Revealing the Dead

by Sheila Connolly

  “No Psychic Circle group, instead of bridge?”

  Abby checked to be sure that Ned was smiling. “I hope not! So, can we get back to my original question? Are we taking anything for the dinner?”

  “A bottle of wine? I’ve got some good stuff laid away.”

  “Great.”

  They arrived at the Newhall house just past eleven. Abby liked the house, but she didn’t feel any personal attachment to it. It was a classic colonial, right on the Battle Road between Lexington and Concord, and completely authentic, not a twentieth-century replica. But while she had no connection to Ned’s Lexington house, she liked its style better, even though it was fussy and overdone by modern standards. But she wasn’t exactly modern, was she? Or not completely. Abby, don’t overthink it. You like Victorian, period.

  Sarah Newhall greeted them warmly at the door, and Abby could hear the babble of voices in another room. “Abby, I’m so glad you could come!”

  Through the kitchen door at the far end of the hall Abby spied Ned’s father, Edward, chopping vegetables. He looked up and smiled silently, and Abby tried to remember if she’d ever heard him speak. “Of course I could come, Sarah. Maybe next year we could do it at our place.”

  “What? And upset a tradition that goes back generations? Nonsense. Come on in—it’s getting cold out. So, how did the Maguires work out?”

  “They’re great. We decided to take the powder room out of that mingy little hole under the stairs and relocate it next to the washer and dryer.”

  “Great idea! Are you going to close up the small space?”

  Abby smiled. “Not at all. Ellie and I are transforming it into a games closet.”

  “Ellie’s helping?”

  “More than that—she’s doing half the work. She’s got a knack for construction. Plus, we’re having fun—we hope to have it finished by tomorrow, except for paint or varnish. And the Maguires are coming over tomorrow to take care of the plumbing for the new powder room. Oh, I should tell you, when they were first at our place, Leslie called with a plumbing crisis, so I sent them over to her house. I love this networking! We all share a plumber!”

  “I’m so glad it worked out. Look, I have to go baste or boil something, so why don’t you come with me to the kitchen and watch me make a mess?”

  Abby accompanied Sarah toward the room at the back. Edward had disappeared, so they had the kitchen to themselves. “So, who else is here?”

  “The usual ragtag group of friends and neighbors. I always figure, the more the merrier for Thanksgiving. If I could find a Native American, I’d invite him too—it would round out the group nicely.”

  “Wampanoags back then, weren’t they?”

  “You’re learning! Yes, they were, and there are still a few local tribes around here. I just don’t happen to know any. Have you done the Plymouth thing?”

  “Ned and I took a run through the town when we were trying to find our common ancestor, but I can’t say I know it. I’d love to take Ellie there, when it reopens in the spring.”

  “Like ‘dowsing for ancestors’ in the old cemetery?”

  “You mean the one on the hill in town? No, I’d like her to see Plimoth Plantation, which I’m told is one of the most authentic recreated historic sites in the country. And the other stuff in the town too, like Plymouth Rock. If she runs into an ancestor, that’s great, but that’s not the point.”

  “I’d love to get to know Ellie,” Sarah said wistfully.

  “I hope you will, but it may take a while. Leslie’s still having a hard time wrapping her head around having a child who sees dead people. And we still don’t know if her son shares that, which could double Leslie’s problems.”

  Sarah sighed. “Problems none of us ever anticipated. So, I need to baste the turkey. Could you put the cranberry sauce in that bowl there?”

  • • •

  Dinner was a warm, casual affair. Like many old houses, there was a fireplace in the dining room, and Sarah had lit a fire, which made the room cozy, filled with flickering light that glinted off the wineglasses. If there were any ghosts in the room, they stayed invisible, but Abby thought they must be happy.

  After a few hours, guests began drifting home singly or as couples. Abby stood up and said, “Sarah, at least let me help with the dishes. It’ll go faster with two of us.”

  Sarah regarded her for a moment. “All right.” Then she raised her voice. “Friends, stay as long as you like, and don’t slip away without at least saying goodbye to me.” Then she turned back to Abby. “Come on, the dishes are calling!”

