A Haunted Theft (A Lin Coffin Mystery Book 4) (11 page)

T
he sun was setting
when Viv helped Lin carry tools from the back of the truck to the yard space behind the cultural museum. She dropped them onto the ground and wiped her forehead. “Ugh. I don’t know how you can work outside all day. The heat and humidity would kill me. Never mind the dirt and the bugs and the snakes…. ugh.” She screwed up her face in distaste.

Lin laughed. “I know how you prefer the air conditioning, but look how strong I’ve gotten from all this work.” She flexed her arm muscle.

Viv frowned. “You can keep your muscle. That’s no incentive for me. I definitely made the right career choice.”

On the way over to the museum, Lin had chattered away telling Viv about the conversation with Claire Rollins. “She seems lost and alone. She certainly didn’t have an easy start to life with her father abandoning her and her mother. I can understand her drive to make something of herself.”

“Well, she lucked out big time having Mr. Money-Bags fall for her. How come that never happened to me?”

“Claire honestly seemed to care for Teddy.” Lin shook her head. “When she asked me that question about Nathan making a move on me, an awful feeling ran through my body. I think what she said about Nathan is some kind of a clue. What could it mean?” She glanced at her cousin sitting across from her in the passenger seat of the truck.

For the rest of the drive to the museum, the girls surmised what was going on and why Claire’s comment could have made Lin so uneasy, and they came up empty.

“This space should be condemned.” Viv scowled at the mess of a yard before them. “You’ve sure got your work cut out for you.”

“At least now I can get started in the morning. There have been so many postponements with the board having to determine the funding source, the stolen basket hoopla, and Martha’s death. I wasn’t sure the contract was ever going to go through.” Lin bent to pick up her tool box. She’d brought a length of heavy chain and a padlock to attach the tool box to an old metal fence post. With the teens sometimes using the space at night to hang out, Lin wanted to be sure her tools didn’t disappear.

“You should ask Nathan to give you a key to the basement,” Viv suggested. “Then you can store bigger tools inside. It’s hard to get a parking space around here. With most of the tools already here, you could walk over to work sometimes instead of driving.”

“Genius,” Lin smiled. As she stood up holding the tool box in her hand, a feeling of dread washed over her. Her demeanor changed so rapidly that Viv immediately noticed the difference in her cousin.

“What’s wrong with you?” Viv glanced around. “Is it a ghost?”

“No ghost.” Lin dropped the box and hurried to the old metal table and chair where she sank onto the seat. “I got dizzy again.”

Viv stood next to Lin and put her hand on her shoulder. “Is there some gas or something back here? Is some odor leaking out of that basement? Maybe a gas leak is making you feel odd when you’re here.”

“Then why doesn’t it make
you
feel odd? Nathan didn’t react to anything either when I was here with him. It’s just me.” Lin rubbed her temple. “No, I think it’s something else that’s making me feel weird.”

“A clue?” Viv looked over her shoulders to be sure no one was sneaking up on them and then she muttered, “I should have stayed at the bookstore.”

Lin took in some deep breaths trying to calm herself.

“Maybe you should give up this contract.” Viv’s voice quavered a bit. “Maybe it isn’t safe for you to be around here.”

Lin stood up, her hand resting on the tabletop. “I feel better. If there
is
a clue nearby, then there’s no way I can give up this contract.”

“Let’s get out of here.” Viv helped attach the tool box and other tools to the chain where they locked everything to the old fence on the other side of the yard. Heading back to the street, Viv suggested, “Leave the truck here. There won’t be any place to park down near the pub.”

“I was thinking the same thing. I can walk back this way to get the truck later tonight.” The girls weaved along the streets of Nantucket town that led to the docks area. The streetlamps were just coming on and they shined like little beacons against the darkening sky. Entering the restaurant’s lounge side, they miraculously found two stools at the bar.

Viv ordered a glass of wine and Lin asked for seltzer not wanting to drink any alcohol since her head still felt funny from being in the garden of the cultural museum. They enjoyed the music playing and the cheerful atmosphere of the place and they kept their chit-chat to topics other than a stolen basket and Martha Hillman’s unexpected death.

Three men who were natives of the island and regular customers at Viv’s bookstore-café approached the girls and struck up conversation. Lin judged them to be in the mid-sixties. Viv made introductions.

