Spirit of Cove Island — Ruth McCarthy Sears

When blonde Melanie Mason finally arrived on Cove Island, off Puget Sound, in the middle of a storm, she knew at once that something was wrong. The old, balconied house -- her Uncle Gerard's house -- was neglected and gloomy-looking, with an almost deserted quality to it. Gerard Mason had died recently and been buried in the Indian graveyard on the island; he had bequeathed Melanie several personal items from the house and had left the house and the island to Melanie's cousin, Olivia, whom Melanie was going to surprise by her visit.

But it was Melanie who was surprised, for Olivia, who had lived with and cared for Gerard for the past ten years, was a ghost of her former self. Once vivacious and sophisticated, Olivia regarded Melanie absentmindedly and displayed erratic flashes of anger and fear. She kept talking about how angry the Indian spirits were that Uncle Gerard was buried on their grounds, that they performed evil fire dances and haunted the house. Melanie did not know what to believe -- but she knew that an aura of mystery and sinister chill lay heavily in the air.

The island was private and a supply boat came only once a month, but shortly after Melanie's arrival, a slight flurry of activity occurred. Dex Barker, a man Melanie had met at the Yacht Club on the wharf across the water, showed up in his boat and proclaimed to be vacationing. There was also young Gordon Faberge, a replica of Melanie's ex-boyfriend Joel, who cruised the waters lazily. And there were the ever-present spirits whose tom-toms rent the night air with a deadly terrifying beat…