A Haunted Theft (A Lin Coffin Mystery Book 4) (12 page)

T
he mid-day
sun was hot and bright when Lin approached Lacey Frye’s shop. She stood outside before plucking up her courage to go in. Just as she was about to reach for the doorknob, the click-clack of a bicycle chain made her turn around.

Mary stopped her bike on the street and when she noticed Lin on the porch of the shop, a look of panic spread over her face. Lin was afraid the young woman would speed away, but Mary swung her leg over the seat of the bike, took in a deep breath, and faced Lin.

“Are you looking for me?” Mary walked the bike closer to the porch steps.

Lin nodded. “Can you talk?”

“Why don’t we walk down to the docks,” Mary suggested. She parked the bicycle on the right side of the store building and locked it to the small fence.

The two walked along the brick sidewalks together.

“What were you doing last night?’ Lin thought the question was vague enough not to be accusatory.

“I was out.”

“Where did you go?”

“A few places.”

Lin said, “I went by the cultural museum last night. I left my truck parked out front. I went back to get it and thought I saw a flash of light behind the building so I walked around to the garden.” Lin paused to see if Mary might say something.

When they reached a park bench positioned near the beginning of the docks, they sat down side by side.

Lin continued. “Someone was in the backyard. It looked like the person was digging. I frightened her and she ran away. I heard the sound of a bike chain so I knew the person rode away and there was no use chasing after.”

“Then what happened?” Mary watched the sails bobbing in the harbor.

“I went back to where the person had been digging. There was a hole. I found the stolen basket and then called the police.”

Mary turned her head to Lin. “Were you able to describe the person to the police?”

Lin pushed away a strand of hair that blew into her eyes. “It was very dark. The person was wearing black, had a hat on. I couldn’t tell the police much.” Lin felt Mary relax slightly. “You know how people have a distinct walk or way of moving? Like if you’re in a dark corridor, you can often tell who the person is, if you know them, who is coming towards you? It’s nothing that really stands out, but the way someone moves or walks can almost seem as unique as a fingerprint.” Lin faced Mary. “You know what I mean?”

Mary didn’t say a word for almost a full minute. “I was at the museum late one night. We had duties like clean-up and keeping the place neat. There wasn’t enough money to hire a custodian, so we all pitched in. I could hear Nathan Long talking to someone in his office. At first, I thought he was on the phone, but then I could hear a woman’s voice. She was speaking low. I couldn’t make out who it was. I started to move away from the door when what they were talking about made me freeze in my tracks.”

Mary gave Lin a quick look. “They were making plans to steal the antique basket.” Mary sucked in a breath. “I couldn’t believe it. I inched closer to the door to try and hear more clearly. Their plan was to keep the employee door unlocked right before the evening exhibition hours started. Right before most of the employees came in, they would bring a trash can through the exhibition rooms, take the basket off the pedestal and put it in the trash can. Wheel it to the closet. There’s an old dumbwaiter in the side closet. They’d hide it there until after hours. Leaving the employee door unlocked would spread suspicion that someone came in from outside and took the basket.”

“Could you make out who Nathan was talking to?”

“No, the woman spoke too low, she was whispering. Sometimes I didn’t even know she had said anything, but Nathan would answer so I knew she was talking.” Mary put her elbows on her knees and leaned forward. “They planned to sell the basket through an underground art and artifacts dealer network. The theft was planned for the night
after
the basket actually went missing.”

“You removed it?” Lin wondered how Mary would react to her question.

Mary snorted. “They had the whole thing worked out. I heard the whole plan so I enacted it myself. Just one day early.” Mary sat up, a look of anger on her face. “I wasn’t going to let them steal that basket.” She shook her head. “No. They weren’t getting their hands on it.”

“Why didn’t you just go to the police and tell them what you heard?” Lin asked.

Mary cocked her head. “A twenty-two-year-old nobody reports overhearing a plot to steal an antique basket and the thief happens to be a world-renowned craftsman, author, and lecturer. The twenty-two-year-old has no proof. What do you think would have happened? Would the police believe me or Nathan Long?” Mary’s eyes flashed. “Nathan Long was
not
going to steal that basket.”

Lin blew out a long sigh. “What were you going to do with the basket?”

