Chapter 1
A huge evergreen tree stood at the top of cobblestoned Main Street with strands of colorful lights shimmering between the branches, red bows on the boughs, and a silver star shining on the highest branch. Wreaths decorated doors, pine garland wound around fences and lampposts, and Main Street was lined on both sides with evergreens lit up with tiny sparkling lights. A few inches of glistening snow looked like confectioner’s sugar sprinkled over Nantucket town creating a scene right out of a dream.
The annual Holiday Stroll took place on the first weekend in December with historical hikes or walks through certain parts of the island, carolers dressed in period clothing walking the lanes, dinners, dances, cookie decorating, an outdoor holiday market place, sing-a-longs, ghost walks, a festival of trees at the Whaling Museum, wreath-making classes, live music, and hot cocoa and s’mores cooked over fire pit flames.
“I love the Holiday Stroll.” Lin Coffin and her cousin, Viv, walked along the brick sidewalks of town, bundled up in hats, warm coats, and mittens against the cold, early evening breeze.
“Me, too,” Viv said with a shiver. “It’s the cold I don’t like. Too bad we couldn’t have warm temperatures all year long. Main Street could be lined with palm trees, we could walk around in shorts and tank tops. No heavy coats and boots. Wouldn’t that be great?”
“It wouldn’t be the same.” Lin admired the big, decorated wreath on one of the shop’s doors.
“No,” Viv sighed. “It would be warm.”
The young women approached Viv’s bookstore-café, Viv’s Victus, with its golden, welcoming light spilling out of the big windows onto the sidewalk, and went inside where the cozy warmth wrapped around them.
“This is more like it.” When Viv peeled off her coat and hat, the caramel-colored highlights in her soft brown hair shimmered under the overhead lights.
Heading for the café at the back of the store, the cousins passed Nicky, Lin’s little brown dog, and Queenie, Viv’s cat, sitting together in their favorite upholstered chair at the end of one of the bookshelves. The young women patted the sweet animals and then made lattes at the beverage counter, and took their drinks to seats at one of the tables.
Taking a long sip of her coffee, Viv said, “So for this year’s stroll, we’re going to serve complimentary holiday cookies and brownies with hot tea, coffee, and cocoa. And candy canes, too.”
“That’s great,” Lin nodded. “And when we get the decorations up, the store will look really festive.”
Viv planned to have the bookstore decorated with lit-up trees, garland, and wreaths with red ribbons. “It’s a lot of work, but it always comes out so nice.”
“One of the hotel managers told me their place has no vacancy for the holiday weekend and many of the ferries are sold out already,” Lin said. “The crowds seem to get bigger and bigger every year.”
“It’s a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday whirlwind,” Viv agreed. “I’ve been meaning to tell you, you’ve done a great job on your clients’ decorations.”
Lin and her partner, Leonard, owned a popular landscaping firm on the island and they did holiday seasonal decorating, both inside and outside the homes and businesses, for many of their clients. “Thanks. It’s always a rush to get everything done in time for the Stroll weekend.”
When Lin reached for her cup, her engagement ring sparkled. She and her cousin had been born on the same day thirty years ago, and both had become engaged on the same evening several months ago. Lin’s fiancé, Jeff, a carpenter, builder, and renovator, and Viv’s long-time boyfriend and fiancé, John, a successful Nantucket real estate agent, had plotted and planned their proposals and the foursome wanted a double-wedding when the time came to tie the knot. No one was in a rush though and no date had yet been set, and whenever anyone asked about it, they’d smile and say they were still working on it.
Lin said, “I have a wreath in my truck to deliver to Mr. Snow. Want to walk over there with me?”
“That means I’ll have to go back out in the cold.” Viv eyed her cousin. “Or are we driving there in the truck?”
Lin smiled as she pushed her long, brown braid over her shoulder. “It’s two blocks from here. I think we can make it if we walk.”
