The Haunted Bones (A Lin Coffin Mystery Book 3)

by J A Whiting

  Holding a trowel in one hand, Lin sat back on her heels. I know there was a light on in there. If it wasn’t Quinn, then who was it?

  * * *

  Lin scurried around making the salads, showering and dressing so she wouldn’t be late to dinner. She and Nicky hurried along the brick walkways that lined the cobbled streets to Lin’s house. Roses and hydrangeas bloomed in Viv’s gardens inside the white picket fence that enclosed the front yard. Lin got a whiff of the roses as she walked down the driveway to the back of the house and the deck. She could hear Jeff and John talking and when she came around the corner, she saw them standing by the grill.

  Jeff took the platters from his girlfriend and kissed her. “You look great.” His eyes shined.

  “Viv’s inside.” John lifted the lid of the grill to check the charcoals. “We can put the food on in a minute.”

  Jeff, Viv, and Lin carried food and drinks out to the deck and John placed burgers, shish kebobs, and skewers of vegetables onto the grill. Nicky and Queenie dozed in the grass under one of the trees.

  Lin told everyone about how she and Leonard climbed the hill at the park and came out right above the farmhouse’s backyard. She described the scene of police and officials as they scoured the rear of the house looking for additional bones.

  Jeff put his arm around Lin’s shoulders. “I hope it’s an old bone from decades ago.”

  Viv agreed. “There’s been enough excitement on the island this summer. If this keeps up, they’ll change the name to Murder Island.”

  Lin groaned.

  John flipped a burger. “It sounds strange, but that would probably bring even more tourists over from the mainland. Plenty of people like murder mysteries and intrigue.” He looked up pondering. “Maybe it would do my business good. How could I capitalize on that?”

  Viv bopped John’s arm playfully. “Honestly John, you can’t try to profit off someone else’s misery.”

  “Leonard told me that the farmhouse was for sale for almost year,” Lin said.

  “Yeah. I really wanted to sell that place.” John checked the grilling vegetables. “I just missed out on taking the call from those doctors who ended up buying it.”

  Lin held a platter for John to place the skewers. “When a place for sale is empty, do Realtors make some arrangements to have the house and property checked on periodically?”

  “Some do.” John placed the veggies and burgers on the platter. “Our firm does. There’s a risk of a squatter moving in especially in the off-season or there could be other trouble like kids getting inside and destroying the place. There was a multimillion dollar house in Cisco that was closed up for the winter. Teens got in and trashed it, turned the water on which burst all the pipes. It was a mess, to say the least. It took tens of thousands of dollars to fix it.”

  “So at your firm, does the listing Realtor check on the house or do you hire someone to go by?” Lin handed the food platter to Jeff and he carried it to the deck.

  “Both. We try to have someone check the house at least twice a week. We do it at random times in case anyone is watching for patterns. It usually works pretty well.”

  “Why all the questions?” Viv gave Lin a wary look while she lit the candles on the deck table. She wondered what her cousin might have in mind to drag her into.

  Lin said, “I wonder about the bone. How did it get in the ground behind the farmhouse?”

  “That bone is probably ancient.” Viv walked down the deck steps and put her arms around John from behind. “And if it is ancient, then it doesn’t matter how it got there.”

  “If it’s an old bone, it would be nearly impossible to figure out the circumstances that brought it to the farmhouse yard.” Jeff handed tongs to John so he could take the shish kebob skewers off the grill.

  When the platter was full, the four young people sat at the table and dug into the food. The smell of the meal made everyone’s mouths water.

  “Delicious,” Jeff pronounced.

  Conversation turned to other things besides a discovered bone and the dinner was devoured. The yard darkened as the sun set and the four people sat sipping drinks and watching fireflies dart about in the night. John suggested some music and he and Jeff cleared away the plates and went inside to get Viv’s guitars.

  Lin leaned close to her cousin. “My last stop today was the cemetery. I talked to Quinn Whitaker, the manager. It was strange. He said he’d been off-island for a few days.”

