A Haunted Invitation (A Lin Coffin Mystery Book 5)

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A Haunted Invitation (A Lin Coffin Mystery Book 5) Page 2

by J A Whiting


  Pulling her truck to the curb in front of island historian, Anton Wilson’s antique Cape-style house, Lin hoped he might be at home so she could talk to him about the history of the section of town where Mrs. Perkins’s houses were located.

  Lin hauled her mower and gardening bag from the truck’s bed and she and Nicky walked around the house to the backyard. The dog shot ahead of her hoping to find Anton sitting on the deck.

  “Carolin.” Anton looked up. He held a book in one hand and was leaning to the side in his chair so that he could reach down and scratch the dog’s ears with his other hand. “Is it gardening day?” Anton was absent-minded and could never remember when Lin was scheduled to work in his yard.

  Lin smiled. “Yes, it’s gardening day.” Pushing the mower to the side of the yard and setting down her bag of tools, she stepped up onto the deck and sat down across the table from Anton. The man offered her a cold drink and after some general chit-chit, Lin brought up what was on her mind.

  “Why are you wondering about that part of town?” Anton questioned.

  Lin told the historian about Mrs. Perkins and what she’d claimed to see going on behind the restaurant the other night. “I’ve been asked to landscape the front and side yards of the house.” She looked pointedly at Anton. “It’s a coincidence, isn’t it?”

  Anton looked over the top of his glasses at Lin. “Interesting.” The short, wiry man stood up abruptly and headed for the door to the house. “I’ll be right back.”

  Anton knew everything about the island and, more importantly, he also knew that Lin was able to see ghosts. After several minutes had passed, he returned to the deck carrying several books. “The Founders Inn and Restaurant, you say? I haven’t been there for nearly a year. It’s a very small place. Lovely décor and atmosphere. Excellent food and service.”

  Lin smiled and waited as Anton flipped through one of the books.

  “Could you bring up a map of that area on your phone?” Anton had his nose stuck in the book. “I need to see it in detail.”

  Lin tapped at her phone and then placed it on the table in front of the man so he could see the screen.

  “Why can’t they make these things bigger?” Anton scrunched up his face as he perused the small map showing on Lin’s phone.

  Lin chuckled. “They do. They’re called laptops.”

  Anton ignored the comment. “This is a very old section of Nantucket town.” He moved his head from the book to the phone screen. “The houses and the inn and restaurant in question are located in the historic district. Some of the buildings on these streets date from the mid to late-eighteenth century and are mostly built of wood. After the American Revolution to the mid 1800’s, the whaling industry brought wealth to the island so sea captains and town merchants began to build more ornate homes and structures in the Federal and Georgian styles, either in brick or wood.” Anton looked at Lin. “I’m not surprised that ghosts appear in that section of town.”

  “Did anything ever happen there that might cause spirits to be appearing now?”

  “I’ll have to look into that.” Anton gave a nod and then stood up. “Are you done for the day? Do you have any other clients to see after me?”

  “I just have your yard left to mow and weed.”

  “Let’s take a walk into town then. Let’s have a look at that historic area.”

  Nicky leapt to his feet with a woof, ready for an adventure.

  “But your garden, and the lawn,” Lin sputtered. “I won’t have time to come back until late in the week.”

  Anton collected the books he had brought out and started for the door of his house to put them inside. “The lawn can wait. We have more important things to attend to.”

  3

  With his arms pumping as he walked, Anton set a brisk pace for their walk into town. The historian’s house was in one of the neighborhoods just at the edge of Nantucket town and it only took them ten minutes to reach the tiny rotary with the monument in the center and then walk down Main Street to the side roads of the historic district. Tourists strolled along the brick and stone sidewalks past the former homes of sea captains and wealthy business owners on their way to stores, restaurants, or down to the docks to see the boats.

  Lin kept pace with Anton and Nicky’s little legs moved quickly to keep right next to the man as he hurried along the street.

  “What do we hope to see?” Lin asked.

  “I want to take a close look around. I don’t know what we’ll discover, but getting a good sense of the area may help us as things move forward.”

