Revealing the Dead Read online

  “True,” Abby agreed. “Let’s keep that on the list of possibles.”

  “What about after sight?” Ned said suddenly. “We’re seeing things and people after they happened.”

  “Yes.” Abby typed the term into the search engine and laughed. “The only definition that comes up is for an odd financial instrument. It refers to a bill of exchange that must be paid within a particular number of days after the person it has been given to has received it.”

  “Huh?” Ellie said.

  “Exactly,” Abby replied. “I guess it’s safe to say that nobody’s going to confuse it with ESP. You want to think it over for a day or two?”

  “Ellie, your mom is here to get you,” Ned interrupted.

  “Oh. Yeah, let’s think about after sight,” Ellie said, stuffing her papers back into her pack. “Um, Abby, do I have to tell Mom about what happened at school?”

  “Only if the school contacts her, I guess. Don’t lie. But remember that you didn’t do anything wrong. In fact, you did exactly what you should have done—you stood up for Danny, without making things worse. You done good, kid.”

  “Thanks, Abby. Bye, Ned.” Ellie headed quickly for the front door, while Abby and Ned followed more slowly and stood together in the doorway, waving at Leslie.

  After Leslie had pulled away and they’d shut the door, Ned said, “Why do I think I’m missing a lot of interesting stuff?”

  “Because you are.”

  “What happened at school? Was this when you picked Ellie up?”

  “Yes. I got there early and just watched the kids come out and get on the busses or meet their parents. Ellie was not in the first wave, but she came out with Danny. And then a bunch of girls started making nasty comments. Ellie knew who they were but didn’t know them, if you know what I mean.”

  “I think so. And?”

  “It could have gotten ugly. Ellie was mostly protecting Danny, although he didn’t react to the other girls. Luckily the teachers or monitors or whatever they are finally noticed and came over and broke it up. And then Danny’s mother arrived.”

  “What’s she like?”

  “Overworked. Stressed out. Suspicious. I’m not running her down—she’s got a difficult situation, and she’s new to the town. But when we were leaving, she told Danny to shake hands with me.”

  “Ah,” Ned said. “And what happened?”

  “I got a lot of lights and sounds, mostly in snippets, but not exactly words. I think in a way he was testing me. Ellie says they’re communicating, sort of, but I doubt it involves touch. I can imagine the teachers would make wrong assumptions and blow it all out of proportion.”

  “Unfortunately that’s true these days. Poor kid. But at least you’ve made contact with the mother. It’s a start.”

  “Yes, it is, and I know more than I did, but I’m not sure what to do about it.”

  “How’s Ellie taking it?”

  “Surprisingly well, I think. She’s looking out for Danny, which is nice of her. I only hope it doesn’t get her in trouble.”

  “Give it time. Danny’s only been at the school for a week or two, right?”

  “I think so. Not long, anyway. Oh, and I have to tell you about what the Maguires told me.”

  “What, you’ve talked to them again?”

  “Yes, they both—father and son—came by this morning and we had a good talk, and they’re going to handle the powder room and laundry situation. They’ll give us an estimate in the next couple of days.”

  “What about the psychic side?”

  “Oh, I’ve got lots more to tell you about that. What about dinner?”

  “Pizza or Chinese? I want to hear the rest.”

  “Pizza—they deliver.”

  They managed to restrain themselves to small talk until the pizza arrived, because Abby wanted to tell the whole story all at once rather than in driblets, and she wanted a chance to talk with Ned about what she’d realized from her encounters with the Maguires.

  Ned listened silently until she had finished, then said, “Let me see if I’ve got this right. The first Maguire plumber did some work in this house, and his sister Mary was, for want of a better word, the help. The son of the family tried to molest her, and finally the family seemed to have believed her story and nobody ever reported anything to the authorities.”

  “Unlikely they would have, at that time,” Abby pointed out.

  “True. So Mary quit, after the grandfather beat up the owners’ son with the wrench, which he left behind. Somebody else came along to finish up the plumbing, didn’t notice the wrench, and closed up the wall. You and Jack found it when you were tearing out the walls, and Jack had a strong reaction to it and left fast. But then his son Bill came over to apologize for his father, and he also reacted to the wrench, but not as strongly. Then he left, but father and son came back this morning and told you that, upon reflection, they decided that Jack’s grandfather had had some sort of psychic ability, which everybody had laughed at, but now they’re wondering if maybe there was something to it. Does that cover it?”

  “Pretty much. You see what this means?”

  “I think so,” Ned said. “We have three generations here who share this gift, which confirms our belief that it’s hereditary among certain families.”

  “And we’ve learned that it’s not just old New England families who have this trait, but who knows how many other groups,” Abby added triumphantly. “Anyway, the good news is, the Maguires will be handling our plumbing problems, so I’ll have other chances to talk with them, and maybe learn more about their family. Maybe even the ones who stayed behind in Ireland.”

