It would remind me that Margaret had tried to preserve information in ways the town could understand.

ADDITIONAL CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: THE NIGHT BEFORE THE HEARING

The night before the public hearing, I sat at my kitchen table with a blank sheet of paper.

I had been asked whether I wanted to speak about finding the film.

For nearly an hour I tried to write a statement that explained everything that had happened.

Each draft grew longer as I added details about the trespass, the hidden doorway, Iris’s daughter, and the old records.

Then I realized the hearing was not about my performance as the man who discovered the evidence.

It was about whether residents could trust the county’s review of a former industrial site.

I crossed out the dramatic introduction and wrote three questions instead.

I wanted to know which historical reports the county had verified, which areas needed additional testing, and how residents would receive updates.

I sent the questions to the meeting coordinator and asked that they be addressed during the presentation.

Rachel called while I was putting away the papers.

She said Sophie was excited about visiting once the last inspection was finished.

I told her the contractor had installed the final railing and that the smoke detectors had passed their test.

Rachel sounded relieved.

We discussed school schedules, soccer practice, and which weekends would work for both households.

When the call ended, I looked around the kitchen and felt an unexpected sense of proportion.

There had been a time when every sound outside seemed connected to the case.

Now the refrigerator hummed, the clock ticked, and the paint was drying upstairs.

I was still concerned about Iris and about the records.

I was no longer willing to let those concerns consume every room in my home.

Before going to bed, I checked the doors once and left my phone charging on the counter.

For the first time since the police visit, I did not watch the security video again.

ADDITIONAL CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN: A DIFFERENT KIND OF KEY

The building official returned to inspect the basement after Dennis finished securing the old water connection.

He checked the ventilation, examined the steel doorway, and asked Luis for the engineer’s written assessment.

We had prepared the documents in a folder rather than relying on assurances that the repairs were good enough.

The official said the space could be used for a workshop once the electrical corrections were completed and recorded.