“We’ve seen you in the café sometimes. Viv tells us you run a landscaping business,” the man named George remarked.

Lin told them about moving back to Nantucket and starting the new job and recently joining forces with Leonard Reed.

Harold said, “I know Leonard, haven’t seen him for ages though. He’s a good guy, a hard worker.”

George’s face lost its smile. “I always liked Leonard. We should give him a call. We lost touch years ago, right after his wife died.” He shook his head sadly. “My wife and I were friends with Leonard and Marguerite.”

Robert looked at Viv. “My wife told me she was in a basket class with you the other day. You took the class with Mary Frye? My wife raved about it.”

Viv told them what she’d learned and how she wanted to take another class with Mary. “Funny, I never knew that Mary’s mother owned the little basket shop in town.”

“Oh, it’s been there forever,” Robert said. “Lacey’s slowing down now though what with arthritis and other health problems. She looks ten years older than she is. Maybe her daughter will take over someday.”

“You know Lacey?” Lin asked.

“Sure.” Robert grinned. “You grow up on an island, you know most everyone.”

George piped up. “Lacey hangs in there no matter what comes her way. She’ll never stop weaving. Not while there’s breath in her body.”

“Yeah,” Robert agreed. “She’s a much better craftsperson than Nathan Long, but he gets all the fame and attention.”

Harold said, “That guy is smooth. He knows how to work the business side of the baskets.”

Robert narrowed his eyes. “My wife told me that Nathan learned the craft from Lacey. They dated back in the day. Lacey was a few years younger. They started a business together, and then Nathan cut her out. It was pretty nasty, I understand. He basically stole all Lacey’s knowledge and set himself up as the great expert.”

Lin and Viv’s mouths dropped simultaneously.

Harold added, “Rumor was back then that Nathan took all the money he and Lacey had made together and left Lacey with nothing.”

“That’s horrible.” Viv was shocked to hear such terrible things about the man she’d admired for so long.

“Shortly after that, Lacey left the island for a couple of years, she came back with a little daughter. A friend gave her space in the building she’s in now to start over again. Lacey eventually bought the place.”

“I never liked Nathan.” George took a drink from his glass. “He was always a know-it-all, thought too much of himself. He could be a bully.”

Robert added, “Couldn’t deny his ambition. He had that in spades ... so much so that he didn’t care who he hurt or trampled or took from to get what and where he wanted.”

“You couldn’t deny his charm or charisma either. That sure didn’t hurt him,” Harold said. “All the girls loved him. He was a real ladies man. Probably still is.”

“Nathan’s still a handsome guy.” George motioned to the bartender for another round of drinks. “He must have a plastic surgeon on his staff because we haven’t held up as well as he has.”

The comment had the other men laughing.

Lin’s head was spinning from the revelations about Nathan Long. Something about what the men were saying picked at her. An idea seemed to float into the edges of her mind, but when she tried to grasp it, the thought drifted out of reach.

The men moved on to other topics and chattered away, while Lin and Viv so shocked and surprised about Nathan Long, just nodded and murmured brief comments now and then. When their wives arrived to join them, the six said their goodbyes and headed for the dining room. Lin and Viv stared at one another.

“Well, that was unexpected information.” Viv rolled her eyes and took a long drink of her wine. “I must be a terrible judge of character. I liked the guy. Jeez.”

“You
are
a good judge.” Lin leaned her elbows on the bar. “Nathan does have charm. Your interactions are minimal. You can’t get a good idea about him in that short amount of time.”

“So.” Viv frowned. “Now what do you think?”

“I think someone has been overlooked.” Lin ran her finger over her horseshoe necklace and leveled her eyes at her cousin. “And that someone is about to be put under a very large microscope.”

“I can’t wait.” Viv raised her glass and clinked it against Lin’s.

W
hile Lin
and Viv ate dinner at the bar, they talked over the new revelations and Viv stewed over what an awful person Nathan Long was and how foolish she was to be sucked in by his fame and charm.

The girls walked through town on their way home and split up at a fork in the road. The cousins hugged goodnight and Viv headed up the cobblestone streets to her house. Lin strolled the few blocks to pick up her truck that she’d left at the curb near the museum. Her head was still reeling with thoughts and ideas about the events of the past two weeks. She was happy to see that her vehicle was still where she left it and even though she knew she’d parked legally, she was afraid that it might have been towed away.

