Secret of Light by K. C. Dyer

something worthwhile.”
    Kate grinned and punched him lightly on the arm. “Shut up. Here’s the door.”
    Darrell touched a shiny padlock dangling from a well-rusted chain. The chain circled through a pair of old bolts in the wall.
    â€œWhat do you make of this?” said Darrell, turning over the padlock in her hands.
    â€œLooks new. Maybe the Parks people who maintain the lighthouse attached it,” Kate offered.

    â€œMaybe so,” said Brodie doubtfully, “but I think it may have something to do with this sign.” He gestured at a tattered notice, wrapped in plastic and tacked on three corners to a wooden board on the wall. One corner of the notice was torn and flapping in the wind. Darrell held it down with a gloved hand. It read:
Demolition Permit
.
    â€œThe date’s torn off,” Darrell remarked.
    â€œAnd why would someone put a brand new lock on such a rusty old chain?” asked Kate. “Wouldn’t they replace both?”
    â€œSomething’s going on here,” said Brodie. “Look at this.”
    He indicated a small pile of cylindrical objects near the door. Darrell and Kate bent down to examine them more closely.
    â€œLooks like shotgun shells,” Darrell said at last.
    â€œBut this is the edge of a national park. Animals and birds are protected here, aren’t they?” asked Kate.
    â€œYup. No guns allowed,” said Brodie. “But maybe someone’s been shooting at seabirds.”
    â€œWell, if that’s so, whoever left these shell casings could still be around here,” said Kate. “Maybe they use the lighthouse as a base, or something.” She poked Darrell with a gloved finger. “Maybe Conrad’s up to his old tricks.”
    Brodie shrugged. “Well, like I said, I haven’t seen him down here at all lately.”
    â€œAnd how much time have you been spending here yourself?” Kate asked, triumphant.
    â€œWhoever put this here wasn’t very bright,” said Darrell, examining the lock and chain.

    Kate and Brodie stepped closer. The rusty chain was threaded through the handle of the door, but there was no functioning lock on the door itself, and it hung loose from a single hinge.
    â€œThe old chain is locked on securely enough,” she continued, ”but if you follow the chain into this little doorwell, you can see the end is —”
    â€œNot attached!” Brodie concluded. “Let’s go in.”
    â€œI don’t know...” said Kate.
    Darrell leaned her back against the lighthouse wall. “Let’s think about this for a minute,” she said, looking at Brodie. “Breaking and entering isn’t usually your style.”
    Brodie laughed. “It’s not really ‘breaking’ if we just unhook the end of the chain,” he said. “I only want to have a quick look around and then we can go.”
    Darrell nodded. “Yeah, Brodie’s right. We won’t touch anything, Kate. We’ll take a fast look around inside to see if we can figure out who’s been here, and then we’ll leave. I don’t want to hang around either.”
    Delaney pushed past Darrell, nosed the door open, and slipped inside.
    â€œHey, Delaney!” Darrell called, sticking her face in the dark doorway.
    â€œWell, I guess we’ve got to get the dog back,” said Kate. “But just a quick peek, okay?”
    One hand shading his eyes, Brodie looked towards the shore. “I’d feel better about this if the entrance was on the seaward side,” he said quietly. “But I think it’s too cold up on the cliffs for anyone to be sitting around watching us. Because this lock is in place, I think it’s obvious whoever put it here is gone. All the same,” heindicated the shoreline with a shrug of his shoulders, “there are a lot of hills up there. Lots of places to hide.”
    Kate shivered. “Okay, you’re right. I