Chapter 1
A cake in the shape and colors of Mr. Finch’s new house sat on a platter in the middle of the older man’s dining room table. The four Roseland sisters and their boyfriends, Finch’s girlfriend Betty Hayes, and Police Chief Martin and his wife Lucille crowded around and ooohed and aaahed over the magnificent sweet treat. Angie had spent hours creating the miniature replica of Finch’s new home and her efforts were receiving high praise. Euclid, the Roseland’s huge orange Maine Coon cat and Circe, their sweet black cat sat on the dining room side-table with their eyes glued to Finch as he attempted to cut the cake.
Mr. Finch was an adopted member of the Roseland sisters’ family and his recently purchased home was on a lot directly behind the girls’ Victorian mansion. Raising his bushy gray eyebrows above the rims of his glasses, Finch held a knife suspended over the confection. He hesitated. “I can’t do it, Miss Angie. It’s just too beautiful.”
Circe trilled encouragement while Euclid flicked his enormous tail impatiently. He was hoping to get a lick of the cream cheese frosting.
“It’s meant to be eaten.” Angie urged the man. “Go ahead, cut it Mr. Finch. It’s your favorite flavor and if we don’t eat it, it will just go to waste.” Angie was a professional baker and had owned a bake shop in the center of town until the lease ran out a few months ago. Now she created and delivered contracted treats to the restaurants and bakeries in Sweet Cove.
Finch’s hand trembled as he held the knife poised over the roof of the house. He closed his eyes and gently pressed the sharp edge of the blade into the cake making the first cut. Everyone cheered. The aroma of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice floated on the air.
Betty Hayes put her hand on Finch’s arm. “Would you like me to take over?” She batted her eyes at the man.
“Please.” Finch, relieved, passed the knife to Betty and she sliced and placed pieces of cake onto plates.
Mr. Finch cut two small pieces from his slice and placed them on saucers which he set on the floor next to the side-table. “Here you are, my friends,” he told the cats.
Angie’s sister, Ellie, handed the plates around to the guests and everyone carried their treats into the living room where they sat and enjoyed the delicious carrot cake.
Tom opened a bottle of champagne and poured the bubbly into flutes. Jenna, Angie’s twin sister, handed the glasses to the guests and when everyone had one, they raised them high in the air.
“Happy housewarming, Mr. Finch!” Twenty-two year old Courtney smiled broadly and clinked her glass against his champagne flute.
“Happy days and peaceful nights in your lovely new home.” Ellie gave the gray haired man a warm hug.
“At last, we get to celebrate your new house.” Angie smiled and lifted a forkful of cake to her lips.
The Roseland sisters had been planning a house warming party for Mr. Finch for several weeks, but they’d all become so involved in solving a recent murder case that the festivities had to be postponed several times.
Jenna sat on the loveseat with Tom, his arm draped over her shoulders. “It’s so great to have that case behind us and nothing to worry us now.” She breathed a sigh of relief and reached over and gave Tom’s hand a squeeze. The pretty diamond on her left ring finger sparkled in the light. Just a week ago, Jenna had accepted Tom’s marriage proposal and since then, she’d been walking around like she was living on cloud nine.
Jenna’s comment about having nothing to worry about because the recent case had been solved caused a skitter of unease to wash over Angie. Lately it seemed that as soon as one thing settled down something worse reared its ugly head demanding to be solved.
Finishing his cake and praising Angie for her efforts, Mr. Finch stood, leaned on his cane, and offered a tour of the house to those who hadn’t yet seen it. The sisters’ boyfriends followed after him to see the rest of the new place. Betty, a successful Realtor in the seacoast town of Sweet Cove, went along, too. She loved showing houses and she couldn’t resist talking about the size of the rooms, the high ceilings, and the wood floors as if she might sell the home right out from under Mr. Finch.
Police Chief Martin’s wife wanted to go along to see the house too, but before she joined the group in the foyer, she touched her husband’s arm. “Ask them.”
Carrying used plates from the dining room to the kitchen, Angie overheard Lucille’s comment to the chief. She stacked the dishes next to the sink and turned around. Chief Martin stood in the doorway looking uneasy.
Angie cocked her head to one side causing her honey blonde hair to move softly over her shoulders. “What do you want to ask?”
The chief shuffled into the kitchen, making only brief eye contact. Jenna bustled into the room to get some cream from the refrigerator, but she stopped and stared at Chief Martin. She looked over at Angie. “What’s wrong?”
“No one said anything is wrong.” The chief shifted from foot to foot.
Jenna put her hands on her hips. “We know you well enough to see when something is bothering you.”
“Tell.” Angie stepped closer, a kind look on her face. “What do you need from us?”
The chief rubbed the side of his face and blew out a long sigh. “My aunt lives on the town line over by Silver Cove. She’s older now, but she still has her faculties.”
Silver Cove was a small town, a hamlet really, on the coast just north of Sweet Cove. It was a well-known artist colony and only had a population of about four thousand people even in the summer. Silver Cove had a rocky coast and just a few slips of tiny beaches here and there which kept the place from becoming popular with tourists. The section of Sweet Cove that abutted Silver Cove was very similar in its geography.
