The Haunted Inn (A Lin Coffin Mystery Book 8)

by J A Whiting

“Elise disappeared in 1843. Her body was never found. Strange, isn’t it?” Bridget dabbed at her eyes with her napkin and shook her head in sadness. “An ancestor of ours met with an unfortunate end here on the island and centuries later, my sister was killed here.” The woman shook her head. “I have a four-year-old daughter, Ellen. Now that Maura is gone, my daughter and I are the only ones left in the family. I’m almost superstitious about bringing her here. I know it’s silly, but if we come to visit, will something happen to her, or me?”

  Lin nodded. “It’s understandable that you would have that worry. I’d probably feel the same way.”

  Bridget lifted her cup and sipped. “Maura never married. My sister was always busy studying and teaching and researching. She hoped to marry someday. She would have liked to have children, but she was already forty.” Bridget’s face hardened. “Unfortunately, Maura got caught up with someone who didn’t have her best interests at heart.”

  A zing of unease raced across Lin’s skin. “How do you mean?”

  “She was in a relationship with Warren Topper, the man who was poisoned the day after Maura died.”

  Lin’s hand shook almost spilling her tea. “Maura? And Warren?”

  “She’d been with him for almost three years. He was secretive, didn’t want to be seen places with Maura. He lived in New York and traveled on business all the time. Maura suggested he move to Chicago or she move to New York so they could see each other more, but Warren wasn’t having it. I was suspicious of him. I’ve read about guys who have families in two different places.” She shook her head. “Well, this guy was married and he had Maura in Chicago and another woman in Boston. Warren had been married for over twenty-five years. It’s disgusting.”

  Lin’s eyes bugged. “Maura knew this?”

  “She found out not long ago. She even emailed the woman in Boston about meeting together to talk. Maura didn’t say exactly why in the email. The other woman never answered. My sister wanted to warn her about Warren. Maura came to Nantucket to confront him.”

  Lin thought about Warren and Maura’s argument down at Brant Point. The heated discussion ensued because Maura found out Warren was a liar and a cheat and she was calling him out on it.

  “Your sister must have been devastated,” Lin said.

  “She certainly was. She was heartbroken … at first. Then she was angry, with Warren and with herself for falling for his lies.”

  “Have you talked with the police?” Lin asked. “Have you informed them about Maura’s relationship with Warren?”

  “I spoke with them yesterday.”

  “Did your sister contact Warren’s wife to tell her what her husband had been up to?” Lin questioned.

  “No. Maura didn’t want to get involved with that. She thought the wife must know about his affairs and didn’t care. How could that guy carry on with other women for years and his wife not know?” Bridget rubbed at the back of her neck. “I suppose it could be possible that she was unaware. Who cares? I pity that woman living with such a disgusting, selfish human being. Even if she didn’t know about his infidelity, she must have realized after years of marriage that the guy was a useless, good-for-nothing low-life. She stayed with him. She must have deserved him.”

  Lin got up and moved to the chair next to Bridget. “Do you have any idea who might have poisoned your sister? Was she afraid of anyone?”

  Bridget said, “She wasn’t afraid of Warren, but really? Who knows what someone is capable of doing when he’s pushed too far?”

  “Do you think Maura’s confrontation with him pushed him to the brink? Do you think he could have killed your sister?”

  “Maura called me after she met with Warren. She said he was upset, nervous that Maura would reveal his indiscretions to the news outlets. His wife has loads of money, runs a company. Warren had a reputation as a successful investment analyst and financial advisor. The bad press would have done him a lot of damage. Could he have killed Maura? I just don’t know.”

  “Would Maura have gone to the press about Warren?”

  “No. She didn’t want the invasion of privacy she would have suffered if she fed the story to the news outlets. She’d already suffered enough from being with Warren, from trusting him. What he did was such a terrible betrayal.”

  Lin realized she had to leave to go pick up Nicky and make it on time to her first client of the day. “I’m sorry for everything that’s happened. Maybe I’ll see you again.”

  “It was nice to talk to you,” Bridget said. “Thank you for listening.”

