After you follow up on the first weird note --

I found a weird note!

-- Harper gives you a note called "Portrait Letters" in inventory. Under a row of blank lines, it says, "To find me again, look to the portraits."

After you read the note, you'll find that every portrait in the house now has a "use" hotspot on it. But there's nothing there ... or is there?

Remember what you did to Clara's portrait? The same thing would work here.

What do I do with the painting of Clara?

Use the "cleaner-soaked napkin" on the gear spot on every portrait, and Nancy will write the letters she discovers on the note. There are seven portraits for you to find; here's a list, in case you're missing one of them.

Paintings With Portrait Letters

Once you've filled in all the blank lines, rearrange letters within each individual word to spell out --

-- "Cotton gin get seeds balance scales." Or to say it in English --

-- Fix the cotton gin; use it to get some cotton seeds; and use those seeds to balance the scales next to the locked door in the tool room.

How do I fix the cotton gin?

How do I open the barn doors in the tool room?