  “That is a plus, but don’t spread yourself too thin. What about Danny?”

  “That’s a whole different problem. I’ll have to tread really carefully there. The mother, Samantha, has enough problems already, and she doesn’t need to add worrying about whether her son might be psychic as well as autistic. I’d like to see more of him, but our time together would be limited. I may try to set up a playdate with Ellie. Samantha can’t object to that, can she? I doubt Danny has made a lot of friends at school yet, but he and Ellie seem to have hit it off.”

  “Ellie seems surprisingly receptive to him. Is that because she’s young, and she’s also aware of this ability?” Ned asked.

  “Maybe. This is still new to all of us.” Abby looked at the clock on the wall. “Is it really that late? I’m wiped out. Can we call it a night?”

  “Of course. You can follow up tomorrow.”

  “That I can.”

  Chapter 12

  Friday

  By Friday morning Abby felt both encouraged and depressed. Hooray, she had found more subjects—though not through any effort of her own—who offered an interesting alternative to what she and Ned had learned already. Yay, she had made actual contact with Danny and even had the chance to touch him briefly, which had confirmed her guess about his ability. But what she really wanted was a chance to interact with him for more than three seconds at a time, and that would mean enlisting his mother. From Abby’s very rapid assessment, Samantha was already overwhelmed and wouldn’t welcome another complication in her life, like a child who was both uncommunicative and psychic, if she was even willing to believe such a thing.

  At least the Maguires seemed willing to talk with her—and she’d get some of her basic plumbing needs taken care of. Two steps forward, but she felt like she was looking up at a mountain.

  Now what? When the Maguires came back she should get a few more details about their family history, to see where they had come from and if there was anything unusual about that area. She thought they’d be willing to share things like that with her, at least over time. Samantha was going to be a harder nut to crack, with her combination of limited time and likely skepticism. Well, maybe Abby was judging her too fast: she’d had little time to form an impression. Where did Samantha work? Where had she lived before? Why had she chosen this particular suburban area to live? Was i
t for the school district? What did the schools tell their students about differently abled people like Danny? Had Samantha had time to sit down and talk with anyone at the school? Children were often quick to judge—and to attack, like young pack animals. Was Danny a threat to anyone? It wasn’t like he was the star of some bad science fiction movie where he’d suddenly decide he’d had enough and morph into something scary and eat all the children who’d been taunting him. Ridiculous! But did he have the potential to turn violent if pushed too far?

  Abby realized she and Ned had never really discussed where he might do whatever scientific research he chose. Probably not at his workplace—there’d be too many questions, especially if he occupied significant space. Here at the house? There was still the more or less empty third floor, and the basement. But the basement seemed pretty damp most of the year, the attic was unheated, and neither would be optimal for any kind of computer equipment. Of course, both problems could be remedied. Maybe the Maguires would have some insights into how to heat and dry long-unused parts of the house. And she should talk to Ned about what he would want and need in the way of lighting and power. And Internet, of course. No doubt he would want more outlets.

  And if she wanted to set up an after-school program? The state was pretty specific about physical space requirements for those, based on the number of students and staff. Maybe the basement would work better for her needs? It was larger, and there would be access from the outside. But the furnace sat solidly in the middle of the space, which was a complication. How easy was it to move a furnace? She had no idea. The only bright spot in all this was that Ned had enough money to do whatever remodeling they wanted, which was more than most people could say.

  She made a mental note to check if their neighborhood was zoned for business uses like the ones they were thinking of, and what the limitations were.

  • • •

  Bill Maguire stopped by late Friday afternoon to deliver the promised estimate. “I think you’ll find our prices are fair,” he said, looking a bit sheepish.

  Abby wasn’t planning to argue with him no matter what his estimate said, but since she’d taken charge of this project, she felt she should look involved. “So this includes tearing out the old walls and pipes, fitting new pipes, and basic finish of the new walls and floors, right? What about fixtures and appliances?”

  “We talked about the fixtures before, right? You said you wanted something with an old feeling in the powder room. You okay with new basic modern appliances? Or you want to see if you can squeeze a couple more years out of the old ones?”

  “Might as well go with all new,” Abby said, “so we don’t have to take anything apart later. You’ll tell me how much they’ll be?”

  “Sure, no problem.” He looked relieved that Abby hadn’t challenged his estimates.

  “What about finishes?” Abby pressed. “You know, paint and whatever we decide on for the floor?”

  “Up to you. If you’re handy with a paintbrush, go ahead and paint, but if you want us to do it, it won’t add much. Oh, and you’ll need a couple of new light fixtures. We’ll have to get an electrician in for new wiring—the state’s kind of sticky about things like that, but it’s for your benefit. We’ve got a guy we work with a lot, he won’t overcharge you.”

