A Haunted Theft

Book 4: A Lin Coffin Mystery

by J.A. Whiting

Genres: Craft & Hobby Cozy Mysteries; Supernatural suspense; Animal Cozy Mysteries

Synopsis

This is book 4 in the Lin Coffin series.
While her cousin Viv attends a wished-for class on the craft of Nantucket lightship baskets, Lin Coffin visits the island's cultural museum's exhibition on the history of the woven baskets. Lin and island historian, Anton Wilson, arrive at the museum just as the staff discovers that a valuable item has gone missing.
Lin and Viv, with the help of several others, work to solve the mystery of the theft, a murder, and why a Native American ghost appears to ask Lin for help.
This story has ghosts and some mild paranormal elements.

Release date: April 18, 2016

Publisher: Whitemark Publishing

Print pages: 169

Sample

Chapter 1

 

 

Lin and Viv walked along the brick sidewalks and into the small shop that was clustered with several other stores down near the docks in the island town of Nantucket. Viv’s eyes were wide as she stared at the Nantucket Lightship baskets lining the shelves and hanging from the ceiling. The baskets were made of strips of split cane with bottom boards of cherry, maple, and oak and the cane had been woven into baskets of different sizes and shapes, bud vases, wine coolers, trays, and purses.

 

Viv ran her hand over one of the larger baskets and turned to her cousin. “I can’t wait to get started.” Her eyes were shining. “Thank you for arranging the class for me.”

 

Lin put her hand on Viv’s shoulder. “I know you’ve been dying to learn about weaving the baskets from this man. I’m glad it worked out.”

 

Viv was a life-long resident of the island and she loved the traditional woven baskets and their history. She and Lin had attended a talk at the historical society by Nathan Long, a master craftsman of the Nantucket Lightship baskets. He had retired from teaching and now only took commissions to weave his beautiful creations, but he was talked into giving a two-day advanced class and when Lin heard about it through the grapevine, she registered her cousin for the course. In conjunction with Nathan Long’s brief emergence from retirement to give the class, the historical society was housing an exhibition of Nantucket’s baskets alongside some valuable historic baskets that had been donated from museums and private collectors.

 

A petite dark-haired woman approached the girls. “Are you here for the class?”

 

Viv smiled and nodded.

 

The woman gestured to the back room. “The classes are being held in the workshop.”

 

Viv and Lin headed to the rear of the store admiring the baskets on the way.

 

“I can’t believe I got into this class,” Viv whispered. The flecks of gold in her chin length, light brown hair glimmered from the overhead lights. “Nathan Long is world famous. His classes used to be booked one to two years in advance. He’s a master. Your timing was perfect. Thank heavens you called as soon as you heard he was coming out of retirement for this.”

 

“It was all luck.” Lin was glad that she’d been able to book the class for her cousin. Viv was a big admirer of the craft and the beautiful woven products. “Just remember, you have to teach me everything you learn.” Lin grinned. “Have a nice time.”

 

Lin planned to visit the cultural museum’s basket exhibition while Viv was in the class and afterwards they would meet for dinner. Lin stepped out of the store. It was such a beautiful evening that she decided to walk down to the town docks to stroll past the boats and yachts moored in their slips before heading to the exhibit. Tourists meandered along the brick walkways window shopping, heading to dinner, licking ice cream cones, and chatting with family and friends. In a few weeks, the August crowds would thin out and the town would be less crowded.

 

Lin walked along enjoying the lovely late summer evening and the sights of the many boats with their owners and friends sitting on deck chairs sipping wine and nibbling on appetizers. She was able to catch glimpses into some of the yacht windows where tables were set with china, crystal, and silver and huge vases of colorful flowers were placed around the luxurious dining and living rooms.

 

Lin smiled to herself imagining what it must be like to be so wealthy as to afford such magnificent vessels along with the staff needed to operate them. Walking by the enormous ships, she had to admit that she was more than happy with her fairly simple life and was grateful to be living on one of the world’s most beautiful islands. Lin checked her watch and headed away from the docks through town to the cultural museum.

 

She was surprised to see so many people going in and coming out and noticed Anton Wilson, an island historian, walking up the stairs to the building. She hurried to catch up with him.   