  Nobody else volunteered, not even Ned, but Abby was relieved because she’d like to have a chance to talk more with Sarah. Which Sarah seemed to have sensed. “What’s up?” she said, as she loaded the considerable leftovers into storage containers.

  “I’ve been talking to the head of a local school for autistic children, about a job. Maybe,” Abby told her.

  “What’s a maybe job?” Sarah turned on the hot water and let it run.

  Abby proceeded to tell her the discussions she and Ned had had, and her conversation with Christine, which had led to her meeting with Carolyn, and then the aftermath. Sarah listened without interrupting while she washed china and handed pieces to Abby to dry. When Abby had finished her summary, Sarah said, “And all this happened in two days?”

  “Well, a day and a half, actually.”

  “And in that time you made a connection with two different autistic children?”

  “I think so.”

  “How did Carolyn take the news?”

  “Surprisingly well. I was worried that she’d kick me out on the spot. Sarah, it’s an ongoing problem, and I really haven’t figured out how to handle it yet.”

  “You mean, revealing your superpowers to mere mortals? Sorry, I don’t mean to be facetious. I can imagine it’s tricky, trying to figure out what you can and can’t say.”

  “You’ve got that right. If I don’t say anything about it, I have no outstanding qualifications, but if I do, I’m out the door. It’s like I’m walking on a tightrope, and if I slip and say the wrong thing, I’ll fall flat on my face. Still, I may not have spent much time there yet, but I think there’s hope that I can help the children. It’s so tricky!”

  Sarah was silent for a long moment. “Abby, I may not be the right person to give you any advice, much less answers. You actually have more experience with this than I do. And you know the pitfalls. But you believe in what you’re doing, right? That you can help?”

  “Yes, or I wouldn’t be doing it,” Abby told her. “Heck, I could go sell shoes at a mall. I could probably ‘feel’ when the buyer thought the shoe was comfortable and make a sale.”

  “But reaching children’s minds trumps selling shoes, doesn’t it?”

  “It does. But it comes with risks. At least if I was selling shoes, I could be pretty sure no one would burn me at the stake. Maybe lock me up, though. Or at the very least, fire me. My résumé is already a mess.”

  “I do understand, Abby. And I won’t ask anything stupid, like ‘have you talked to Ned about this?’”

  “Of course I have. You know, he’s got it easy. He can do whatever scientific experiments he chooses, as long as the participants agree and sign some kind of contract or waiver swearing they won’t talk about it to anyone, especially the press. But realistically, most people in the world don’t understand how scientific research works, especially when you’re doing things like mapping brain waves, and if he never publishes the results, no one will ever notice. In that sense he’s kind of safe. But for me, even if I get positive results with some percentage of the kids, I can’t actually tell people about it. It’s almost selfish of me, to keep that kind of information to myself, but right now, in this world, it’s not safe or useful to spread it around. Do you see my problem?”

  “I do,” Sarah said. “But let me add something. I’ve known you, what, a year now? And when we met you’d just been slammed by this psychic thing, not
to mention falling for my lovely son. But I’ve seen you grow so much, so fast, since then, and I really admire how you’ve handled all the curveballs. So I have no doubt that you can work this out. You’re careful, and you think about what you’re doing. And you are a good person—I think other people sense that, no matter what kind of odd things you do. Trust yourself.”

  Abby found that she was near tears, and she hugged Sarah, wet hands and all. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Not that Ned isn’t supportive, but you’ve got a different perspective.” Abby wiped her eyes. “And who knows? The head of the school will probably make a decision by Monday, and I may be out on my ear, but we’ll figure something out.”

  “I know you will. Hey, look at that! All the dirty dishes disappeared! And here comes Ned, just in time to miss the whole thing.”

  He smiled mischievously at her. “Mom, that’s an art I perfected a long time ago. Anyway, the guests are gone—nobody wanted to interrupt the two of you because you both looked so intense—and I guess we should go too. Leslie’s dropping Ellie off at our place on her way to work tomorrow, so we’ll be up early. Dinner was great, as always.”

