Read Online A Haunted Theft (A Lin Coffin Mystery Book 4) by J A Whiting - Free Book Online
Authors: J A Whiting
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have been keen to hire you.”
“If I’d fainted, he wouldn’t have been able to hire me because I would have died from embarrassment.” Lin raised her teacup to her lips and sipped the warm comforting liquid.
“So was it the basement that made you feel tense? Or was it something in the basement that upset you? Did Nathan Long say something that produced the anxiety?” Viv studied her cousin’s face.
Lin thought it over. “I really don’t know. The sensation came on right when I stepped inside. There wasn’t anything in the basement. It was just a clean, empty space.” Lin shrugged and the blanket slipped off one of her shoulders. “It was a terrible feeling. I wanted to get out of there, but my limbs felt so sluggish like when you’re in a dream and you can’t make yourself move or run. Something seemed to be pressing down on me.” Lin shuddered recalling the sensation.
“When you got back outside, did you feel better right away?”
Lin’s heart thudded. “I…. I…”
“What?” Viv tilted her head to one side.
Lin swallowed hard. Even though she didn’t want to alarm Viv by telling her of the horrible feeling she’d had that her cousin was in danger, Lin couldn’t hide the fact from her cousin so she blurted it out. “I had the awful sensation that you were hurt or in peril.”
Viv looked like she’d been slapped. “Me? In danger? That was your feeling?” Viv’s cheeks lost their rosy glow. “That’s why you texted me asking if I was okay.”
Lin nodded, her eyes wide with worry. “It probably doesn’t mean anything. I was probably feeling anxious and for some reason I fixated on you.”
Viv leveled her gaze across the table at Lin. “You probably felt it because it was a premonition.” Pushing her hair behind her ear, she glanced over her shoulders at her darkening backyard. “Should we go inside?”
“I think we’re safe.” Lin looked out over the yard just to be sure.
“For now.” Viv’s voice trembled. “What does it mean? What’s going to happen to me?”
“Nothing.” Lin set her jaw. “Nothing’s going to happen to you. It was just a silly feeling. For some reason, I felt panicky and projected it onto you.”
“Don’t do that anymore, okay?” Viv took a swallow of her tea. “Project it onto someone else.”
“In the meantime….”
“I know.” Viv rubbed her forehead. “I’ll be careful.”
“There’s something else.” Lin folded her arms onto the table.
Viv let out a groan.
“I saw the Wampanoag ghost again, in the garden behind the cultural museum.”
“He came back?” Viv leaned forward.
“He looked at me.” Lin turned her eyes to the tall trees that ringed Viv’s yard. “And his look filled me with sadness.”
The girls sat quietly for a few minutes and then Viv said, “Let’s talk about the case. Let’s be proactive and not just sit here worrying and fretting.”
The corners of Lin’s mouth turned up. She loved how Viv could focus on figuring things out even when worry was about to consume her. Lin ran her index finger over her horseshoe necklace. “That’s a good idea. Let’s talk about suspects. The ghost has only shown himself twice and both times were outside the cultural museum. Do you think that the ghost appears there because the thief is connected in some way to the museum?”
“It could be.” Viv checked the time on her phone to see if the shepherd’s pie needed to come out of the oven. “Then there’s Martha Hillman. There are a lot of reasons to suspect her.”
“What about Nathan Long?”
“Nathan? No.” Viv gave a hard shake of her head. “Impossible. He’s a nice man. He wouldn’t steal the basket.”
“He could be hiding behind the nice-man façade. He’s so wonderful no one would ever think he could have done it. It’s the perfect front.” Lin went on when she saw the skeptical look wash over Viv. “Nathan has access to the rooms at the museum. He can wander wherever he wants to go
“If I’d fainted, he wouldn’t have been able to hire me because I would have died from embarrassment.” Lin raised her teacup to her lips and sipped the warm comforting liquid.
“So was it the basement that made you feel tense? Or was it something in the basement that upset you? Did Nathan Long say something that produced the anxiety?” Viv studied her cousin’s face.
Lin thought it over. “I really don’t know. The sensation came on right when I stepped inside. There wasn’t anything in the basement. It was just a clean, empty space.” Lin shrugged and the blanket slipped off one of her shoulders. “It was a terrible feeling. I wanted to get out of there, but my limbs felt so sluggish like when you’re in a dream and you can’t make yourself move or run. Something seemed to be pressing down on me.” Lin shuddered recalling the sensation.
“When you got back outside, did you feel better right away?”
Lin’s heart thudded. “I…. I…”
“What?” Viv tilted her head to one side.
Lin swallowed hard. Even though she didn’t want to alarm Viv by telling her of the horrible feeling she’d had that her cousin was in danger, Lin couldn’t hide the fact from her cousin so she blurted it out. “I had the awful sensation that you were hurt or in peril.”
Viv looked like she’d been slapped. “Me? In danger? That was your feeling?” Viv’s cheeks lost their rosy glow. “That’s why you texted me asking if I was okay.”
Lin nodded, her eyes wide with worry. “It probably doesn’t mean anything. I was probably feeling anxious and for some reason I fixated on you.”
Viv leveled her gaze across the table at Lin. “You probably felt it because it was a premonition.” Pushing her hair behind her ear, she glanced over her shoulders at her darkening backyard. “Should we go inside?”
“I think we’re safe.” Lin looked out over the yard just to be sure.
“For now.” Viv’s voice trembled. “What does it mean? What’s going to happen to me?”
“Nothing.” Lin set her jaw. “Nothing’s going to happen to you. It was just a silly feeling. For some reason, I felt panicky and projected it onto you.”
“Don’t do that anymore, okay?” Viv took a swallow of her tea. “Project it onto someone else.”
“In the meantime….”
“I know.” Viv rubbed her forehead. “I’ll be careful.”
“There’s something else.” Lin folded her arms onto the table.
Viv let out a groan.
“I saw the Wampanoag ghost again, in the garden behind the cultural museum.”
“He came back?” Viv leaned forward.
“He looked at me.” Lin turned her eyes to the tall trees that ringed Viv’s yard. “And his look filled me with sadness.”
The girls sat quietly for a few minutes and then Viv said, “Let’s talk about the case. Let’s be proactive and not just sit here worrying and fretting.”
The corners of Lin’s mouth turned up. She loved how Viv could focus on figuring things out even when worry was about to consume her. Lin ran her index finger over her horseshoe necklace. “That’s a good idea. Let’s talk about suspects. The ghost has only shown himself twice and both times were outside the cultural museum. Do you think that the ghost appears there because the thief is connected in some way to the museum?”
“It could be.” Viv checked the time on her phone to see if the shepherd’s pie needed to come out of the oven. “Then there’s Martha Hillman. There are a lot of reasons to suspect her.”
“What about Nathan Long?”
“Nathan? No.” Viv gave a hard shake of her head. “Impossible. He’s a nice man. He wouldn’t steal the basket.”
“He could be hiding behind the nice-man façade. He’s so wonderful no one would ever think he could have done it. It’s the perfect front.” Lin went on when she saw the skeptical look wash over Viv. “Nathan has access to the rooms at the museum. He can wander wherever he wants to go
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