  Lin left the room to pick up the empty delivery boxes and trays from the kitchen to bring back to the bookstore-café. Patricia stood at the counter ladling yogurt into a cut-glass bowl.

  “What was the verdict on the quiche and new pancakes?” the innkeeper asked.

  “An A-plus to both of them. Delicious. Thank you for the breakfast,” Lin said.

  “Anytime.” Patricia wiped the edge of the bowl.

  Before turning for the door, Lin asked, “Have you seen your ghost lately?”

  Patricia looked at Lin, her forehead scrunched in thought. “You know, I haven’t. It’s been quiet around here. Maybe she left us?”

  A flash of worry gripped Lin … she was pretty sure Elise had not left to cross over.

  Then where was she?

  23

  Stakes pounded into the ground indicated where the two white tents would go for Warren Topper’s memorial service. New garden beds were in process of being created by Lin and Leonard that would border the sides of the tents, and additional flowers were being added to the already existing beds. Two three-tier outdoor fountains would be installed later in the week and a stone walkway had been put in leading from the back of the house to the tent where the service would be held.

  “A lot of money is being spent on this one-day event.” Leonard looked around the property with a disapproving look. He’d just pushed a wheelbarrow with two hydrangeas from his truck to a spot in the beds. “Is it a waste to do this or am I old-fashioned?”

  “Well, maybe you are old-fashioned, but this seems way over the top.” Lin leaned on the end of a shovel. “I guess you could call it a celebration of a life.”

  “Still.” Leonard hauled the bushes out of the wheelbarrow. “When I die, don’t let anybody do something like this for me.”

  Lin smiled. “Don’t worry. No one you know has the money to do something like this.”

  Leonard grunted. “Ah, the benefits of not being wealthy.”

  Nicky followed the older man back and forth from the truck to the rear of the house as he retrieved more bushes and flowers. “What’s Maggie Topper going to do with all these plants once the service is over?”

  “Probably toss most of them away. Once the service is over, the fountains and new beds are going to look out of place when the tents come down.” Lin shrugged. “The property is going on the market the day after the service.”

  “It will fetch a pretty penny,” Leonard stated. “Did Ms. Topper pay us yet?”

  “Half. The second half is due on completion.”

  “Keep an eye on her, Coffin. Make sure she doesn’t skip town without paying us.”

  Lin chuckled. “I assume she’s good for it.”

  “You never know.” Leonard headed back to the truck for the last load and when he returned, he asked, “You okay putting these in so I can go to the next client?”

  “I can do it.” Lin passed the back of her hand over her forehead to remove perspiration. The day was unseasonably warm with a clear, blue sky and a bright sun beating down on the young woman. “You’re going to handle the heavier planting tomorrow. If we split up the work, we won’t fall behind with the other clients.”

  The work on Maggie’s yard was going well and the new landscaping designs were on track to be completed over the next two days.

  Lin told her partner about meeting Sofia Rizzo in town by the ferry dock and running into Maura Wells’s sister, Bridget, at the inn.


  “You’ve had two interesting meetings lately,” Leonard said chugging from a water bottle. “But what they told you doesn’t help to identify Warren Topper’s or Maura Wells’s killer. Or should I say killers?”

  “Do you think there are two killers?” Lin asked.

  Leonard rubbed his chin. “I can see why Warren would be a good suspect in Maura’s death. He probably worried she would reveal his cheating and that it would ruin his life. He might have been pretty desperate to keep his liaisons a secret.”

  “What about Warren though? Maura found out he was a cheater and a liar, but she died before him so she couldn’t have been his murderer. Sofia found out about Warren’s lies, too. She may have been so upset that she decided to put an end to his antics once and for all.” Lin paused and said, “But, she didn’t strike me as a killer.”

  Leonard said, “What about the friend? Paul Monroe? He could have had something to do with Warren’s murder. Maybe some business thing between them went bad. Maybe Paul has a thing for Maggie and wanted Warren out of the way.”

