Watch for the Dead (Relatively Dead Book 4) Read Free Page A

them?”
    Oops. Abby hadn’t thought about that aspect of this little excursion. She and Ned saw the same deceased people because they were related to them genetically, as well as to each other. But how to explain to Ellie why she saw them without telling her the whole story?
    “Maybe because you’re with me? You know we kind of amplify each other, right?”
    “Yeah. Maybe.” Ellie looked skeptical, but didn’t ask any more questions.
    Abby breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Leslie was going to have to have that “who’s your daddy?” conversation sooner rather than later, but not today.
    After lunch Abby and Ellie strolled along the main street of the town, stopping at the large bookstore to browse. They each picked out a couple of books, and it was after three when they finally headed back to the parking lot. When they reached the car, Ellie said, “That was fun, Abby. Thank you.”
    “I had a good time too, Ellie. Get in—time to head home and see what’s what.” She pulled out her phone, which she had left on in case Leslie called with any updates about George, but there were no messages. She put it back in her purse without comment.
    Getting back to Lexington was easy over local roads. Heck, in August getting anywhere was generally easy, since most people seemed to head off on vacation, reducing the traffic. With the possible exception of the highways leading on and off Cape Cod, which she had heard could be backed up for miles.
    Once they reached Lexington, Ellie was out of the car and standing impatiently next to the trunk even before Abby had turned off the engine. Abby popped open the trunk, then got out. “Read the instructions first, will you?” she told Ellie.
    “Yes, of course. I know what I’m doing, and I’m careful.” Ellie was already deep into reading the manual that had come with the camera, so Abby decided to leave her to it and unlocked the front door, leaving it open. The old house was not air-conditioned, and probably never would be, but Abby had already learned that if she opened strategically placed windows throughout the house, there was good airflow, and the house cooled off at night. Ellie quickly settled herself in the window seat in the back parlor, still absorbed by the manual, so Abby made for the kitchen, already thinking about dinner, but stopped to check the landline. There was a message from Leslie, and she played it immediately.
    “Hi, Abby. I’m calling on this line because I didn’t want Ellie to overhear and I figured you might be out. Things with George were a little more complicated than we expected. It’s not all bad news—I won’t go into details over the phone now—but it’s going to take a little longer than we thought. I hope you and Ned can handle Ellie for a few days. Sorry to dump this on you with such short notice. I’ll give you a call later so I can talk to Ellie, and I’ll fill you in then.”
    Oh, dear, Abby thought. Poor George. Poor Leslie. Of course she and Ned could manage with Ellie, so that was one less thing for Leslie to worry about. She wondered what the problem had turned out to be, but she didn’t want to speculate with no information—she’d have to wait until Leslie called later. So, back to planning dinner.
    She was concocting an improvised spaghetti dish that she figured Ellie would eat. At some point Ellie had gone outside: Abby had seen her going past one or another window, snapping pictures as she went. How many pictures did a big card hold? Hundreds, she assumed. She heard a car pull in, and then Ned’s voice and Ellie’s, as Ellie explained her new acquisition and he listened patiently. A couple of minutes later he came in, alone, and kissed Abby.
    “Any news?”
    “Leslie left a message. Not good, I’m afraid, but she’ll call back with details. Looks like we’ll have Ellie a little longer.”
    “That’s fine, isn’t it? Was the camera your idea or hers?”
    “A little of each. It looks like it’s a big hit,