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Prologue

Jared Montgosley

NANTUCKET

“She’s corandfather Caleb’s question, “so I’ before then—and I think it’ll be better if I stay away the whole tiet so the plans for his garage, so he can do it” Jared ran his hand over his face “If someone doesn’t meet her, she’ll probably wander down an alley and never be seen again Soht carry her off”

“You always did have too ination,” Caleb said “But perhaps in this instance you could iine less and try for some kindness Or has that becoeneration?”

“Kindness?” Jared said, suppressing his anger “This wo to take over my house for an entire year and force host That’s it My house is being confiscated because now, as an adult, she ht possibly be able to see soust at the whole arrangement

“It’s a little randfather said calmly

“Oh, right I can’t very well forget all the secrets, now can I? First of all, there’s the girl’stwenty years of visits to this island frosley Mystery that needs to be solved It’s the two-hundred-year-old unanswered question that has plagued our family since—”

“Two hundred and two”

“What?”

“For two hundred and two years it’s been unsolved”

“Right” Sighing, Jared sat down on one of the old chairs in the house his family had owned since it was built in 1805 “A mystery that no one has been able to solve for two hundred and two years, but for some unfathoure it all out”

Caleb stood with his hands clasped behind his back and looked out theIt was early in the su Soon the cars would be bumper to bumper even on their quiet lane “Perhaps the mystery hasn’t been solved because no one has truly looked into it No one has really tried to find … her”

Jared closed his eyes for a reat-aunt Addy died it had taken months to sort out the ridiculous will she’d left The will said that a young woman, Alixandra Madsen, who hadn’t been in the house since she was four years old, was to live in it for one year During that time she was to try to solve the family mystery—if she wanted to, that is Aunt Addy’s will clearly stated that if she didn’t want to do any searching, she didn’t have to Instead, she could spend her ti any of the thousands of things that Nantucketers caod-awful number of tourists who invaded their island every summer

If that was the only secret involved, Jared could have handled it, but concealing a lifetime of people and events was too much to ask of hi wo that her mother, Victoria Madsen, had spent a month each summer at his aunt Addy’s house in order to research her bestselling historical novels Jared took a breath Maybe he should change tack “I don’t see why an off-islander was given this job You can’t throw a harpoon without hitting someone whose faiven the job of researching, this girl wouldn’t need to come here The researchers could solve thewould be safe”