  Lin nodded and let out a sigh. “Where’s Elise? I haven’t seen her for a couple of days. The innkeeper at the Seaborne Inn told me she hasn’t had a glimpse of the ghost for a while. Why doesn’t she appear to me?” Lin’s voice trembled. “Have I done something wrong? Have I taken too long to figure out where she’s buried? Has she given up on me being able to help her?”

  Leonard put his arm around his partner’s shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “Nonsense, Coffin. Time is probably immaterial to a ghost. You haven’t done anything wrong. Elise hasn’t given up on you.”

  Lin batted at her eyes and sniffled. “I don’t want to let her down.”

  “You won’t. And I know you. You’ll work on this for the rest of your life, if you have to. Once a spirit puts his or her trust in you, they’re in your heart until you find what they need.” Leonard playfully pat Lin on the head. “Now get back to work. We got things to do.”

  Lin smiled at the man. “Thanks for the pep talk.”

  “Okay. I’ll head out now. Text me if you need anything.”

  Lin walked across the lawn to the back porch of the house. She’d left her cooler in the shade of the porch and unzipped the top to retrieve her water container. Pulling out a bowl, she poured some water into it and set it on the grass for the dog and then took three long swallows from the bottle before returning it to the cooler.

  “I wish there was a little shade where I’m working,” Lin said to the dog as they headed back to the landscaping work.

  Another two hours passed and in that time, she’d finished planting six bushes and all of the flowers for that particular bed. Her tank top stuck to her back from the sweat and small smears of soil showed on her arms.

  Stepping back to admire the work, a whoosh of freezing air swept around her and she turned to see who had arrived.

  Sebastian stood off to the side near a grove of trees, the old ghost keeping his eyes pinned on his descendant.

  Lin waited to see if he’d come closer and when he didn’t budge, she started towards him. The sound of the porch door closing at the rear of Maggie Topper’s house made her stop and look back.

  Maggie waved from the porch and hurried over to speak to Lin. The woman wore a crisp white blouse, a tight pale blue skirt, and sandals. Her hair seemed to have been professionally dried and styled.

  “I’m leaving the house shortly,” Maggie said. “I’m going to the mainland overnight.” She glanced around at the landscaping work. “I see things are taking shape. Good. Do you need anything before I go? Do I need to clarify anything about what I want done?”

  “I think we’re all set. I have the design plans in the briefcase next to my cooler.” Lin gestured towards the porch. “I can refer to them if I need to.”

  Nicky sat at Lin’s feet and let out a whine.

  Although Lin knew the plans very well, Maggie discussed what she wanted next to the second tent as if the young landscaper had never heard the information previously. While Lin humored the woman by listening to the details for the hundredth time, and even though she still felt the cold chill brought only by a spirit, she took a quick glance over her shoulder to where Sebastian had been standing to see if he was still there.

  The ghost was gone.

  Disappointed, she started to turn her attention back to Maggie, but stopped. Something glimmered in the spot where Sebastian had been.

  Elise. Her form was a glittering, see-through assemblage of atoms.

  Lin smiled.

  Lifting her arm, Elise placed her hand against her throat. Her necklace was still missing.

  “Lin? Did you hear what I said about this spot next to the tent?” Maggie looked impatiently at the young woman.

  “What did you say?”

  Letting out a slight sigh of exasperation and with a hand on her hip, Maggie repeated her instructions.

  “Right. Yes.” Lin nodded. “Got it.”

  “Are you sure I shouldn’t say it again?” Maggie’s eyes squinted in the sunlight.

  “No need,” Lin assured her. “I understand.”

  Lin’s heart nearly stopped when she noticed what was at Maggie’s neck. A beautifully-cut silver necklace encircled the woman’s throat.

  Barely able to get the words out, Lin eyed the piece of jewelry and said, “That’s lovely.”

  Maggie’s hand went to the necklace. “Thank you. It’s an antique. My ancestor, Vernon Willard, the man who had my house built, once owned it. He gave it to my great-great-great-grandmother. It’s been passed down through the generations. I’m very fortunate to have it.”

  The necklace sparkled like it was made of a thousand diamonds and the brightness of it cut into Lin’s optic nerve. Her vision dimmed and she took a couple of steps back.