  Viv raised an eyebrow in question. “And?”

  “When you and I went to the cemetery last night there was a light on in one of the office back rooms. You saw it.”

  “Yeah, I remember. You didn’t want the manager to see us there so late.”

  Lin nodded. “Quinn said he wasn’t at the cemetery last night. He went to the mainland for a few days to take care of some family responsibility.”

  Viv sipped some water. “There must be a timer on the light then.”

  “I said that to him. He told me there was no timer. He said it must have been the moonlight reflecting off the window glass.” A cloud seemed to have settled over Lin’s expression. “Quinn told me that he’s the only one who has a key to the office.”

  “He didn’t say that things were missing from the office?” A shadow of concern flitted over Viv’s face.

  “He acted like everything was normal.” Lin glanced around the dark yard, thinking. She could hear the guys returning to the deck with the musical instruments. She whispered to her cousin. “Someone was in that office.”

  Viv made eye contact with Lin. “I wonder who it was.”

  “And….” Lin frowned. “What was the person doing in there?”

  7

  Lin stopped at Viv’s bookstore before heading off to her first gardening client of the day. Nicky pranced in and trotted right to the chair where Queenie always sat. The gray cat lifted her regal head from her paw when the little dog zoomed over and put his front paws on the chair. She slid closer to the upholstered armrest to make room for him and he leaped up, slurped her cheek and settled down next to her. Queenie raised a paw, licked it, and wiped at the spot where the dog had planted the kiss.

  Lin looked around the café section of the bookstore at the patrons sitting at tables and on sofas enjoying their morning beverages and treats. She saw Viv behind the counter waiting on someone and she gave her cousin a smile. As she turned back, Libby Hartnett, an older island native, made eye contact with Lin. Lin nodded, and Libby said something to her companions and stood up.

  Lin walked to a table and Libby joined her.

  Libby had silvery-white hair that was cut short and was feathered around her face. Her blue eyes were striking in their intensity. Libby had been friendly with Lin’s grandfather and Libby and Lin were distant relatives descended from the Witchard family, a family where many of the women had some kind of powers. Lin guessed that Libby might be in her seventies, but it was only a guess, and the older woman certainly wasn’t about to be forthcoming on the subject.

  “You want to talk?” Libby sat and placed her mug of coffee on the table. She sensed that Lin needed to discuss something just by seeing the expression on her face when she came into the store.

  “Have you seen the news story about the bone that was found?” Lin folded her arms on the tabletop.

  “I did.” Libby gave a slight nod never moving her eyes from the young woman’s face.

  Lin’s shoulders drooped. “I was the one who found it.”

  Libby sat up straight, her eyes wide.

  “Emily Coffin was there, too.”

  Libby tilted her head slightly to the side. “Did she communicate with you?”

  A cloud settled over Lin’s face. From time to time, ghosts appeared to her, but they never spoke. A few months ago, Lin thought that Sebastian Coffin might be trying to say something to her. It felt like a message was hanging on the air between them, yet it just floated there, the words and meaning never fully forming.

  “Tell me w
hat happened.” Libby listened closely as Lin told her about Nicky digging in the pile of dirt behind the farmhouse and discovering the bone. She also reported her odd feelings while on the trail and in the cemetery.

  “Your sensations are probably related to the discovery of the bone.” Libby tapped her manicured finger against her chin. “Stay aware. Be open to any messages that a spirit might try to send to you. Just because they haven’t communicated in the past doesn’t mean they won’t in the future.” Libby lowered her voice. “Messages can come through without words so pay attention to things you think are your own thoughts or intuitions. I’ve known other people who can see ghosts. They don’t receive audible messages. It’s more like a silent communication, hearing the message in your mind. So be aware of that possibility during a visitation.”

  Lin almost cringed at the word visitation. She thought it sounded weird and creepy.

  Libby’s face was serious. “Be on guard, listen to your intuition.”