“I knew you’d find it when you started the garden renovations. I didn’t have to do anything.”

“Why were you digging it up then?” Lin looked at Mary with narrowed eyes.

“I heard Nathan and some other board members arguing about the cost of doing the garden. They wanted to postpone things due to the theft of the basket. They were afraid the museum would have to be closed because of the insurance payout that would have to be paid to the lending museum for the loss of the basket. I couldn’t leave the basket buried for long. It would have been damaged. I decided to dig it up and leave it at the police station.”

Lin believed every word of what Mary had just told her. “Who do you think was Nathan’s accomplice?”

“I’ve been trying to figure that out.” Mary leaned back against the bench. “I can’t stop thinking about it.”

“Martha Hillman?”

“Maybe. I’m not sure.”

“Another one of the board members?” Claire Rollins popped into Lin’s mind. Ideas sparked like lightning.
Did Claire make things up about Nathan Long to divert attention from her alliance with him?
Lin’s heart sank.
But why would Claire take the chance stealing the basket with him? She didn’t need the money.
Another thought pushed its way into Lin’s brain.
Claire was lonely and alone. Maybe she’d fallen for Nathan’s charms.

Lin wanted to test what Claire had told her. She turned to Mary. “I’ve heard that Nathan Long was a ladies’ man. Did you ever see him flirting with staff?”

Mary’s jaw set and the muscles of her face tightened. “Sure. He thought he was hot stuff. He acted all nice and friendly with all of the women. Complimenting them, smiling, joking, putting his hand on theirs. It would have been easy for people to get the wrong impression, think he was interested in them.”

“Were any of the women particularly taken with Nathan? I wonder if someone like that might be talked into helping him steal the basket.”

“I don’t know.” Mary bit her lip, hesitated for a few moments, and then blurted, “Once I saw Martha Hillman and Nathan kissing in the storage area in the basement. I was taking the trash outside. I saw them through the window.”

“Nathan and Martha.” Lin’s eyes flashed. “Do you know that the police think that Martha may have been killed?”

“Killed?” Mary looked stunned. “Martha killed herself. It was suicide.”

“It seems that it might not have been suicide.”

“What?” Mary was on the edge of her seat. “It might be murder?” She ran her hand through her hair. “I wondered if Martha and Nathan hatched the plan to steal the basket together. I wondered if the two of them broke off with each other because their plan failed.” Mary stared at Lin red-faced. “Did I cause her death? I removed the basket so they couldn’t steal it. Did Nathan go into a rage and kill Martha because their plan derailed?” She clutched the sides of her head. “Is she dead because of what I did?”

Lin gripped Mary’s shoulder and spoke firmly. “Nothing you did caused this. If someone killed Martha or she killed herself … it’s not your fault. It’s not.”

Tears gathered in the corners of Mary’s eyes and her hands were trembling. “My God, did Nathan commit murder? I thought he loved Martha. How could he do that?”

“Maybe the only one Nathan loves is himself,” Lin muttered.

“He’s a monster.” Mary nearly choked on the words.

Lin spoke to Mary with a gentle tone. “I have to ask you a question. Did Nathan ever do anything inappropriate with you?”

Mary’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?” Her voice quavered.

“Did he ever try to kiss you?”

“No.” Mary’s eyes flashed. “He did not.” She stood abruptly. “I need to get to the museum. I’m working later.” She took a step and then wheeled on Lin. “Are you going to tell the police I buried the basket?”

“I didn’t see your face last night. I think the person who knows what happened should be the one who tells the police.” Lin held Mary’s eyes. “That doesn’t mean I won’t tell them one day if someone else doesn’t.”

Mary strode away leaving Lin sitting alone on the bench thinking.
Did
Claire lie to me about Nathan? Who was the woman Nathan was plotting to steal the basket with? Who killed Martha?

Lin felt like her head was about to explode.

L
in returned
to her jobs more confused than at any point in the case. While working in her clients’ yards, she kept looking over her shoulder hoping that a ghost would appear and steer her in the right direction, but no spirits showed themselves. Lin needed to catch up on some gardening tasks and by 6pm, she was dirty and exhausted and frustrated.