  Maggie’s eyes narrowed. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes. It’s just the heat.” Lin was familiar with the necklace clasped around Maggie’s neck … and she knew how it got into Vernon Willard’s hands. He stole it. He ripped it from Elise’s throat, after he strangled her to death.

  Lin’s face flushed with rage. “Your ancestor? Vernon Willard. He obtained that necklace?”

  As a haughty expression spread over her face, Maggie’s fingers ran along the edge of the silver chain. “He did. It’s quite old. It’s from nearly two hundred years ago.”

  “Do you know how he got it?” Lin demanded.

  “Not exactly. I assume he bought it in a store,” Maggie said with a smug smile.

  “In a store? Is that what you think? Do you assume that?” Lin’s blood boiled.

  Maggie’s expression changed to one of slight wariness. “How else would he have acquired it?”

  Lin glared at the woman. “Did you know Maura Wells?”

  “What? No, I didn’t.”

  “How about Sofia Rizzo? Are you familiar with that name?”

  “No, I’m not.” Something flashed over Maggie’s face and she looked at Lin like something was wrong with her. “I’m late,” she said practically spitting out the words. “I need to get going.” The woman turned on her heel and hurried away to the house.

  24

  Muttering under her breath, Lin kicked at an empty flower container and sent it tumbling over the grass. Glancing around the rear yard, she searched for Elise, but the ghost was gone. She grabbed her tools from the ground and piled them next to one of the beds, then raced to the porch to get her cooler. Her work day was now done. Lin could not bear to be on the property that once belonged to a murderer, a murderer who amassed his money by lying and stealing and cheating.

  Sweat trickled down the side of her face, partly from the heat and partly from fury. Vernon Willard killed Elise. He stole her necklace and kept it in his family like some trophy he gloated over. It sickened Lin. Her stomach roiled and her vision sparkled. Feeling weak, she sank onto the porch’s granite top step and pulled her cooler closer noticing she’d forgotten to zip the lid closed.

  Reaching i
nside, she removed her water bottle and poured some of it into the dog’s bowl.

  Nicky sat on the grass in front of her, watching his owner.

  “Here, Nick. Have a drink.” Lin gestured to the bowl and the dog stood, his fur ruffled, and he barked again and again.

  “I know. He killed Elise.”

  The ghost-woman suddenly appeared a few yards from the porch creating a wave of cold air that surrounded Lin.

  Lin stood. “Maggie has your necklace. It’s been passed down in the family from that monster, Vernon Willard.” Lin rubbed at her forehead. “I’d like to rip it from her throat.”

  As Lin lifted her water bottle towards her lips, Elise’s atoms flared a blinding red. The atoms swirled like a tornado and the force of the wind knocked Lin off her feet and flung her onto the ground, the bottle flying from her hand and hitting the grass.

  Pushing herself up, Lin groaned and shook her head. The ghost was gone.

  “What the…?” Lin leaned forward onto her knees, feeling shaky and confused. Reaching for the water bottle with the intention of pouring some into her hand to splash over her face, Nicky darted to her, barking.

  Lin froze. The water. The dog hadn’t touched what was in his bowl. Elise’s whirlwind disappearance had knocked the bottle from her hand. A smothering tidal wave of fear crashed over her and she sat back, stunned and horrified.

  Poison.

  Lin frantically rubbed her hand in the grass to remove any drops of water.

  Maggie.

  Jumping to her feet, Lin clenched her fists and stared at the back door of the house.

  “She tried to poison us,” Lin whispered. “Maggie. She poisoned Maura. She poisoned Warren.” Dashing to her cooler, she dumped everything out of it, ripped the wrapping from her sandwich, hurried to where the bottle rested on the grass, and used the wrap to carefully pick it up and put it in the cooler. She then used two napkins from her lunch box to gently lift the dog’s bowl and place it in the bottom of the cooler, and then zipped the top closed.

  Lin looked for her phone to call the police. Where was it? Lin shuffled through the things from the cooler she’d dumped onto the porch.