A Haunted Murder (A Lin Coffin Mystery Book 1)
Page 13
Anton and Libby were on their feet and rushed after Lin leaving Viv in the living room looking puzzled. She shook herself, grabbed the old key, and hurried to the back of the house with the others. Lin was already inside the storage space. Over the years, the ell had been used for storing household items and there were suitcases, furniture, Gram’s old painting easel, canned goods, old trunks, and odds and ends stacked along the walls and scattered over the floor.
“I guess I need to take this stuff in hand.” Viv eyes roved over the mess.
Lin walked around the space crawling over things and pushing boxes out of her way. Queenie and Nicky followed her every move. After several minutes, Lin stepped into a cold current of air and her breath caught in her throat. Moving her feet slowly, she moved around trying to determine the coldest spot. In the far corner, she bent and reached out her hand to touch the old stone partial foundation. Her fingers felt like they’d touched snow and ice. Queenie let out a trill and Nicky howled.
The four people took turns digging in the spot. When it was Viv’s turn, she moved the shovel a little to the side and everyone heard the thud of the tool hitting something heavy. After five more minutes of digging, a medium sized chest was pulled from the crevice between the rows of stones and the floor. They all stared at it.
The chest was fashioned of wood, rounded along the sides. Two inch wide metal bands trimmed the edges, and the sides and bottom of the chest were overlaid with thin sheets of metal. Decorative knobs were hammered along the metal edges and a heavy handle was embedded in the top of the chest. A decorative lock held the top lid closed.
Lin nudged her cousin. “Do you have the key? See if it fits.”
Viv’s hand trembled. “Not me.” She pushed the key into Lin’s hand. “You figured it out so you should do it.”
Lin held the key suspended over the lock for a moment and then she inserted it and turned. It clicked and the lock loosened. Slowly she lifted the lid.
The first thing they saw was a gold chain and pendant resting on top of other items wrapped in linen. With shaking fingers, Lin touched the necklace and took it from the box. “Look.” She held it up for the others to see. “There’s a tilted horseshoe in the middle of the pendant. Like on Viv’s chimney.” A white gold upside-down horseshoe was centered on the gold circular pendant.
Libby and Anton leaned closer. Libby’s eyes widened and a smile spread over her face. “It was rumored that Emily Witchard Coffin wore such a necklace. This must be hers.” She ran her finger over the piece.
“What else is in the chest?” Anton peered inside.
Viv reached in and pushed some of the linen cloth to the side to reveal large leather pouches. She lifted one and handed it to Anton who opened it and tilted the contents into his hand. “Gold Guineas.”
The wood and metal chest held five leather folders each one with a piece of artwork inside. Viv inspected one of them. “This looks like a woodcut print.”
Anton noticed the monogram signature of the letters “AD” with one letter over the other. He gasped and leaned closer. “These look like the work of Albrecht Dürer.”
“Who?” Libby was not familiar with the artist’s name.
“He was a famous painter.” Viv stared at what the folder held. “He also did woodcut prints and engravings.”
“He was one of the most famous artists of the Northern Renaissance,” Anton said. Libby removed another pouch. Inside was a golden cross embedded with jewels. They continued to uncover more jewelry and gold coins. The final item was another leather folder containing several papers with hand-drawn maps and cryptograms.
“Are those treasure maps?” Viv’s jaw dropped.
Anton couldn’t believe his eyes. “You have quite the treasure trove here. You’ll need the assistance of an experienced appraiser and a historian familiar with such items.”
Viv’s face was pale and her hands were shaking.
“My cousin might become a very wealthy woman.” Lin grinned and hugged her.
“Oh, no.” Viv shook her head. “Sebastian Coffin put these here. He refused to profit from someone else’s misfortune and neither will I. If these are authentic pieces then I’ll donate everything to a museum or university.”
“But, the money.” Anton gave Viv a serious look. “It could provide you with things you need, make your life easier.”
“I like my life the way it is.” Viv smiled at her cousin. “We don’t need any more than what we already have.” Viv looked at the necklace Lin still held in her hands. “That belongs to you.”
Lin was about to protest, but Viv cut her off. “It belonged to a woman who was probably a lot like you.” She glanced at Libby for confirmation.
“Yes,” Libby nodded. “Information that has been passed down to us from our ancestors tells us that Emily Witchard could see spirits, too.”
“Then the necklace is right where it belongs.” Viv closed Lin’s hand over the pendant and she put her arm over Lin’s shoulders. “Just like my cousin is right where she belongs.”
Libby grinned. “I couldn’t agree more.”
Lin’s eyes filled with happy tears as the four people and two animals left the storage area. As Lin stepped into the sunshine, a sudden current of cold air engulfed her. She could sense Sebastian Coffin in the breeze.
Thank you for everything.
Lin had a feeling that the ghost wasn’t gone after all and that she might be seeing more of him. Very soon.
Thank you for reading!
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Also by J. A. Whiting
SWEET COVE COZY MYSTERIES
The Sweet Dreams Bake Shop (Sweet Cove Cozy Mystery Book 1)
Murder So Sweet (Sweet Cove Cozy Mystery Book 2)
Sweet Secrets (Sweet Cove Cozy Mystery Book 3)
Sweet Deceit (Sweet Cove Cozy Mystery Book 4)
Sweetness and Light (Sweet Cove Cozy Mystery Book 5)
Home Sweet Home (Sweet Cove Cozy Mystery Book 6)
Sweet Fire and Stone (Sweet Cove Cozy Mystery Book 7)
And more to come !
LIN COFFIN COZY MYSTERIES
A Haunted Murder (A Lin Coffin Cozy Mystery Book 1)
A Haunted Disappearance (A Lin Coffin Cozy Mystery Book 2)
The Haunted Bones (A Lin Coffin Cozy Mystery Book 3) early March ‘16
And more to come !
MYSTERIES:
The Killings (Olivia Miller Mystery – Book 1)
Red Julie (Olivia Miller Mystery - Book 2)
The Stone of Sadness (Olivia Miller Mystery – Book 3)
About the Author
J.A. Whiting lives with her family in New England. Whiting loves reading and writing mystery stories.
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