Watch for the Dead (Relatively Dead Book 4)
Read Watch for the Dead (Relatively Dead Book 4) Online
Authors: Sheila Connolly
Tags: #psychic powers, #ghosts, #Mystery, #Cape Cod, #sailboat, #genealogy, #Cozy, #History, #shipwreck
Watch for the Dead
Looking to take a break from busy home renovations, Abby and boyfriend Ned Newhall jump at the chance to vacation on Cape Cod. Not only do they plan to get away from the dust and grime, but since Abby has no known ancestors in the area, the trip promises to be free of the unsettling ghostly appearances that have darkened her recent days.
Dreams of a relaxing vacation are soon dashed, however, when a storm blows in and brings with it a scene from the past more disturbing than any Abby has ever experienced. The long-dead woman who appears to Abby is someone she’s met before, but this time her presence defies any explanation at all.
Determined to unravel the mystery of the woman’s recurring appearances, Abby follows a trail of family history and upheaval that spans generations and may yield the biggest revelation of all, not just about Abby’s ancestors but about her living relatives as well.
Beyond the Page Books
are published by
Beyond the Page Publishing
Copyright © 2015 by Sheila Connolly
Material excerpted from
A Gala Event
copyright © 2015 by Sheila Connolly
Cover design and illustration by Dar Albert, Wicked Smart Designs
ISBN: 978-1-940846-69-9
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Contents
Chapter 1
The ringing of the phone jerked Abby Kimball from a sound sleep. It took her several rings to figure out what the infernal noise was and where it was coming from. Landline, apparently, an artifact that had come with the house she shared with Ned Newhall. She couldn’t remember where she’d left her cell phone—maybe that had been ringing too, but too far away to hear. She checked the clock. Five thirty in the morning? At least it was light outside, sort of.
The phone was on her side of the bed, so she fumbled with it, managed to pick it up and put it to her ear, and mumbled, “H’lo?”
“Abby, sorry to wake you, but I really, really need a favor, like, right now.”
It was Leslie Walker, her former employer and onetime fiancée of Ned Newhall, who had by now raised himself up on one elbow and was watching Abby’s face for clues. “Is something wrong, Leslie?” she asked.
“Well, yes, kind of. George is having a gallbladder attack. He’s had them before, but the last time his doctor said the gallbladder would have to come out if it happened again.”
“Okay,” Abby said cautiously. She didn’t see any role for her in Leslie’s husband George’s gallbladder problems. “What do you want me to do?”
“Can you take Ellie for the next few days? Petey’s off on a camping trip with my sister Bonnie and her family. Ellie’s day camp ended last week, but school doesn’t start until next week. I have no idea how George will feel when he gets back but he could probably use some peace and quiet for a few days. Ellie likes you—do you mind?”
“Of course not. I’ll be happy to keep her for as long as you like. We can find some fun things to do. Should I come pick her up?”
“No, the hospital is over near you, so I can drop her off on my way. Let me call George’s doctor and I can give you a time, if that’s all right.”
“Of course it is. I didn’t have any plans, and I’d be happy for Ellie’s company.”
“You’re a lifesaver, Abby. I’ll get back to you.” Leslie hung up abruptly. Abby wondered briefly if Leslie had told her the whole story. She’d known Leslie for nearly a year now and she’d never heard her sound this rattled.
Abby plumped up her pillow and lay back. “What?” Ned asked.
“George is having gallbladder problems and will probably need surgery. Petey’s off camping, but Ellie’s at loose ends until school starts. Leslie asked if we could look after her.”
“And you told her that was fine, right?”
“Of course I did. Ellie is fun to be with, and we can go play together. You want to play too?”
“Maybe for a day or two, but we’re in the middle of a big project at work and I can’t just duck out,” Ned said.
“But you’re the boss!” Abby protested.
“Yes, and that makes me responsible. It’s not like I planned it this way, but this is a whopping big project and the client wants it ASAP. I can’t say no.”
“That’s okay, I understand. Ellie and I will find some way to amuse ourselves.”
Abby meant it when she said she liked Ellie, and that was for more than one reason. The first was that Ellie really was a good kid—smart and funny, and old for her eight years, which sometimes made her impatient with her classmates and friends. Second was that Ellie was Ned’s biological child; he’d helped Leslie out when she and George had found they couldn’t conceive, although he had played no active part in their lives until Abby had been thrust into the scene. But Leslie hadn’t yet told Ellie about her link to Ned, although Abby had a suspicion that Ellie suspected something out of the ordinary was going on. Third, Abby and Ellie and Ned shared the unusual ability to see dead people. Not all dead people, and not at random—only the ones from whom they were descended, with whom there was a genetic link, but there were a lot of those in Massachusetts. Ellie had been struggling to understand and to put into words what had been happening to her, until Abby had figured it out. Which had precipitated the big blowup with Leslie, who most definitely did not share this ability and didn’t want to deal with it at all. That was how Abby had ended up losing the job she really liked at the Concord Museum, where she had planned tours for local school groups.
But Abby was patient, and she knew how hard it was to come to terms with meeting dead relatives she hadn’t known existed, much less explain it to anyone else. She wasn’t sure how she would have managed if she hadn’t been lucky enough to find Ned at the beginning, although he’d been reluctant to admit he possessed the same ability. Leslie had been slow to come around, which wasn’t fair to Ellie, but Abby could wait. She had been spending a day a week, more or less, with the child over the summer, when Ellie wasn’t at day camp, and it had gone well.
Now Leslie had turned to her to fill in, and she was glad to do it.
“How soon?” Ned asked.
“Leslie has to talk to George’s doctor, but let’s assume sooner rather than later. You want to stick around, or would you rather be gone?”
“I think I’ll get an early start, and then maybe come home a little early. Will you two be all right?”
“Of course we will. Why wouldn’t we? We’ve had fun all summer. I’ll have to think up some new adventures for us, but that’s all right.”
“Abby . . .” Ned hesitated, which was unlike him.
“Hmm?” Abby said, making mental lists of things she and Ellie could do.
“Never mind,” Ned said. “I have an idea, but let me check it out before I say anything. I’ve got to go in early. I’ll see you later.” He leaned toward her to kiss her before getting out of bed, but if it was supposed to be a quick light kiss, it failed miserably. One of the benefits of their psychic connection, they had found, was an amplified physical response to each other, some sort of weird Vulcan mind-body meld that could rock their socks if they let it. Which they couldn’t right now.
Abby broke it off first and gave him a gentle push. “See you later, love.”
Ned went down the stairs, and Abby heard him clattering around the kitchen before leaving. She managed to squeeze in a quick shower and was dressing when she heard a car pull up. Looking out the window, she saw that it was Leslie, helping Ellie out of the car, with a backpack and a small tote. Abby hurried barefoot down the stairs and greeted them at the front door. “Hi, Leslie. Hi, Ellie. What—”
“Don’thavetimetotalk—Georgeisin the car—I’llcallwhenIknowanything,” Leslie blurted out in one breath. Then she stopped herself and took the time to inhale. “Ellie, I’ll talk to you later. Be good for Abby, please.”
Ellie looked up at her with a preview of what her snotty teenage expression would be in a few years. “Yeah, Mom. You don’t need to tell me. Take care of Daddy, will you? I’ll be fine.”