“Is your aunt having some kind of trouble?” Angie knew there must be a heap of trouble if the chief was so reticent about admitting what was going on.
Chief Martin swallowed hard. “She’s complained about some odd things, strange noises, things being shifted around on the deck and in the yard. Sometimes, she thinks she hears someone walking around. She found a gray sweatshirt on the lawn the other day, didn’t know how it got there. She draped it over the deck railing thinking it might belong to the gardener. The next day it was gone and the gardener hadn’t been there. There are other things.”
“How long has this been going on?” Angie looked pensive.
“A couple of weeks.”
“You want us to go see her? Check things out?” Jenna leaned back against the counter.
“I hate to ask. You’re all so busy and we’ve had one thing after another to deal with here in Sweet Cove.”
“We help each other.” Angie smiled at the chief. “Ellie won’t be able to come with us since she has to stay at the Victorian to handle the bed and breakfast, but Courtney might be off work tomorrow.” Courtney and Mr. Finch co-owned a candy store in the middle of town.
Angie continued, “My new bake shop isn’t ready to open yet and Jenna can have Ellie watch the jewelry shop while we drive over to see your aunt.”
“It’s only a ten-minute drive away.” Jenna pushed her long brown hair over her shoulder. “We’ll be back by lunchtime.”
The chief looked like a weight had fallen from his shoulders. “I appreciate it.” He managed a little smile.
“Want to go over some details until the house tour is over?” Angie whispered and gestured towards the upstairs. “Don’t mention anything, ah, paranormal around the guys.” Chief Martin knew not to talk about such things around anyone but family members, but Angie still felt the need to remind him.
“Only one of the men knows about certain skills that we have.” Jenna winked. She had broken the news of the Roseland family’s paranormal abilities to her boyfriend, now fiancé, and even though Tom had never heard anything like it, he was able to accept that not everything that’s possible in the world is experienced with just the five senses.
“What do you think is the cause of what your aunt is experiencing?” Angie looked intently at the chief wondering if he had any insight.
Chief Martin rubbed the back of his neck and then shook his head. “I have no idea. She’s getting older and maybe it’s all just forgetfulness, but she’s an intelligent woman and I tend to believe what she tells me.”
“Tell us a little about her.” Jenna glanced over the kitchen threshold to see if the other guests were still busy.
“Her name is Anna Lincoln. She’s eighty-one years old. She lives alone in the family home where she grew up. It’s a great house, right on the coast overlooking the ocean. Her husband passed away about twenty years ago.”
“Does she have children?” Angie was taking it all in.
“She has a son and daughter. They live on the West coast, both are medical doctors. Aunt Anna has a doctorate in biochemistry. She worked as a researcher and college professor for decades. She enjoys painting and quilting now, she even sells some of her work.”
Since Angie had a degree in chemistry from MIT, she felt a sense of kinship towards the chief’s aunt. “Your Aunt Anna was ahead of her time. She’s such an accomplished woman.”
“That’s why I tend to believe what she tells me.”
“Is she in good physical health? Can she manage in her house on her own?” Jenna asked.
“She does most everything on her own. She employs a gardener-handyman to mow and trim and he does odd jobs around the place. She cooks, walks to the market in good weather. In winter, her groceries are delivered.”
“Does your aunt have social contacts, friends, a church group she belongs to?” Angie wondered if the woman kept to herself and didn’t interact with others very much.
“Aunt Anna has a group of friends she meets in town for coffee pretty near every morning, mostly retired people. They range in age from their fifties to older than Anna.”
Voices were heard as the tour group returned to the living room.
“You said that you’re free tomorrow?” The chief looked hopeful. “I usually go see Anna every week and I’m due for a visit.”
The girls agreed that tomorrow would work fine. Angie said, “I’ll ask Courtney about joining us. Maybe she can come along.”
“I’m sure she wouldn’t miss it.” Jenna chuckled. Twenty-two-year-old Courtney was the youngest Roseland sister and she loved mystery and intrigue. She and Mr. Finch loved to watch crime shows together and, after an episode, the two would spend time dissecting the perpetrator’s actions and the detectives’ handling of the case.
“I’ll pick you up in the morning? After the early morning breakfast rush at the B and B?” Chief Martin suggested.
“We’ll be ready.” Jenna raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Shall we bring the cats?”
The chief spoke over his shoulder as he was exiting the kitchen, “That might not be a bad idea.”
Chapter 2
Angie had been up since 4:30am to bake the bed and breakfast’s morning goodies and the afternoon cookies and cakes. She wiped her hands on her apron and carried two trays of the treats to the kitchen’s far counter. Ellie would place everything on attractive platters when it was time to serve them.
Ellie buzzed about the kitchen making waffles and scrambled eggs for her B and B guests. Courtney had already set out the different flavors of yogurt, filled the glass cereal containers, and placed the bowl of granola on the dining room buffet table.
She sat at the kitchen island spooning cereal into her mouth. “This visit to see Chief Martin’s aunt is going to be interesting. He mustn’t think that his aunt’s worries are age-related. The chief must suspect something fishy is going up there otherwise he wouldn’t ask us to come along.”