  Lin knew what Anton meant about things moving forward. It wasn’t a coincidence that Mrs. Perkins relayed her tale of a disturbed night’s sleep to Jeff. Something was brewing and Lin and Anton knew it would involve her eventually.

  They turned onto Fairview Street and walked past several large homes before arriving at the corner where the Founders Inn and Restaurant was located. The place didn’t open until dinner time so the back lot was empty except for two cars parked close to the building. The lot was small, surrounded on three sides with large trees and a white picket fence, and was tucked discreetly behind the inn.

  Anton walked over to the lot, stopped abruptly, and stared.

  “What?” Lin tried to follow his gaze.

  “So this is where Mrs. Perkins said the hullabaloo went on the other night.” Anton had his hands on his hips and was turning his head from side-to-side to take in the scene. He kicked his toe in the stone dust. “The lot isn’t paved. It’s hard-packed stone dust. Too bad we weren’t here on the night Mrs. Perkins saw the activity. We could have checked the lot to see if it looked like things had been dragged around the ground.” Anton let his eyes roam about the back of the four-story wooden building, around the lot, and to the periphery of the property. Nicky had his nose to the ground sniffing as he rushed about the space. “Do you sense anything, Carolin?”

  Lin took in a deep breath. “I just feel edgy, kind of a low-level anxiety. I don’t think it has to do with anything except my own nerves.”

  Anton and Lin heard someone call her name. Recognizing Jeff’s voice, Lin turned and saw her boyfriend diagonally across the street coming down the front steps of a three-story red brick mansion that had dark blue shutters at each of its windows. A black, wrought-iron fence enclosed a small front yard and a brick walkway led to the glossy front door under a portico with two white columns standing sentry on either side.

  Lin waved and headed to meet Jeff who was walking over to them. Jeff greeted Lin with a hug and a kiss and then shook hands with Anton. “I didn’t expect to see you two down this way.”

  Lin explained that after hearing Mrs. Perkins’s story, Anton thought that they should come down and take a look around just to get a better sense of the area.

  “What do you make of it?” Anton asked Jeff for his opinion.

  Jeff looked surprised to be asked such a question. “I, well, I don’t know.” He looked at Lin. “What does Lin say? She’s the expert.”

  Lin gave a nervous chuckle. “I’m not really. I don’t know anything. I just follow….” She glanced around to be sure they were alone on the sidewalk and then she lowered her voice. “I just follow the ghosts’ leads.”

  Jeff nodded. “Kurt said he met you at Viv’s bookstore this morning. He’s pleased that you’ll handle the landscaping for the house.”

  “Is he around? I should take a look since I’m here anyway.”

  The three crossed the quiet side street and Nicky ran after them. As they approached the house that was being renovated, a short, sturdy, woman with nicely-styled white-blonde hair headed towards them from down the street. “Oh, Jeff. Hello. How are things going today?” The woman looked to be in her early seventies.

  Jeff introduced his companions to Mrs. Perkins, the owner of the mansion. “This is Lin Coffin. Kurt’s hired her to landscape the front of the house and the small side yard.”

  Mrs. Perkins shook hands with Lin. “You work with Le
onard Reed? I hear very good things about your work.”

  Jeff gave the woman a run-down of the day’s progress. In the middle of his description, Mrs. Perkins let out a yawn and, embarrassed, she clasped her hand over her mouth. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t sleep well again last night.” The woman glanced across the street to the rear lot of the inn-restaurant.

  Jeff took a quick look at Lin who made eye contact with him and gave a slight nod.

  “Were the men working again last night?” Jeff asked.

  “Oh, my, what a racket.” Mrs. Perkins shook her head. “I can’t imagine what they’re doing over there so late at night or why what they’re doing has to be done after midnight. I need to get to the bottom of this. I didn’t move to town to be awake all night.”

  Lin took the opportunity to ask some questions even though she knew some of the answers already. “Where are the men working?”

  Mrs. Perkins waved her hand towards the lot behind the inn and restaurant building. “Over there. It goes on all night long.” She reached up and ran her fingers over her pearl necklace. “I also own that house opposite. I’m staying there while my home is being renovated. I can see the men right from the upstairs bedroom windows.”