Taking out her keys, Lin reached for the driver’s side door. Something caught her eye at the side of the museum. She thought she saw a flash or a flicker of light coming from behind the building and wondered if kids were back there and if they had tampered with her tools. Shoving her key into her pocket, Lin pulled out her phone so that she could place a call to the police if kids were indeed trespassing on the museum grounds.

Lin tiptoed along the side of the building as quietly as she could and peeked around the corner into the dark garden wishing that the board members had voted to pay for security lights for the property. Squinting into the darkness, Lin could see movement close to the area near the corner of the yard that had held evidence of teens congregating there.

Lin had to stifle a gasp of surprise. Someone was digging under the huge Beech tree. There was no one else in the garden, just the lone figure moving a shovel carefully into and out of the ground.
What in the world?
She took a step forward and her foot came down on a twig that snapped.

The figure whirled, dropped the shovel, and took off running around to the other side of the museum. Lin hesitated for a second and then hurried to see where the person went. Reaching the far corner of the building, she saw no one. Lin stood holding her breath trying to be as silent as possible, straining to hear for footsteps.

The clink-clunk of a bicycle chain sounded on the other side of the wooden fence that stood at the east side boundary of the museum’s land. Lin rushed to the fence and stuck her face up to a crack in the wood just in time to see the figure racing away in the night.

Lin sighed and walked back to the section of the garden where she’d seen the person digging. Expecting to find a case of beer or some such thing being covered over with soil for a future teen gathering, Lin used the flashlight on her phone to light up the thing in the ground and poked at the object protruding from the earth. Bending down to get a better look, her breath caught in her throat as she fell back on her butt.

Wrapped in black plastic garbage bags, there was a small section of a handle sticking out. It was the stolen Wampanoag basket.

* * *

L
in bustled
in her kitchen putting breakfast dishes in the dishwasher and packing her lunch. She yawned as she reached for some water bottles and placed them in her canvas bag. Nicky sat watching his owner, his little tail wagging back and forth.

It had been a late night and she hadn’t been able to sleep much. After discovering the antique basket in the shallow hole in back of the museum, Lin called the police, and then phoned Viv and Jeff who both raced to meet her.

The police asked a million questions, some more than once. When they asked about the figure that she’d seen digging, Lin couldn’t tell them much. “The person was on a bicycle and rushed away. I was looking through a hole in the fence, but it was dark and the hole was too small, and I didn’t get a good look at all.” Everything she said was true, but there was one thing that she kept to herself and she wasn’t exactly sure why. Lin told herself that she couldn’t be sure who was on that bike. Like she told the police officer, it was so dark outside. She didn’t see the figure’s face, but still….

Lin sighed feeling guilty for not being more forthcoming, but what if she was wrong about who it might be? She didn’t want to falsely accuse someone.

Nicky barked and Lin jumped. She heard a car door shut and she went into the living room to look out the window. A black Range Rover was parked in front of her house. She hurried to the front door.

Lin smiled. “I thought that was your car.” She opened the door.

Claire Rollins entered the little foyer. “Hi. Wow, what a great house.” She admired the ceiling beams and the large windows and the bead board on the walls. “It’s beautiful.”

Lin gave a half smile knowing Claire was used to a whole lot more quality and space than what her cottage contained. “Claire, you don’t have to go on and on. I appreciate it and all….”

“I mean it.” The blonde gave Lin a serious look. “I’d love a house like this.”

Nicky leaned against the woman’s leg and she bent to pat him. “You are the best dog ever.” Nicky seemed to grow an inch taller from the praise.

“I hope you don’t mind that I stopped by. I know it’s early, but I thought you might be leaving soon for your jobs and I wanted to catch you.”

“It’s okay. My first job of the day got cancelled. I don’t have to rush away.” Lin couldn’t start work on the museum garden until the investigation regarding the basket had been completed. Lin gestured to the sofa. “Want coffee or tea or something?”

Claire declined the offer and sat down. Lin took the chair across from her.

“Did you hear about the basket?” Lin wondered if Claire had heard the news.

“I did.” A huge smile formed on her face. “I’m so glad it’s been recovered. And there’s no damage to it at all, thank heavens.”