 

Anton greeted the young woman.

 

“I didn’t realize the popularity of the lightship baskets.” Lin walked along beside the man. “I didn’t know the exhibition would be such a draw.”

 

Anton looked at Lin, his eyebrows shooting up in amazement that she didn’t understand the importance of the baskets. “My dear, Nantucket is known for the design and craftsmanship of these wonderful objects.”

 

“I know all that.” Lin didn’t want the historian to think she was unaware of the story of the baskets. “I just didn’t know that people from off-island had any interest in them.”

 

The two entered the museum which was housed in a nineteenth-century mansion and stood in line to pay for tickets. “This is an important fundraiser for the cultural museum.” Anton looked around. “Where is your cousin?”

 

Lin told him that Viv was taking the class with Nathan Long and how much it meant to her to be able to do so.

 

“Nathan is a fine craftsman.” Anton nodded. “I interviewed him several times for a book I wrote on the basket tradition. He takes the work quite seriously.”

 

“Were you surprised he came out of retirement to give the class?”

 

“Mr. Long has a strong desire to share his knowledge.” Anton gave a shrug. “Even though he’s focusing on writing and lecturing now, I’m sure he still feels the need to share his skill with as many people as he can.”

 

Lin and Anton approached the next line of people who were waiting for entrance into the exhibit. The ushers only allowed a certain number into the rooms to keep them from becoming overcrowded in order to enhance people’s viewing of the exhibits.

 

Anton rattled on about the displays in the three rooms of the museum. “I had a hand in designing the layout of the exhibition. I think you’ll enjoy it.” He lectured Lin about the order of the displays and why they had been arranged as they were. “The first room gives a historical overview of the beginning of the baskets and how the work of the Native American inhabitants of the island, the Wampanoag people, inspired the weaving designs of island settlers and lightship crew members who weaved to pass the time.”

 

The group moved forward and Lin and Anton stepped into the first exhibition room where maps of the island and story boards told the history of the baskets from the time of the Wampanoags to the present day. While they were looking at one of the maps, an odd feeling of alarm washed over Lin and she glanced about the space searching for the source of the discomfort. A pretty blonde woman wearing a skirt and a blazer hurried through the doorway from the next room, her face white. She looked to be in her early to mid-sixties. Lin recognized the woman as a cultural museum worker. The short, slim woman looked shaken. Her shoulders hunched up and her eyes darted about. When she spotted Anton, the woman rushed over and placed her hand on his arm. Lin could see that her fingers were shaking.

 

“Anton,” she whispered.

 

Anton picked up on the woman’s alarm. “What is it, Martha?”

 

Martha leaned close and spoke into the historian’s ear and what she uttered caused Anton’s head to snap up and his eyes to go wide.

 

“The Wampanoag basket?” Anton’s voice was high-pitched. He hurried into the next exhibition room with Martha and Lin following behind.

 

Anton stood in front of a pedestal in the middle of the space, his jaw hanging down. When he turned, his face was pale and his voice shook. “It’s gone?”

 

Lin stared at the empty pedestal and her head started spinning. She blinked several times and sucked in some deep breaths as she experienced a sensation of a cold hand gripping her arm. Startled, she whirled, but there was no one standing beside her. “What’s going on?” she asked Anton.

 

Martha said, “The basket. It’s the one on loan from the Prentiss Museum. It’s priceless.” She gaped at the pedestal. “It’s gone.”

 

It wasn’t necessary to hear any other details since the horrified looks on Martha’s and Anton’s faces told Lin what she needed to know. She stepped forward. “When did you last see it?’

 

Martha wrung her hands. “I’m not sure. Thirty minutes ago?”

 

Lin made eye contact with Martha. “Maybe you should call the police.”

 

Martha took off like a rocket to place the call.

 

Lin looked at Anton. “We should keep people from leaving. Go block the rear exit. Make sure no one leaves that way. Tell people they can only go out through the front. As they come into the lobby, I’ll gather them and ask them to stay for a little while so the police can ask questions.”

 

“What if they say they won’t stay?” Anton took a few steps towards the back of the building.

 

“We can’t force them, but I’ll make notes about anyone who leaves. What they look like, who they’re with.” Lin started for the lobby. “Anton. How big was the basket?”