  “How long has the late-night work been going on?” Lin asked.

  “It started one night last week. This week, it’s happened the past two nights in a row.”

  “Could you talk to the inn-restaurant owner about it?” Lin flicked her eyes to Jeff and Anton wondering what the owner would say if Mrs. Perkins inquired about the nighttime noise.

  “In fact, I did speak to him.” Mrs. Perkins scowled. “I marched over there a few hours ago. I’ve eaten at that restaurant many times, the food is quite good. It’s a small dining room so it can be hard to get reservations, but it’s well worth the trouble. I’m acquainted with the owner from frequenting the place.” The woman’s cheeks flushed. “I asked about the workmen and the noise. Guess what the owner said?” Mrs. Perkins didn’t wait to hear any guesses. “He didn’t know what I was talking about. Well, we’ll see about that, won’t we?”

  A cool shiver ran over Lin’s skin. She took a quick look over to the lot. “Could it be possible that those men are using the lot once the restaurant closes?”

  Mrs. Perkins’s lips pursed into a pout and she blinked at Lin. “Do you mean without the owner’s knowledge? For their own purposes?” She made a grunting noise. “I didn’t think of that. How could they do that without the owner knowing?” Turning her head from Jeff to Anton to Lin, the woman squinted her eyes and glared in the direction of the lot. “Perhaps the police should be called again.” Mrs. Perkins addressed her comments to Lin. “I called the police the other night, but before the officers arrived, those men hid in a little gulley over there at the edge of the lot near the fence. Isn’t that suspicious?”

  “What did the police do?” Lin questioned.

  “Barely a thing. They got out of the cruiser, flashed a light around, and got back in and drove away. Not exactly what I expected. I thought there would be more investigation than that.” Mrs. Perkins tugged at the cuff of her navy blue jacket.

  Anton piped up. “What goes on over there? How many men are working so late?”

  The woman tapped her finger against her chin. “How many? Maybe fifteen? I didn’t count them. They take big containers from near the back door of the restaurant. The boxes seem quite heavy. The men push them and try to drag them across the lot to a truck.”

  “Why don’t they just drive closer instead of dragging the containers?” Anton shifted his position on the sidewalk to get a better view of the lot.

  “You’ll have to ask them, I’m afraid.” Mrs. Perkins frowned.

  “Do you hear them talking?” Lin cocked her head.

  “I hear them jabbering and laughing. I don’t understand a word they’re saying though.”

  Lin got an idea. “Are they speaking a foreign language?”

  “I don’t think so. I’m just not close enough to hear the words clearly.” Mrs. Perkins narrowed her eyes. “Last night, I wondered if they were drunk. There was so much laughter and back-slapping and what-not. Whatever they’re doing, they better finish up quick or I’ll have to make a stink to the town authorities.” Shaking her head in disgust, she sighed and shifted her attention to Jeff. “Well, enough about the nighttime nuisance. Why don’t we go inside so that I can see today’s progress?” Mrs. Perkins said goodbye to Lin and Anton and she and Jeff headed for the front door of the mansion.

  Jeff nodded to Anton and gave Lin a warm smile. “I’ll see you later.”

  Once Mrs. Perkins and Jeff had disappeared into the house, Anton turned to Lin. “I think a late night visit to the area is in order.”

  A flush of nervousness passed through Lin’s body. “I don’t know. I don’t want to push my nose into something. I haven’t seen a ghost. I haven’t been asked for help.”

  Nicky woofed and wagged his little stub of a tail.

  “If we come back tonight, Carolin, you might just see a ghost.” Anton started down the sidewalk. “Perhaps they don’t know where to find you.”

  Running her finger nervously over her horseshoe necklace as she watched the historian walk away, Lin groaned and muttered, “They always know where to find me.”

  4

  “Is Mrs. Perkins the only one who can see those men working back there?” Viv set a platter of appetizers on the deck table and took a seat across from her cousin. Nicky and Queenie sat under the table in the hopes that one of the young women might share some of the food. Viv must have gotten the message because she slipped the cat and dog two small pieces of chicken satay.

