Sheila Connolly - Relatively Dead 02 - Seeing the Dead Read Free Page B

Vital Record that she found, from Newton, said that they’d been married in Concord. But errors and omissions—and garbled transcriptions—were rife in genealogical records, so that didn’t discourage her. In fact, now she knew that William had come from Newton. But what of Mary Ann? Was she local?
    A search on her surname produced several pages of names in multiple towns, some of which she recognized as near to Concord, others of which she was unfamiliar with. She was ashamed that she hadn’t spent much time driving around the area acquainting herself with her surroundings, but first there had been getting used to a new job, and then it was winter, which had dragged on and on and she really didn’t like to drive in ice and snow, particularly with no other purpose than sightseeing, and … Abby, stop making excuses! Now she had a goal, and she would put together a plan. Ned could go with her—or not. She wasn’t going to be one of those clingy women who insisted on an escort to go anywhere, although he was good company, and a second set of eyes was helpful. But the Coreys weren’t even his family, or at least as far as she knew. She had quickly learned that people in Massachusetts showed a surprising range of connections, some of them hard to explain—like how people from opposite ends of the state managed to meet and marry each other. With a sigh, she started searching for early maps of Concord and the surrounding towns. She supposed she could go to the library to look, but this way she could print them out and look at them side by side, and see how and when the towns had evolved.
    She’d just finished that task when Ned called. “One of the regiments is practicing on Saturday. Want to go watch?”
    “Sure. Will this be full dress, or just a field of guys wearing jeans and carrying sticks?”
    Ned laughed. “No, this is a dress rehearsal, so they’ll have the duds and the gear. I know a couple of the guys, and they’ll be happy to talk to you and tell you the kind of research they’ve done. Want me to pick you up?”
    “Thanks—I’ll give you breakfast. What time do they start?”
    “Ten, maybe. Whenever they’ve got enough people assembled. How are things going?”
    “Good. Crazy. I hadn’t realized what a big deal this Patriots’ Day thing was. Are there any other ones that I should know about?”
    “No, this is Concord’s big moment each year. I think you’ll enjoy it, as long as you don’t mind the crowds.”
    “I hope so. See you Saturday.”
     
    • • •
     
    Saturday morning Abby was up early to make pancakes and bacon, and was setting the table when Ned knocked at the front door. She hurried to let him in, then backed away quickly when he came through the door. As soon as he’d entered, she shut the door behind him.
    He cocked his head at her. “What’s the rush?”
    “You know very well that if I don’t shut the door within a certain time, the alarm goes off. If I’d stopped to greet your properly, the police would show up in about three minutes.”
    “Ah, I get it. Do we have time now?”
    “We do.” They came together like magnets, and it was a good few minutes before either came up for air.
    “I see the problem,” Ned said, his voice hoarse.
    Abby peeled herself away. “Let’s get some breakfast into us and get going. Otherwise we’ll be here all day.”
    “There are worse fates,” Ned said wryly.
    “Later,” Abby told him. A half hour later, fueled by coffee and carbohydrates, they set off. “Where are we going?” Abby asked as he backed his car out of her driveway.
    “Littleton. Their minutemen marched to Concord for the battle, but they assembled first on the green in Littleton—there’s a marker there now. I can show you the route they took to get to Concord.”
    “We don’t have to walk it, do we?”
    Ned kept his eyes on the road, but Abby could tell he was smiling. “If I were going to be a stickler for authenticity, I’d insist you put on three