They Left Her Alone in the Mountains — Then She Found a Civil War Secret Hidden Under an Old Hearth
Chapter 7
The iron box contained more than they realized.
Noah examined the medallion.
It had a hidden compartment.
Inside was a tiny brass key.
Emma remembered the hearth.
They returned to the cabin.
The rain had returned.
Noah removed the fireplace stones one by one.
Behind the deepest stone was a steel door.
The brass key fit.
The door opened.
Inside was a narrow cavity.
There was no gold.
No treasure.
Only a black leather ledger.
Emma pulled it out.
It was enormous.
The first pages contained names from 1864.
The final pages contained names from the twenty-first century.
Politicians.
Judges.
Sheriffs.
Business owners.
Bank executives.
Emma turned page after page.
Then stopped.
Her grandfather’s name.
Next to it was another.
Noah Reed.
She looked at him.
Noah went pale.
“That can’t be me.”
The ledger listed him as a member of the Covenant.
Date joined:
2011.
Emma stepped backward.
“You knew about this.”
“No.”
“Your name is right here.”
“I swear I’ve never seen it.”
Then Noah noticed something.
The handwriting beside his name was different.
He grabbed the ledger.
“This was added recently.”
“By who?”
He didn’t answer.
A sound came from outside.
A gunshot.
The cabin window shattered.
Noah pushed Emma to the floor.
Another shot struck the wall.
They crawled toward the basement.
Noah pulled his radio.
No response.
Someone had disabled communications.
They escaped through the back entrance.
But before they reached the woods, headlights appeared on the road.
Three vehicles.
Men stepped out.
One shouted:
“Give us the ledger!”
Noah looked at Emma.
“Run.”
They disappeared into the forest.
Behind them, the cabin caught fire.
