Chapter 12 - THE PROPERTY AT BLACK CREEK
The rural property was known locally as Black Creek Lodge.
It stood beyond a narrow gravel road, surrounded by dense trees and miles of undeveloped land.
The building had once been a hunting retreat.
Later, one of the Bennett companies purchased it through a subsidiary.
According to Richard Vale, Claire had been taken there after leaving the guesthouse.
Investigators approached the property cautiously.
They found the lodge empty.
But the building showed signs of recent use.
Food containers.
Fresh tire tracks.
A working generator.
And several rooms that had been cleaned with unusual care.
In a rear bedroom, investigators discovered a small metal box beneath a loose floorboard.
Inside were photographs, a notebook, and a damaged phone.
The notebook contained dates.
Names.
Vehicle descriptions.
And repeated references to the Bennett family.
One name appeared more often than the others.
Rebecca Shaw.
The woman who had died three years earlier.
Forensic examination of the phone revealed fragments of messages and photographs.
Some were too damaged to recover immediately.
Others appeared to show Claire at the lodge after the date she was last seen at the Bennett estate.
That discovery changed the timeline.
Claire had apparently survived at least part of the period following her disappearance.
But the evidence did not establish where she went afterward.
Investigators expanded their search.
They interviewed former lodge employees.
Reviewed property records.
And traced vehicles associated with Vale's security company.
Then they found something nobody expected.
A former caretaker named Daniel Price.
He had worked at Black Creek Lodge for six months.
And when detectives showed him Claire's photograph, he recognized her immediately.
“She was there,” he said.
“When?” Mercer asked.
“Four years ago.”
“Was she being held against her will?”
Daniel hesitated.
“I don't know what arrangements they had.”
“Did she appear free to leave?”
He looked down.
“No.”
“What happened to her?”
Daniel swallowed.
“One night, I heard shouting.”
“Who was shouting?”
“A man and a woman.”
“Did you recognize the voices?”
“The woman's voice sounded like Mrs. Bennett.”
Mercer leaned forward.
“Evelyn Bennett?”
Daniel nodded.
“What happened next?”
“I heard a car start.”
“And?”
Daniel's hands began trembling.
“The next morning, the girl was gone.”
“Did anyone tell you where she'd been taken?”
“No.”
“Did you ask?”
Daniel shook his head.
“I was told I'd lose my job if I asked questions.”
Mercer waited.
Then Daniel added:
“There was blood on the back porch.”
The room went silent.
“What did you do?” Mercer asked.
Daniel began crying.
“I cleaned it.”
Mercer asked why he had never contacted the police.
Daniel covered his face.
“Because I was scared.”
The detective allowed him a moment.
Then asked one final question.
“Do you remember who ordered you to clean it?”
May you like
Daniel nodded.
“Evelyn Bennett.”