 

Anton gestured with his hands to indicate the size and shape.

 

“That would be hard to hide. Someone couldn’t just put it in a bag or a purse.” Lin hurried to the front of the museum.

 

When guests made their way towards the front door of the exhibition rooms, Lin corralled them and politely explained the situation and asked if they could stay to help out by speaking with the police to offer any observations or insights that could help to recover the historical basket. Most people were happy to stay, but some would not comply and immediately exited the museum when Lin told them that there had been a probable robbery.

 

The police arrived, secured the exits, and as one officer began questioning the cultural museum’s visitors and staff, another officer made a sweep of the premises in case the basket had been hidden somewhere to be retrieved later. It took an hour to question everyone and take statements. The police then met with staff in a conference room to speak privately with everyone who had been working during the apparent robbery of the basket.

 

When Anton was asked to join the group, he and Lin said goodbye. Before parting ways, Anton moved closer to Lin. “Do you sense anything?” He raised an eyebrow. Anton was aware that Lin could see ghosts. She reported having felt a cold hand on her arm when she and Anton had approached the pedestal with Martha, but the sensation had quickly faded and she didn’t know what it might mean.

 

“Stay aware, Carolin.” Anton held her eyes.  “You might be able to help.”

 

Lin nodded and left the building. Darkness had fallen and the old-fashioned streetlights brightened the sidewalks and streets as Lin started off in the direction of the restaurant where she was supposed to meet Viv. Checking the time on her phone, she was relieved to see that she still had thirty minutes before she was to meet her cousin.

 

Putting her phone in her bag, a cold chill raced over Lin’s skin and made her shiver. She stopped in her tracks, her heart pounding, and she slowly turned her head, pretty sure of what she might see.

 

In the golden light of the streetlamp, a shimmering figure of a young man stood staring at Lin. Dressed in the Native American garb of the Wampanoag tribe, the young man had black hair that fell to his shoulders. His sad, dark eyes pierced Lin’s and his gaze filled her with a sense of mourning. Slowly, he raised a hand towards her, palm side up, in a gesture that seemed to be requesting her help.

 

Just as she was about to speak, the man’s body broke into a million glimmering atoms that swirled and disappeared leaving Lin standing alone staring at the now empty spot on the brick sidewalk.

 

 

 

Chapter 2

 

 

Lin and Viv sat at a table in the back of the restaurant near the windows that looked out over the dark ocean. Light from the streetlamps and the shop windows sparkled on the harbor water and the lights on some of the tall sailboat masts twinkled like stars that had fallen from the night sky.

 

“And then I left the exhibition and there he was.” Lin’s arms were crossed on the tabletop and she leaned forward making eye contact with her cousin.

 

“He held his hand out to you?” Viv asked.

 

Lin nodded. “Like he was asking me for help.”

 

“Another ghost. So soon.” Viv lifted her glass of wine to her lips. She turned her head to look out of the window. “Who knew there were so many ghosts on Nantucket?”

 

“I hadn’t seen ghosts for nearly twenty years before I moved back here.” Lin’s forehead creased thinking about the many ghosts that had shown themselves to her since she returned to her island home several months ago.

 

“They’re making up for lost time,” Viv sighed.

 

The waiter set down their dinners of fishermen’s platters that cradled large pink pieces of lobster, white scallops, and baked haddock with buttery seasoned bread crumbs on top. The girls nearly swooned at the sight of the seafood. They picked up their forks and dug in, each one silent as they chewed, savored, and swallowed.

 

“Delicious,” Viv pronounced. Her golden brown hair fell forward over her cheeks as she worked on the meal. “I was starving.”

 

After a few more minutes of enjoying the food, Lin said, “The ghost must have appeared because of the basket. But why?”

 

Viv ignored the question for a moment. “I’ve seen pictures of that basket. It’s beautiful.” She took a sip from her water goblet. “Do you think the basket once belonged to the ghost?”

 

Lin’s blue eyes widened. “I hadn’t even thought of that. He must have known that the basket had been stolen.”

 

“He must want you to find it.” Viv set her glass down and picked up her fork.

 

“Why would he care? I can’t return a basket to a ghost.”

