When Abby and Kit Hubbard moved into the family homestead on the New England coast, they were unprepared for the surprises the historic old house had in store for them. Into their lives, for the first time, came their mother's elderly half sister, Miss Ann Pingree. From her they learned about the secret closet, the smugglers' tunnel which no one had ever been able to find--and about one of their ancestors who was captured by pirates in the early eighteenth century. He was never heard of again and was believed to haunt their old house! Tangled family relationships, a caretaker who arouses their suspicions, and a disappearing desk result in the uncovering of a clever racket. And a dangerous exploration undertaken by Abby and Kit leads to a gruesome discovery.