Lord of High Cliff Manor — Irene M. Pascoe

The accident was more sinister than she dared imagine .. .

When Jennifer Shanley accepted the teaching position at High Cliff Manor, she never suspected she would become enveloped in a cocoon of hidden terror. The three-story house, precariously situated on a precipice overlooking Puget Sound, harbored the secret of the Dolphin, a tugboat that had inexplicably exploded.

Mark Kennecott, Jennifer's employer and co-owner of the ill-fated vessel, was reluctant to discuss the disaster. Mark's stepmother and her daughter also discouraged Jennifer's attempts to solve the mystery, and her persistence was greeted with hostility. But Jennifer's stubborn curiosity compelled her to delve further--and almost caused her death.