  “Do you know who the previous owners of the farmhouse were?” Lin wondered if Libby might have any information that might shed some light on the recent happenings.

  “My friend owned that house for ages.” Libby looked wistful. “When she passed away, it was sold to a man who only kept it for two years. The place was on the market for some time until only recently when it was sold again.”

  “A couple of doctors bought the place. Leonard and I have contracted with them to do the landscaping.” Lin traced a crack in the tabletop with her fingertip. “Have you heard anything about the bone? Is it old? How did it end up behind the farmhouse?”

  Libby shook her head. “Nothing has been reported yet.”

  “Why do I keep thinking about this bone?” Lin rubbed her forehead. “Oh, I know Emily Coffin wants me to look into it, but what can I do? The police have the bone. They have the means to figure out how old it is. They’re the ones with the labs and the techs and the research tools.”

  Libby stared at Lin for a few moments. “But you’re the one with the ghosts.”

  Lin blew out a long breath and narrowed her eyes. “They’re not all that much help.”

  “Maybe you need to listen more closely.”

  Lin sighed.

  “Like I said, there’s more than one way to hear something.” Libby patted Lin’s hand. “You’ll get better at it.”

  Lin was about to ask more questions when one of Libby’s morning coffee buddies walked up to the table to chat. After several minutes, Libby checked her watch and stood up. “I need to get to work.” The woman worked part time at a high-end home goods shop in Nantucket town. She leaned down. “Talk to the neighbors. See if that leads anywhere.”

  Lin thought over what she and Libby talked about. After a few minutes, she collected the dog, chatted with Viv for a few minutes, and headed out the door to her truck feeling as confused and unsure of how to investigate the bone as when she arrived. Stepping onto the sidewalk, she nearly collided with Viv’s boyfriend. They chuckled at their almost head-on crash.

  “Did you stop in for coffee or just to see Viv?” John asked.

  “I was planning to have coffee, but I realized I have some extra gardens to work on today so I couldn’t stay.” Lin couldn’t tell John that she’d come by to talk to Libby Hartnett about the bone … and ghosts.

  John was about to go into the bookstore when he stopped and faced Lin. He took a step closer and glanced up and down the sidewalk. “You know I have a friend at the police station? He told me that the bone you found is probably male. They don’t know how long it’s been in that yard or how it got there. He also said that no other bones were found on the farmhouse property, so that’s good news. You and Leonard can start on the job there soon.”

  Lin took a step closer. “Did your friend say anything else? Is the bone old or did it come from someone recently deceased?”

  “It’s not new, but an exact age wasn’t determined. That’s all he told me.”

  Lin thanked John for the information and was about to walk to her truck when John asked something. “I have a house showing later today, at 8pm. Viv can’t get away.” John shuffled his feet and glanced down at the brick sidewalk.

  Lin was confused for a few seconds and then it dawned on her why John was bringing up the showing. “You want me to go along?”

  “The house is empty.” John gave a shrug of one shoulder and his cheeks looked flushed. He was still having trouble showing a house to prospective buyers when the place was unoccupied since he’d discovered a murder victim at an empty house last month. “I’m still working on getting over going into an empty house.” He gave Lin a sad smile.

  “I’ll go along. Nicky will come, too.” Lin looked down at her dog and smiled.

  Looking at the small creature, John said, “That’s all the protection we’ll need.” He chuckled. “I feel better already.”

  Nicky woofed.

  Lin started up the street to where her truck was parked. “Small doesn’t mean weak, you know,” she called over her shoulder. “Remember, this dog helped protect me from an attacker two months ago. You could do a whole lot worse for a bodyguard than this little guy.” Lin and the dog got into the truck and Lin leaned out the window. “Text me the address later and we’ll meet you at the showing.”

  Turning the key in the ignition, some words she’d said to John stuck in her head and kept repeating. Bodyguard. Bodyguard.

  What about it?