  “I don’t know. We don’t even know for sure that they’re ghosts. They could just be men. Live men.” Lin scooped some hummus and toasted rounds onto her plate.

  Viv lifted her glass of iced tea. “So if we go down there tonight, will we see them?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t know what’s going on.”

  Viv dipped a piece of the chicken into some peanut sauce. “I bet they’re ghosts. Plenty of normal people run into ghosts on-island. There are a number of books recounting people’s experiences seeing ghosts on Nantucket. Anton even wrote a book on the subject.”

  “What do you mean ‘normal’ people?” Lin narrowed her eyes.

  “You know what I mean. Regular people, not people with special gifts. Sometimes ghosts show themselves to regular people, not just people like you.” Viv sipped from her glass. “I’d actually like to see a ghost.”

  Lin looked at her cousin in astonishment. “You? Really?”

  “I’m getting used to your adventures.” Viv looked out at the shadows gathering over her back lawn. “Although, if I did see a ghost, I would probably freak out.”

  Lin chuckled. “We won’t know for sure what your reaction will be until it happens.”

  Viv’s expression turned serious. “If Mrs. Perkins can see the ghosts, then you’ll probably be able to see them, too.”

  Lin gave a shrug. “I really don’t know how it all works. I don’t know why people can sometimes see ghosts. I don’t even know why I can see them.”

  “What do you think is going on behind that restaurant?” Viv bit into a piece of her chicken appetizer. “What do you think those men are doing? Why are they showing themselves now? Out of the blue? Nothing’s changed down there in that part of town. All of a sudden, ghosts are spending the night working down there behind the restaurant?”

  “From what Mrs. Perkins says, the men sound happy as they work.” Lin smiled and joked. “I sure wouldn’t be happy working from midnight to dawn.”

  “Did Anton say anything about what he thought might be going on?” Viv put a few more appetizers on her plate. “Does he know the history of that part of town?”

  “Anton knows a lot about the buildings and the different waves of activity that happened on the island, like the settling of the island, the whaling industry, the decline of the economy that led t
o a drop in population, but he doesn’t know anything specifically about the building where the ghosts are working.” Lin poured more iced tea into her glass from the pitcher. “But you know Anton. He’s going to research the place to try and come up with an idea.”

  “That could be helpful.” Viv nodded and then made eye contact with her cousin. “Have you decided to go down there tonight?”

  The corners of Lin’s mouth turned down. “I’m not sure I should.”

  “Why the hesitation? You always jump right in when a ghost shows up.”

  Lin looked at Viv and tried to explain her feelings. “It’s like … I feel like I haven’t been asked. The ghosts usually want me to help with something. I haven’t had a visit from a spirit, so I think it’s none of my business.”

  “But, what about the timing of all this? Jeff hears about these ghosts right before you tell him about your skill. Maybe it all worked out that way because some ghost wants you to know about those men working at night.”

  Lin raised an eyebrow. “Why do you always make sense?”

  “It happens to be my special skill.” Viv chuckled. “So, are we going for a midnight stroll tonight?”

  Lin dipped a toasted bread round into the hummus. “Maybe.”

  Nicky wagged his little tail and woofed.

  Viv smiled at the small creature. “That dog is always ready for adventure.”

  Under the glimmering streetlamps, the cousins ambled down the cobblestone roads of town heading for the historic neighborhood that Lin had visited earlier in the day. Nicky and Queenie, much to their dismay, were left locked in the house. Lin had texted Anton about the plans to make the late-night visit and he replied saying he would meet them on the corner of Fairview and Main Streets. A cool breeze came off the ocean and Viv zipped up her sweater.

  Viv had insisted on taking a flashlight on the midnight adventure even though Lin said it wouldn’t be needed. If ghosts were present, they shouldn’t be shining a flashlight on them she’d told her cousin. When Viv said that having the heavy item in her hand made her feel safer because she could use it as a weapon, Lin chuckled picturing Viv swinging the metal object at an insubstantial ghost.

 

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