With a reluctant sigh, Viv agreed to accompany her cousin to the house that was several buildings back from the corner of Tangerine and Main Streets so they went outside to Lin’s truck that was parked in front of the bookstore to retrieve the wreath, and then they headed up the sidewalk.
The Snows owned a massive, three-story white Colonial mansion built in 1805 for a wealthy sea captain. Lin took care of the gardens surrounding the home as well as the expansive lawn behind the house, and in the winter, she took care of snow removal from the walkways, sidewalk, and driveway. Mr. Snow had asked Lin to create a huge green wreath to hang on the front door of his shop which took up a section of the bottom floor of the home where he had an art gallery and studio.
Walking along the brick walkway to the gallery, Viv admired the decorations Lin had done for the house. Green garland with red ribbons looped over the white picket fence, a huge wreath hung on the mansion’s side door, and two enormous urns filled with greens, red and white branches, and red berries stood on the entryway to the front door.
“Classic and beautiful,” Viv said.
Lights shined in the gallery windows and the cousins could see Mr. Snow sitting at his desk tapping at his laptop.
Lin knocked and poked her head inside to tell the man she’d brought the wreath and would hang it on the door for him.
Snow stood up, removed his glasses, and placed them on the desktop. “Wonderful.” Pulling his cardigan around him, he went outside to see the new wreath and praised Lin for her fine work. “Come in and warm up. A cup of tea? Hot cocoa?”
The tall, slender man was in his early sixties. Robert Snow had clear blue eyes and a full head of white hair. He’d been married to his wife, Lila, for forty years and together they had two children, a son, Roy, who ran a gift store and gallery down by the docks, and a daughter, Lara, who lived on Cape Cod with her husband. Roy and his wife, Suzanne, had an eight-year-old son, Chase, and they lived in the big Colonial with Robert and Lila.
Robert carried two mugs of cocoa from the backroom and handed them to Lin and Viv. “I’m planning a rotation of artwork in the gallery for the next two weeks. Tourists come for the stroll, but many stay for a week or two before or after the festival so by rotating the pieces, there’s always something new to see in here.”
“That’s a very smart idea,” Lin told the man. “People will come back to see what you have displayed. They won’t just come in once and that’s it.”
“I’m planning different themes to group some of the art into categories,” Robert said. “Seascapes, portraits, antique houses and streetscapes, and sailing vessels. I did this on a smaller scale last year and it was a success.”
Lin and Viv began to walk around the two-room gallery to see what was on display. The glossy wood floors, the whitewashed walls, and the overhead lighting provided a simple, but elegant canvas for the artwork.
“I brought four pieces from our own collection to exhibit on this wall. They’re not for sale, but I think they lend a bit of Nantucket charm to the space and the works are done by prominent New England artists from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.”
The cousins paused to have a look at the four paintings, one was an evening scene of Main Street, one was a grand sailing ship, another was a portrait of a Nantucket sea captain, and the fourth was a painting of the sand dunes and the ocean.
“Each one has its own special look,” Viv said as she admired the pieces.
“Come and see some of the paintings I’m planning to group together in the other room.” Robert led the way to the second gallery room, but before they’d gone more than a few steps, Lin stopped.
A cold rush of air surrounded her. It wasn’t the kind of coldness that was a result of the weather. This was different and it caused a flicker of anxiety to brush over Lin’s skin. She slowly turned around expecting to see what the cold air always preceded.
Carolin Coffin, a descendent of one of the oldest families of Nantucket, had inherited a special gift from some of her ancestors … she could see ghosts.
When Lin turned, there was nothing there, and blinking fast several times and searching around the gallery, she was surprised that she didn’t see a spirit. Just as she was about to join Viv and Robert in the other room, something caught her eye.
The portrait of the sea captain. The man in the painting held Lin’s gaze and she had the unsettling feeling he wanted to communicate with her. The pull was so strong that Lin couldn’t take her eyes off the image. She was drawn to the man. Lin took a couple of steps closer to the portrait and her body filled with anxiety.
