CHAPTER NINETY - The Cost of Peace and Freedom

Ella nodded grimly. "The Harrisons. John and Mary Harrison, and their two children. They were found dead in their home one morning, with no apparent cause." "That's terrible," Lucas murmured, "but what does it have to do with us?" "Don't you see?" Ella said, her voice rising with urgency. "It's not just one tragic event tied to this land. There's a pattern here." She pulled out more clippings, laying them out in chronological order. "1873: Lucinda Blackwood dies under mysterious circumstances. 1932: The Harrison family tragedy. And now, in our time, all these inexplicable incidents at Montgomery's." Lucas ran a hand through his hair, trying to process the information. "So you're saying... what? That our land is cursed?" "I don't know if I'd go that far," Ella said hesitantly. "But there's definitely something... off about this place. And I think we need to take it seriously." As the sun began to rise, casting a pale light through the office window, Ella and Lucas sat in silence,