  “Thank you, sweetheart. Take whatever leftovers you want, if there’s anything left. And Abby? Keep me up to date, will you? And send pictures of your new powder room.”

  “I’ll do that.”

  Outside it was beginning to get dark, and it was definitely colder. “I feel so lucky, because I really like your mother,” Abby told Ned.

  “I do too. But you can borrow her when you need her.”

  “Good!”

  Chapter 26

  Friday

  Stupefied by the large meal, Abby and Ned spent a quiet evening at home doing not much of anything, and turned in early. Seven o’clock the next morning, Abby found herself in the still-dark kitchen, trying to clear stuff in the room so the Maguires could maneuver appliances and tools around. Maybe they wouldn’t get as far as the appliances, but she did trust them—one or the other or both—to get her small job done in a timely fashion. She’d heard horror stories of contractors or repair people who’d been hired—and often paid in advance—and come and torn everything apart, and then disappeared for months—or forever. She felt confident that Jack and Bill wouldn’t fall into that category.

  She was startled by the ringing of the landline. Jack and Bill calling to cancel? She hoped not, because she was looking forward to watching the new installation. Maybe it was Leslie calling to say she managed to get the day off after all, and Abby wouldn’t need to look after Ellie? Please, no—she didn’t see enough of the girl. So answer it, Abby! she told herself firmly. When she picked up, she didn’t recognize the tentative voice on the other end.

  “Is this Abby Kimball?” a woman said. She sounded like she was not much older than Abby.

  “Yes, it is. What can I do for you?”

  “You don’t know me, but I think you’ve seen me at Ellie’s school? I’m Samantha Allen, Danny’s mother? Ellie is a friend of his.”

  “Sure. I’ve met Danny, and I know Ellie likes him. Is there a problem?”

  “Not with him, no, but I had arranged for someone to come over and look after him while I was at work today, and that person got the flu and can’t do it. I don’t even know if you’re free, but Danny asked what Ellie was doing today, and I wondered if you could possibly look after him today? I know this is a big imposition, but he’s comfortable with Ellie, and he’s met you before, which is a plus. I know it’s a lot to ask, and I don’t even know if you have a job or anything, so you can say no.”

  “Don’t worry, Samantha. I was planning to look after Ellie all day today, and he and Ellie can entertain themselves.”

  “Thank you!” The relief in Samantha’s voice was clear. “I can pick him up about five, I think.” Samantha paused. “You know he’s autistic, right?”

  “Yes, I could tell. That’s not a problem.”

  “Oh, good!” Samantha said with relief. “Some people are scared to take that on, but he really is a good boy. I really hate to ask, but I can’t afford to lose a day’s pay.”

  “Hey, I understand. Danny and Ellie can keep each other company. I should warn you, though—I’ve got plumbers coming to install a new bathroom, so things may get noisy. Would that bother him?”

  “No, not at all! He loves to see how things work.”

  Abby had a brief image of Danny and Ellie sitting side by side on chairs outside the laundry/bathroom area and watching the Maguires work. Better than television!

  “Then we’re good. Anything he can’t stand? Won’t eat?”

  “No. He’s pretty high functioning, which is why I was able to mainstream him when we moved here. He’s handling it pretty well, all things considered.”

  “Then bring him on over. Ellie should be here around eight. I don’t know what Ellie’s told her mother about your son, but Leslie works at the Concord Museum so she’s used to children of all kinds. She shouldn’t mind. But leave your phone number with me, in case I need it.”

  “Thank you so much! We’ll be over in ten. I’ve got your address.”

  “See you then.”

  Ned came bounding down the stairs, wearing a nice jacket and apparently running late. “Hey, whoa!” Abby called out before he could go out the door.

  “What?” he said, sounding impatient.

  “Small change in plans. The phone call was from Danny’s mother, Samantha. Her child-care coverage for today fell through, and she asked if he could come here instead. I said fine.”

  “Danny, Danny . . . Oh, the autistic kid who’s a friend of Ellie’s. Sure, no problem. The plumbers still on?”

  “As far as I know. So it’ll be a full house.”