Do I know you? Do you need to tell me something?
Lin jumped when someone touched her shoulder.
“What are you doing?” Viv asked with a questioning look on her face. “I called your name a few times. Were you in a trance or something?” she kidded.
“I….” Lin rubbed at her eyes. “I was looking at the picture.”
“Why?” Viv asked suspiciously and then took a quick glance at the portrait.
“I was just looking at.”
Viv narrowed her eyes and whispered, “What’s going on?”
Robert returned from the other room. “Do you like the portrait?” he asked Lin.
Lin nodded, trying to keep from looking at the painting. “It’s beautifully done.”
“It’s the man who originally owned this house. Captain Samuel Baker. A successful and wealthy man from the early eighteen-hundreds.”
“Do you know much about him?” Lin asked, the little blond hairs on her arms stood up at attention.
“Not a lot.” Robert said. “He only lived here for about five years before moving to a bigger house on upper Main Street. His wife was named Nora and they had four children. Samuel opened some shops in town and bought up a good amount of land and properties. Although he was a prominent figure, there isn’t a whole lot written about him.”
“Do you know how he died?” Lin asked warily.
A look of surprise showed on Robert’s face. “I know he died here in the house. Would you like to see the paintings in the other room?”
With her heart racing, Lin gave herself a little shake and smiled trying to push off the sensation she’d picked up from the portrait of Captain Baker. “I’d love to see them.”
As they stepped away to the next gallery, Lin took another quick look back at the portrait and the feeling from the man in the painting was so strong, she had to force her feet to keep moving.
Viv caught her cousin’s eye and raised an eyebrow at her. “I know something’s up,” she whispered. “You can try to hide it all you want, but I can tell when something’s brewing.”
What does he want? Lin asked herself and shuddered.
Chapter 2
The fire danced in the gas stove warming the living room where Lin and Viv sat on the sofas eating bowls of hot soup while the dog and cat slept curled up on the rug in front of the stove.
“So is it a ghost?” Viv was confused by her cousin’s story about the portrait in Robert Snow’s gallery.
“I don’t know what it is.” Lin stirred her soup trying to cool it down. “It wasn’t like the face came alive. The picture was static, the eyes and mouth didn’t move. But I almost felt like I knew the captain, like I recognized him. I’ve never seen a picture of him before in my life, yet I was drawn to the man. More than drawn to him, it was like a huge magnetic pull. He seemed to be staring me right in the eyes.”
Viv looked at Lin with a blank expression. “I don’t understand what happened. I don’t even know what to ask you about it.”
Lin shrugged. “I don’t understand it either. I got the familiar blast of cold air around me like I always do right before a ghost appears, but when I turned around, there was no ghost, just the painting pulling me to it.”
“Did you get a message from the picture?” Viv asked.
“I never really get a message from the ghosts. They never speak. I have to interpret what they want, what they’re trying to tell me.”
“Although there have been times when you feel a ghost is trying to communicate with you mentally,” Viv pointed out.
“Right.” Lin lifted the spoonful of the vegetable soup to her mouth. “That mostly happens with Sebastian. It’s some sort of nonverbal communication. As if a message or a thought from him is about to form in my brain. It’s always been very vague, like the message is just out of my grasp. It just floats on the air between us.”
“I bet that will improve over time,” Viv said. “Maybe, one day, you and Sebastian will be having whole conversations without ever opening your mouths.”
Lin chuckled at the idea. “It would be kind of cool to be able to do that.” Absent-mindedly, she reached for her horseshoe necklace and ran her finger over the antique piece. The necklace was once owned by her ancestor, Emily Witchard Coffin and last year, it was found in her cousin Viv’s storage shed hidden hundreds of years ago by Emily’s husband, Sebastian, an early settler of Nantucket.