 

“He must care though. It was on loan from the Prentiss Museum, right?” Viv paused and looked across the table. “The ghost must want it returned to the museum.” Her eyes brightened. “Maybe he doesn’t like the person who stole it.”

 

“How would he know the thief?” Lin cocked her head.

 

Viv made a face. “He’s a ghost, Lin. Ghosts know stuff.” Her lips turned down. “I think.”

 

Sighing, Lin looked out the window at the dark ocean. “After all that’s happened recently, you’d think I’d know something more about ghosts. But I don’t.”

 

“Well, you know some things.” Viv tapped her chin with her index finger. “They don’t speak to you. They show up when they want to. They show up when they need your help.”

 

Lin looked at her cousin. “They show up when I’m in danger.”

 

“Sometimes.” Viv’s face showed slight annoyance. “You’ve been in danger several times and the ghosts didn’t appear.”

 

“Well, sometimes they have.” Lin gave a shrug. She had a hard time trying to understand when and why a ghost made an appearance. There had been plenty of times when she wanted to have a ghost materialize and they didn’t, and plenty of times when she really hoped one would not show him or herself, and lo and behold, there one would be. “Anyway, that’s what happened to me this evening. Tell me about your class.”

 

A big grin spread over Viv’s face. “It was great. I loved it. We learned some interesting weaving techniques. I need to practice. Nathan Long was really great. He is such a good teacher, explains everything so clearly, demonstrates the patterns, is so patient.” Viv nodded thinking about the hours spent in the class. “It made me want to just weave all day long to master the craft.”

 

Lin chuckled. “You can sell the bookstore and then sit around weaving all the time.”

 

“Oh, I’d never want to sell the bookstore.” A serious expression settled over Viv’s face. “I guess I’ll weave in the evenings.” She smiled and winked. “Or maybe when I’m at the bookstore.”

 

“How many people took the class with you?” Lin reached for another roll from the basket on the table.

 

“Only four others. It was deliberately kept small. Mr. Long could spend more time with each of us that way.” Viv clasped her hands together. “I still can’t believe I was one of the five.”

 

“Nathan Long still makes his home on-island?”

 

“He does. He lives out by Miacomet.” Viv nodded. “He travels frequently though, giving talks on the baskets and their history so he’s away a lot of the time.” A cloud passed over Viv’s face. “Who on Earth would steal the Wampanoag basket?”

 

Lin was hoping the conversation wouldn’t return to the theft at the cultural museum while they were finishing their dinner. The episode gave her such a feeling of sadness and unease that she wanted to avoid talking about it. Lin could feel invisible threads pulling on her, trying to draw her into the case and she wanted to dig in her heels to keep from becoming involved. “That’s a very good question.” She felt someone approaching and she and Viv turned to see Anton Wilson standing beside their table.

 

“Anton.” Lin’s eyes widened with surprise. “How did you know we were here?”

 

“I didn’t.” Anton pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose. “Can I sit with you?” Anton always seemed full of pent-up energy and it was practically pouring off him as he waited for a response.

 

“Of course.” Lin gestured to one of the empty seats at the table.

 

Anton sat and reached for Lin’s water glass. “Do you mind?”

 

“Help yourself.”

 

He gulped down half the water in the goblet. “I’m exhausted.”

 

Lin had to suppress a smile. Despite claiming exhaustion, Anton seemed ready to burst with energy. “Were you with the police this whole time?”

 

“Yes.” Anton took a roll from the basket, borrowed Lin’s knife and buttered the bread. “How could someone steal that basket?”

 

“What did the police say?” Viv asked.

 

“They asked that very question, over and over. They seemed sure that the basket couldn’t have been on display before the evening hours started. The officers couldn’t see how someone could remove the basket in full view of the visitors. And honestly, neither can I.”

 

“But the staff claim it was on its pedestal?” Viv questioned.

 

“They do. The police are skeptical that someone could just walk out with it during the exhibition without being noticed. It’s too big. It couldn’t be tucked under a coat or a jacket or stuffed into a backpack or tote.” Anton harrumphed. “How are we supposed to know how someone stole it? The staff says the basket was on display when the evening exhibition hours started. Now the basket is gone, so someone had to have taken it. How they were able to remove it with people all around is for the police to determine.”