“Is that why you came by?” Although Lin’s name hadn’t been mentioned on the news, information often traveled quickly and Claire might have heard that Lin was the one who found the basket.

Claire looked surprised. “No.” She folded her hands in her lap. “I wanted to talk about something else.” Claire shifted her eyes from her hands to Lin. “You know, the other day when you were working in my yard? I was drunk, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

A smile crept over Lin’s mouth.

Claire rolled her eyes. “I figured you’d noticed. Anyway, I’d like to thank you. That was the first time in about two years that I talked to someone like a friend. Most everyone I talk to wants something from me. Oh, I know I pay you for the gardening and all, but you don’t treat me like some queen, like I’m better than anyone else. You treat me normal.”

“You’re welcome.” Lin chuckled. “You don’t have to thank me for treating you like a normal person.”

“Yeah, I do.” Claire clasped and unclasped her hands.

Lin could see that the woman wanted to say something more.

After a few moments, Claire spoke. “I’d like to tell you something.” She sucked in a long breath. “I asked you if Nathan Long made a move on you. Well, he made a move on me. I wondered how many other women he’d done that to.” Claire shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “One day, I arrived early for a board meeting and Nathan was there already. He was all charming and sweet. Well, he got a little too close and touched my chest. I smacked him.”

Lin couldn’t help but give a little cheer. Claire’s eyes widened and then she smiled. “I wanted to punch him in the nose actually.”

“You should have.” Lin told her some of the things she’d heard about Nathan Long from the men at the pub.

“I too was initially sucked in by his charm. He’s horrid.” Knowing that Lin was on her side, Claire relaxed and leaned back in her chair. “I told Martha Hillman what he’d done. I thought Nathan should be disciplined by the board, maybe kicked off of it. You know what Martha said? I must have misinterpreted Nathan’s actions.”

Lin’s jaw dropped.

“Yup. She berated
me
. She said I must have led him on. Can you imagine? In this day and age? She blamed
me
. I wanted to kill her.” Claire’s eyes widened and she stammered. “I mean, I wouldn’t, I didn’t….”

Lin nodded. “I know what you mean.”

“I need to tell you something else. Two things, actually.” Claire hesitated again, but then went on. “I think Nathan and Martha had a thing. Well, I’m sure of it. I saw them one night.”

Lin sat up straight.

“I saw them in Martha’s office. They didn’t know I was still there. They were kissing. Passionately. I walked backwards as quietly as I could and then I practically ran from the place.”

Lin’s heart pounded. “They didn’t know that you saw them?.”

“No. I’ve been wondering.” Claire lowered her voice even though they were the only ones in the house. “Do you think Nathan could have killed Martha? You know, a lover’s quarrel gone wrong? I can’t stop worrying about it.”

“I guess it’s certainly possible.” Lin’s head was spinning from this news.

“I hate to be a gossip, but in light of everything, I felt like I had to tell someone. I don’t have anyone else I can talk to about it. Do you think I should tell the police?” The corners of Claire’s green eyes wrinkled with worry.

“Maybe.” Lin nodded. “Maybe you should, yes. You said you had two things to tell me?”

Claire bit her lip. “I saw something else. I went to the museum early one morning to pick up some folders. As I passed Nathan’s office, I saw him. He was trying to kiss someone. The person was squirming to get away. I stopped in the doorway and shouted at him. The girl ran past me and Nathan glared at me. I gave him a piece of my mind. You know what he said? The girl was consenting and I’d better stay out if it.” Claire’s eyes narrowed. “That girl was
not
consenting.”

“What did you say to him when he told you to stay out of it?” Lin asked.

“I told him I had enough money at my disposal to bring him down and that if I ever saw him do anything to that girl again or anyone else, for that matter, then he would rue the day he crossed me.”

Lin applauded.

“I talk big, but I was ready to faint. He scared me, Lin. I’m still afraid of him.”

“Keep away from him. Don’t ever be alone with him.” Lin’s expression was serious.

Claire nodded. “I tried to talk to the girl one day about what had happened. She wouldn’t acknowledge what I’d seen.”

“Do you mind if I ask who the girl was?”

“Mary Frye.”

Anxiety washed over Lin like a ten foot wave.