms."

For a moment, Damon said nothing.

Marcus had looked relieved when he saw Damon, though the expression had vanished almost immediately. Margaret had seemed close to saying something before choosing her words. Robert had been uncomfortable, but not openly afraid.

Four years had passed. They had found other work and built lives outside the manor, so their refusals weren’t proof of anything.

But they’d agreed to return for the interviews. They were willing to talk about their old jobs, yet none had even asked what Damon was offering before turning down the chance to come back.

"Did they give you any other reason?"

"No. They were polite, but their decisions seemed final."

Damon tapped one finger against the desk, thinking it over.

"Very well. Don’t pressure them. Continue looking for other former employees, especially anyone who worked closely with my parents."

Damon glanced at the name he’d written in his notes.

"And find the senior security officer Marcus mentioned. I want to know where he went after the family’s collapse and whether he’s still alive. Start there before chasing other leads."

Thomas nodded. "I’ll look into it personally, Master."

After Thomas left, Damon leaned back in his chair.

He had no proof that the refusals were connected to his parents’ disappearance. He wouldn’t mistake coincidence for evidence.

But he couldn’t ignore the pattern, either.

Three former employees had come back to Blackstone Manor. None of them wanted to return.