In the center of the pendant was a white-gold horseshoe which tilted slightly to one side. The design of the horseshoe could be seen in the chimney bricks of several old houses on the island and its purpose was to ward off witches and evil spells. However, Sebastian and Emily Coffin used the symbol on their own chimney to draw people who had been accused of witchcraft to their home in order to give them a safe place to stay as they settled on the island.
Viv gave Emily Coffin’s horseshoe necklace to Lin because she and Emily shared the same skill, both Lin and her ancestor could see ghosts.
“So what does this picture mean?” Viv asked, tugging Lin out of her thoughts.
“This is the first time this has happened to me. I guess we’ll have to see where it leads.”
Viv groaned. “I really don’t like it when you say that. I really don’t like the unknown. I like things normal. I like a regular routine. It’s comforting and reassuring.”
“Then you’ll have to stop hanging around with me because normal is sort of out of my reach.” Lin smiled. “And if I remember correctly, at the end of last summer, things really weren’t normal with you either.”
Viv’s face paled slightly. “That was a one-time thing.”
“We’ll see about that,” Lin grinned.
Several months ago, Viv and Lin were involved with a mystery that took place decades ago on a small island off of Nantucket. During that case, Viv had been able to see the ghost of a distant relative.
“I’m leaving the paranormal to you. It works better that way. I’m perfectly happy to be your assistant in helping the ghosts. I do not want the primary responsibility.” Viv shook her head. “Nope. Not me. That’s your territory.” After pausing for a few seconds, she asked, “What will you do about this weird feeling of being drawn to that painting?”
“I’d like to pretend it didn’t happen.” Lin finished her soup and placed the bowl on the coffee table. “I think I’ll go to the gallery to see the new paintings Robert has displayed. Then I can look at the sea captain’s portrait again and find out if it has the same impact on me.”
“This sure is strange,” Viv said. “A new twist to your skills. Just what we need.”
Nicky lifted his head towards Lin, wagged his short tail, and let out a little bark.
“We won’t abandon the captain, Nick,” Lin reassured the dog. “In fact, let’s do some research.”
“Now?”
“No time like the present. My laptop is in the kitchen.”
“Roger told us there isn’t much information about Captain Samuel Baker,” Viv said.
“Let’s see what we can find.”
The cousins moved to the kitchen island where Lin tapped at the keyboard of her laptop. She clicked on one of the entries that came up. “His name is mentioned in this article, but it doesn’t say much. It says Baker was an important man in town. This idea is supported from seeing his signature on many petitions, land records, and town documents of the time. Hmm. He must have been some sort of town official in addition to being a sea captain.”
Lin clicked on several other articles, but none of them offered any more information. “I have an idea. Let’s go see Anton.”
* * *
Anton Wilson, island historian, retired professor, and author was an expert on Nantucket history. A thin, wiry man in his early seventies, Anton was the one to see for answers to questions about the island’s past. He also knew Lin could see ghosts.
Lin, Viv, and Anton sat at the long wooden table in the large kitchen of the man’s antique Cape-style house eating slices of the pie Lin had brought along. Nicky and Queenie sat at the back door’s window looking outside.
Anton got up to place another log on the fire blazing in the hearth.
After Lin reported her experience in Robert Snow’s gallery, Anton became pensive.
“Have you talked to Libby about this?”
“Not yet, but I will,” Lin said.
Libby Hartnett was an older woman who had lived on-island all of her life. A distant cousin of Lin’s and Viv’s, she had paranormal skills of her own and had spent a good amount of time helping Lin understand the world of unusual abilities.
“This is something I’ve not heard about before,” Anton said, and when Lin heard that comment, her heart sank. “Being drawn to a painting is something new to my understanding of paranormal activity.”
With a touch of disappointment in her tone, Lin said, “I was hoping you might be able to shed some light on what I experienced.”
“I’m afraid not. It’s quite interesting.” Anton tapped his chin with his forefinger. “I’m eager to hear what Libby will have to say.” The historian pulled over his laptop. “Let me search my notes to see if I have anything on the sea captain. You said his name is Samuel Baker, correct?”
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