  “Great. I don’t know how long my meeting will run, but I’ll get home as soon as I can.”

  “I’ll hold the fort. Hey, you leaving without a kiss? Is the romance gone already?”

  Rather than answering, Ned grabbed her and kissed her, and Abby lost all sense of time. They pulled apart only because there was a loud tapping at the front door. “Leslie, I assume,” Abby said breathlessly. “You’d better go.”

  “On my way.” Ned grabbed his coat from the hall rack and pulled open the door. “Hey, George. Hi, Ellie—sorry, I’ve got to get to the office, but maybe I’ll see you later. What time do you want her back, George?”

  “Leslie will be picking her up, so late afternoon, I guess. Thanks for filling in.”

  “Our pleasure,” Ned told him. “Let me walk you back to your car. I’m leaving now too.”

  Ellie waved at the departing men, then pulled the door shut. “Hi, Abby. We still working on the mini-closet today?”

  “Yes, and the plumbers are coming. We can watch them too—I don’t think they’ll mind. And your friend from school—Danny—he’s coming over. His regular—heck, what do you kids call them today? You’re too old for a babysitter. Kid-sitter? Child-minder?”

  “That’s probably Amanda. Sometimes she picks Danny up.”

  “Okay. Anyway, she got sick and can’t make it today, so Samantha asked me if I’d keep an eye on you two. You okay with that?”

  “Sure. I’ve got some games that Danny likes, if he doesn’t want to watch plumbers. But he might. He likes to put things together.”

  “Great. Did you get breakfast?”

  “Sort of. Toast and juice.”

  “Well, let’s see if I’ve got anything more interesting.”

  Abby and Ellie were foraging in the kitchen when the doorbell rang. “That should be Danny,” Abby said. “I’d ask you to go let him in, but he doesn’t know me well and he’s never been here. Maybe we should both go.”

  “Danny’s cool—he won’t freak out. But let’s go together.”

  They marched to the front door, and Abby opened it. “Hi, Danny—remember me?”

  Danny nodded without speaking. Then he noticed Ellie and smiled. Ellie smiled back, but didn’t say anything, and for a fleeting moment Abby wondered if
they were communicating telepathically. No, Abby, don’t read too much into it. Still, it was odd when Ellie volunteered, “We’re going to go up to my room and play some games.” She turned and led Danny up the stairs.

  Abby turned back to Samantha. “Do you have time for coffee or something?”

  Samantha shook her head. “Nope, I can’t afford to be late. But I did want to say how grateful I am that Danny’s found a friend at school.”

  “How’s he adjusting?”

  “Pretty well, I guess. When I want to rant at the universe because he’s got this problem, I remind myself how much worse it could be. Is Ellie your kid? Or a stepdaughter? I know somebody else usually picks her up.”

  “Neither, actually. I used to work with her mother, Leslie, in Concord, and I volunteered to pick Ellie up at school one day a week, when she didn’t have any after-school activities. She’s a great kid.” Kind of a lame explanation, Abby knew, but she couldn’t tell Samantha the full story. At least not at their first official meeting. Maybe later; maybe if it turned out that Danny inherited more than just genes from his mother. Or father. Was there a father in the picture? “Look, maybe we can chat when you come to pick Danny up, unless you’ve got to hurry home.”

  “I’d like that. If things work out. Here’s my cell number.” Samantha handed Abby a slip of paper. “Well, thanks again!” And Samantha turned and left quickly.

  Abby checked the time: not even eight yet. Ellie had shut the door to “her” room, and she could hear the two children laughing, although they weren’t speaking in words, exactly. The Maguires, father and son, should be arriving any minute. She drifted toward the kitchen to make a new pot of coffee while she waited.

  The Maguire van pulled up three minutes before eight, and Jack came to the front door and knocked. When Abby opened the door, he smiled apologetically and said, “I hope it’s not too early for you, but we loaded up the supplies in the van last night and were ready to go this morning.”

  Abby laughed. “No, no, it’s fine. I’ve been up for an hour. You want some coffee? Is there anything we need to discuss?”