All the time she was pulling weeds, mowing, and planting, her mind was working on all the clues, motives, and suspects that she’d been able to come up with and the whole thing was still a jumbled mess. She pulled out her phone to call Libby about getting together to talk over everything and she sighed before sending the call, remembering that the older woman had gone off-island for a few days.

Still holding the phone, it buzzed with an incoming text from Viv reminding Lin that they were taking the second basket weaving class with Mary. There was a change in location. The class was being held at the cultural museum.

Lin wiped her soil-covered hand on her shorts and then rubbed her forehead. There was no way she was going to that class. Lin looked down at her dog. “What’s going on, Nick? Will we ever figure it out?”

Lin wanted to talk to Viv, or Leonard, or Libby. She also wanted to talk to Jeff and wished he knew that she could see ghosts. That was a discussion she’d put off, waiting until they knew each other better. She knew she’d have to tell him soon and was dreading his reaction, afraid that she would lose him. Lin wanted to collapse onto the grass and fall asleep to escape from all the confusion. Instead, she picked up her tools and dragged herself to the truck with Nicky following behind.

Just as she slammed the truck bed, Leonard pulled up beside her. She was so happy to see him, she almost cried. Nicky bounced and twirled with delight that Leonard was there.

“What’s wrong with you, Coffin?” Leonard narrowed his eyes.

“I’m tired.”

Leonard leaned out his window. “You’re always tired. It’s more than that. What’s going on?” He got out of the truck and leaned down to scratch Nicky’s ears.

“A lot. A lot’s going on. Want to hear it?”

“Yeah. Can you talk fast? I’m taking the 7:30 ferry to the mainland.”

A wave of panic shot through Lin’s body. “How long are you going to be gone?”

“I’m taking the last ferry back tonight. I’m going to see a piece of equipment that we could use. We can get it at a good price. It’s practically a steal. I’ll text you a picture of it if it’s as good as I think it is.”

“Okay.” Lin nodded and tried to figure out why she was feeling a sense of being abandoned. She knew it was nonsense to think such a thing and she sucked in a deep breath to try and shake it off.

“I thought you’d be excited about the equipment.”

“I am. It’s great.” Lin forced a smile. “You want to get some take-out before you go?”

Leonard eyed his partner trying to figure out why she seemed so off. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

Nicky rode with Leonard to the farm where he bought chicken sandwiches and boxes of french fries and onion rings and met Lin back at her house. They took the food to the deck and Lin started a whirlwind of chatter telling Leonard all the things that she’d discovered in the past few days … leaving out the ghost stuff.

Leonard stared at Lin. “So Martha was probably murdered. I despised that woman, but all I can feel is sorrow.” He put his sandwich on his plate.

Lin gave a nod of understanding.

Leonard said, “And Mary Frye removed the basket to keep it from being stolen. Good for her, even though she’s bound to get into a heap of trouble over it.”

“She should have told someone what she heard Nathan and the unknown woman discussing. Maybe she could have gotten help. She took the basket without thinking it through. She could have avoided getting herself into trouble.” Lin held her cold glass of seltzer against her temple.

Leonard took a drink of his beer. “Speaking of trouble, it seems that Nathan Long is causing a lot of it.” He scowled. “Nothing sticks to that guy. He sets up a plot to steal the basket, he thinks all the women are in love with him, he manipulates people to help him commit a robbery. I wonder what else he’s done that no one knows about.” Leonard checked his watch. “I gotta get going or I’ll miss the ferry. Try to stay out of trouble until I get back, okay?”

“Okay.” Lin smiled and walked Leonard to the door. She gave him a hug, thankful to have him as a friend. “Thanks. I feel better.”

The big man gave the dog another pat and then drove away with a wave.

Lin cleared the deck table of the dinner things and then she went inside and collapsed onto the sofa. Before she nodded off, she sent Viv a text telling her cousin that she wouldn’t be able to make the basket class.

* * *

L
in bolted up
, disoriented from her brief nap. Her sleep had been restless and full of crazy dreams that wove all the clues into a frightening tapestry of wild images and dark colors. She pushed herself up from the sofa and went into the kitchen to splash cool water on her face. Drying her cheeks on a towel, something popped into Lin’s mind with such force that she felt like she’d touched a live electrical wire.

Lin ran to her front door. Nicky stood in front of it barking at his owner as if he was trying to make her stay in the house.