“I guess we’ll have to reserve judgment until we have a chance to talk to her.” Jenna walked in wearing her pajamas and rubbing her eyes. She let out a wide yawn.
Courtney eyed her sister. “Good morning, sleeping beauty. I was about to come wake you. You don’t want to miss a ride in Chief Martin’s patrol car.”
“It’s too early,” Jenna complained as she filled her mug with coffee. She was the only sister who didn’t need to rise at the crack of dawn for her job. Her jewelry business was done mostly online so she could set her own hours to design and construct her necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. Customers visited her shop in the back of the Victorian, but Jenna didn’t open the doors to clients until ten in the morning.
Ellie had worked in an assisted living facility for two years when she was in high school, so she had a bit of experience with the elder population. “People who are close to someone who is experiencing age issues sometimes dismiss the incidents because they don’t want to admit that the person is declining.” Ellie lifted the scrambled eggs from the pan into a serving dish. “It’s very sad when someone begins to lose mental capabilities. It can be heart-wrenching for the relatives.”
“Do you think Chief Martin is dismissing his aunt’s complaints because he doesn’t want to face the fact that such an intelligent woman is experiencing issues?” Angie finished her tea and placed the cup in the dishwasher.
“You’ll have to figure that out when you visit.” Ellie removed a blue and white serving platter from the cabinet.
“Too bad you can’t come along.” Jenna buttered her toast.
“We’ll consult with you when we get back.” Courtney tilted her bowl to her lips to drink the remaining milk.
“Nice manners.” Ellie scowled at her younger sister as she headed to the dining room with the scrambled eggs. Courtney ignored her. She’d heard Ellie’s complaint about her cereal bowl manners about a thousand times.
“Where are the cats?” Jenna asked.
“They’re on the porch waiting for Chief Martin.” Courtney rinsed her dishes in the sink and placed them in the dishwasher. “I’m going upstairs to get my wallet. I’ll meet you outside.” She eyed Jenna. “You might want to speed it up.”
Jenna was reading the news on her phone and chewing a bite of her toast. She batted at the air dismissively in reaction to her sister’s comment.
On her way out of the kitchen, Angie said, “The chief is going to be here in five minutes.”
Jenna’s head snapped up and she squawked, “What? Oh my, gosh. I lost track of time.” She nearly knocked Angie down when she tore past her in the hall on the way to the stairs and the shower.
* * *
Just as Jenna burst through the Victorian’s front door onto the wraparound porch with her hair still wet from showering, Chief Martin’s police car pulled into the driveway.
Euclid gave the tall brunette a scowl. He preferred punctuality.
Jenna gave him a look. “I forgot to set my alarm and the time got away from me.”
Circe tilted her head towards Jenna so that she could get a cheek scratch and the young woman obliged by rubbing both of the cat’s cheeks and the top of the feline’s head.
Courtney was the first one off the porch. She greeted the chief with a warm smile. “I can’t wait to meet your aunt. This is going to be interesting. Mr. Finch is manning the candy store this morning. He wants to hear all about our visit when we get back.”
As the chief held the back door of the squad car open for Courtney, Euclid and Circe followed her to the vehicle and as they passed Chief Martin, he gave them a nod.
Courtney stepped back and let the cats into the car first and then she crawled in and took a seat.
Chief Martin smiled at Jenna and her dripping hair. “Too early for you?”
“Don’t you start in on me, too.” Jenna took a seat beside the cats who were sitting in the middle between her and Courtney.
“We’re thinking of changing Jenna’s name to Sleeping Beauty.” Courtney chuckled.
Angie and the chief sat in the front of the squad car. Chief Martin backed out of the driveway and headed to Main Street where he took a right to drive north in the direction of Silver Cove.
“Does your aunt know there are six of us descending on her?” Angie watched the scenery as they drove along Main Street heading for the town line. Tourists were already out and about, some heading for the beach and others carrying take-out cups of coffee strolling along the sidewalks past the stores.
Chief Martin made a right turn. “I told her I was bringing all of you. I made up a story that the three of you have an interest in learning about quilting and would like to see some of her work.”
“Does she know we have paranormal powers?” Courtney patted Euclid’s head.
“I left that bit of information out of our conversation.”
“Are we supposed to know that odd things have been happening?” Jenna asked. Circe was curled on the brunette’s lap.
“I thought we could bring it up during our visit,” the chief said. “I didn’t want to make her think that I’d been talking about her to you.”
Angie nodded. “That’s probably a good idea. It can come up in conversation as we all chat. Hopefully she won’t clam up about the subject because we’re with you.”
After a ten minute drive, Chief Martin turned the patrol car onto a side street that ran off the main road between Sweet Cove and Silver Cove. They drove along the tree-lined lane past well-kept homes until the chief pulled into the driveway of a sprawling farmhouse with a wraparound porch.
“What a great house.” Angie admired the beautiful property and smiled. “And it has a porch.” She loved the homey feeling of sitting on a front porch with family and friends watching people strolling by.
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