  8

  Lin met Leonard at the farmhouse at lunchtime to have a look at the back of the property to see what the investigators did to the area while digging for any new bones. They thought the additional disruption to the yard might require some tweaking to their work plan.

  “Looks okay.” Leonard gazed at the dirt piles. “It’ll just need some extra work with the front loader.” He gave Lin a grin. “You must be happy about that.”

  The two went over the documents showing the landscape designs, pointed out some things that needed adjustment, and made their plan for the following days. Leonard headed off to another job while Lin stood at her truck rolling up the paperwork. Putting it on the backseat, she glanced over to the neighbor’s house. It could barely be seen through the lush greenery. Lin decided that this was as good a time as any, so she and the dog cut through the trees and bushes and came out on the neighbor’s crushed shell driveway. Taking a deep breath she went to the front of the three-story home and rang the bell.

  It only took a few seconds for the door to open. A woman in her early sixties with chin-length auburn hair stood at the entrance smiling at Lin. “Hi, there. Can I help with something?”

  Lin introduced herself and explained that she and her partner would be working in the rear yard next door. “Since no one’s usually at the house, I just wanted you to know that we’d be coming and going.”

  A tall, strong-looking man came up behind the woman. He also looked to be in his sixties and had salt and pepper hair and deep-set dark eyes. His thick eyebrows were like two caterpillars placed on his forehead. They scrunched together in a concerned expression. “You’re not removing any of the trees or bushes that line the edge of the property, are you?”

  “Not at all.” Lin reassured the man. “The couple who owns the house want to keep the vegetation along the property line. We’ll just be working along the edges of the area creating new flower beds. It won’t impact you at all.”

  The man scowled. “I’m sure the noise you’ll be making will impact us.”

  “Oh, Lloyd, honestly.” The woman shook her head. “Everyone has work done on their places now and then.”

  Lin said, “We’ll be working within the hours of eight to five in order to keep the noise down. We’ll only be using a small front loader on the first two days of the job. Then everything will just be some trucks arriving and manual labor.”

  The woman held out her hand. “I’m Olive Sawyer. This is my husband, Lloyd.”

  The man didn’t offer to shake hands, just gave Lin a curt nod
.

  “There’s already been a lot going on next door the past few days.” Lin was leading up to asking the couple about things they’d seen over the past year. “It was an unfortunate find.”

  “You found that bone, didn’t you?” Lloyd was almost accusatory.

  Lin’s eyebrows shot up in surprise and she nodded. She remembered seeing a man on the other side of the trees that night and realized it must have been Lloyd. “My partner and I were reviewing the landscaping plans the other evening. My dog was the one who discovered the bone.”

  “How terrible to find such a thing.” Olive wrapped her arms around herself. “I’m so glad they didn’t find any more bones.” She gave a shudder.

  “I wonder how it got there.” Lin looked at Olive hoping that the woman might share some speculation.

  “I wish we knew.” Olive’s lips were pulled down.

  Lin said, “The farmhouse was empty for a year, I heard. I guess someone could have accessed the yard during that time.”

  “We aren’t here in the winter. We close up for the cold weather and head home to New York City.” Olive’s voice took on a concerned tone. “I did see people back there once in a while though.”

  Lloyd cut in. “That was the Realtor checking on the property.” He gave Lin a look. “My wife likes to ignore the humdrum explanation.”

  “Things aren’t always as they seem.” Olive faced Lin. “When no one is living in a house, there’s a chance that someone might break in and cause trouble. There’s nothing wrong with keeping an eye on the place. It’s the neighborly thing to do.”

  “Who lived there before the new couple bought it?” Lin questioned.

  Olive said, “George Lyons, a business owner, owned the place. I don’t know why he wanted it.”

  Lloyd cut into the conversation. “The man used it as an investment.”

  Olive clucked. “A home should be lived in. Lyons hardly ever used the place. The first year, he might have been there for a total of four weekends, but the rest of the time, the house was empty. The second year, he put it up for rent. After that, he put the place up for sale.”