Lin side-stepped the dog, rushed out of the house, and took off running into town.

* * *

L
in knocked
on the door of the second floor apartment and just when she thought that no one would answer, it opened a crack.

“It’s me, Lin Coffin. Can I talk to you?”

The door shut for a moment, a chain was pushed to the side, and then the door opened wide. Lacey Frye stepped back to let Lin enter. Lin didn’t know why, but when she woke from her nap, she felt the urgent need to talk to Lacey and knew that she couldn’t delay.

The cozy living room had a fireplace on one wall with pictures of Lacey and Mary in silver frames lining the mantle. Two upholstered chairs flanked the fireplace and a big, soft sofa stood facing it. Lamplight glowed and warmed the space. The two women sat in the chairs.

Lin didn’t know where to start so she blurted out the question that was foremost in her mind. “Did Mary tell you about the basket?”

Lacey nodded. “Yes. She told me what she did. I’m afraid of what will happen to her when the authorities find out.”

“Can you tell me why you hate Nathan Long?” Lin didn’t know the question was going to come out of her mouth until she’d said it.

Mary blinked several times. Her facial expression revealed the inner turmoil of deciding whether or not to give Lin an answer. Finally she said, “I’ll tell you. Nathan and I lived together for a number of years. We started a basket business together. I taught him everything I knew and then he left me. He took all the money we had made together. He went on to fame and fortune. I realized that he never loved me. He stole from me … my knowledge, our money, my love. He left me with nothing.”

Lin made eye contact with the woman who had lost so much at the hands of a man who only cared about himself.

Lacey glanced down at her hands clasped together on her lap. “I hate Nathan, yes, and I’m ashamed that I fell for his lies. I wanted to believe he loved me, that we were partners.” She looked up at Lin. Her eyes had softened. “He didn’t leave me with nothing. He left me with the best part of my life.”

Lin realized what Lacey was telling her. “Mary.”

Lacey nodded. “Mary is Nathan’s daughter.”

“Does she know?”

“Yes.” Lacey sighed. “She found a long-ago letter from Nathan to me. She figured it out just a few months ago.”

“Does Nathan know that he’s Mary’s father?”

Mary’s face hardened. “No. And he never will.”

The two sat quietly for several minutes.

Lacey broke the silence. “Mary told me that you said that Martha Hillman may not have committed suicide. Do you think Nathan killed her?”

Lin shook her head. “I don’t know. If he didn’t do it with his own hands, I think he’s the reason she’s dead.”

Lacey gave a nod. “Martha was in love with Nathan her whole life. Mary saw them kissing recently. I don’t believe Nathan ever loved the woman, maybe he doesn’t know how to love. I think he used her like he’s used everyone else. I think Martha was the one that Mary heard plotting with Nathan to steal the basket.” Lacey paused, and when she spoke her voice was tight. “Nathan kissed Mary once. That monster. He called her into his office and….” Lacey’s face flushed with anger.

What Claire had told Lin was true. While Lin’s stomach clenched with disgust at Nathan Long, her body flooded with relief that Claire hadn’t lied to her.

Lacey said, “You know, there were many times when I wanted to kill Nathan with my bare hands, but the kindness and love of my friends … those things saved me. When Nathan deserted me, I went to stay with a friend on the mainland. I stayed with her for three years and finally felt alive again. I took Mary back here, we came home. Another friend owned this building and gave me the shop downstairs for free to start my business. Eventually, I bought the building from her. Without those two friends I don’t know where I’d be. I’ve tried to help other women over the years. It’s my way of paying back. I have a woman downstairs now. She lost her job at the museum. Mary told me about her. We offered the studio apartment to her for free to help her out.”

Lin’s brain zinged. “Avery.”

Lacey nodded.

The word repeated in Lin’s head. Avery. Avery.
I won’t tell you why Martha fired me. Watch your back. Some people aren’t what they seem.

Lin’s heart pounded.
Avery was warning me about Nathan.
She leapt to her feet. “Do you know if Avery is in her apartment?”

“She isn’t,” Lacey said. “She gave me the key. She’s leaving tonight on the late ferry. She’s moving back to the mainland.”

Oh, no.
Is Avery going to try and hurt Nathan?

Some of the puzzle pieces had fallen into place.