  “Sounds good to me. Listen, do you and your father have time to swing by tomorrow and meet my, uh, Ned? I’m in charge of getting this done, but I think he’d like to know who’s working on his house. He’s the one who bought the place.”

  “We can do that. Why don’t I give you a call when we’ve got some open time during the day?”

  “That would be fine. We’ll probably be pottering around the house most of the day tomorrow anyway.”

  “Great! See you then.”

  Abby watched Bill march down the front path to his van, feeling pleased with herself. She was one step closer to accomplishing something. She reminded herself that they hadn’t decided what to do with what had been the powder room at the end of the hall, an awkward space at best.

  When Ned came home that evening she reported the plan for the next day. “Sounds good to me,” Ned agreed amiably while sorting the day’s mail, but with no particular enthusiasm, and promised to take part in the discussion and offer his opinions. But it was becoming increasingly clear that he wasn’t a do-it-yourselfer, at least not when it came to domestic architecture. She could live with that.

  • • •

  The next morning Abby and Ned were finishing breakfast when the phone rang. Abby assumed it would be one or the other Maguire—or were there more? she should ask—setting a time to stop by, so she was surprised to hear Leslie’s voice.

  “Sorry to bother you so early,” Leslie said, “but we’ve got a plumbing crisis on our hands, with water everywhere, and I wondered if you could look after Ellie for a while? Petey’s a lot to handle even for the two of us.”

  “Sure, no problem. And if you need a plumber, we’ve got one stopping by sometime today.”

  “You have a plumber?” Leslie sounded incredulous. “Wait—how’d you find a plumber so fast?”

  “Sarah recommended one who’d worked for her, and we met him here earlier this week. Not an emergency, though. We only want to move the powder room to where the washer and dryer are now, and reconfigure the space.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Leslie replied, distracted. “Well, when you see them, tell them to give me a call. No, beg them. I’ll tell George to drop Ellie off at your place on the way to the market.”

  When Leslie hung up, Abby turned to see Ned raise an eyebrow. “That was Leslie,” Abby told him. “They’ve got plumbing issues and wondered if we could entertain Ellie for a while.”

  “There seems to be an epidemic of plumbing problems going around, and it’s not even winter yet. Of course we can keep Ellie for the day.”

  “Will she be bored silly talking about plumbing?”

  “I doubt it. She likes to know how things work.”

  Abby smiled. “She takes after her father that way.”

  Ned smiled back. “I guess she does. So you’re going to offer up the Maguires to Leslie and George?”

  “If they’re available. It’s called networking, right?”

  The next phone call proved to be the Maguires, and they promised to be there right after lunch. Then Ellie knocked at the door and Abby went to open it for her. Ellie came bounding in. “It was so cool—there was water all over the kitchen and it just kept gushing. Daddy went down to the basement and I heard him using some swear words he won’t let me say before he found the thingy that turns off the water. Mom was really ticked off. She said maybe you have a plumber she could borrow?”

  “Hi, Ellie, nice to see you too. Yes, your mother asked that when she called to ask if you could stay here for a bit. There’s a plumber coming today to talk about some repairs we’re thinking about, and I’ll ask him if he’s free to help your folks out.”

  “Can I watch him work?” Ellie demanded.

  “Sure, I guess, although we’re just talking today. He’s going to move the powder room to a new place, next to the washer and dryer.”

  “Whatcha going to do with where the old powder room was?”

  “We haven’t decided. You have any ideas? Let’s go and look at it.”

  “Why’s it called a powder room?” Ellie asked as Abby led her down the hall.

  “I don’t think I know.”

  “I mean, you do more in one than just put powder on, don’t you?” Ellie pressed on.

  “Well, yes, of course,” Abby said. “But I guess in the old days, in polite society you weren’t supposed to talk about bodily functions.”

  “But doesn’t everybody have to, uh, go?”

  Abby nodded, smiling.

  Ellie went back to fantasizing about the tiny room. “Or maybe that’s where they stored the gunpowder during a war,” Ellie added.

  Abby checked her expression to see if she was kidding. “Hardly. There hasn’t been a local
war since this place was built. Anyway, here it is. We ripped out the fixtures earlier this week.”

  “Wow, you’d have to be pretty small to use this, wouldn’t you?”

  Abby nodded her agreement. “Ned said he had trouble fitting inside, so I think you’re right.”

  “Huh,” Ellie said, ending the conversation. Then she went on, “Let’s go see where it’s going to go now.”

  Abby and Ellie kicked around ideas in the only slightly larger space where the washer and dryer currently lived. Ned leaned against the kitchen wall, watching the two of them with a half smile. He tore himself away to make sandwiches for their lunch, in advance of the arrival of the Maguires.

  Father and son appeared together at one fifteen. Ned emerged from wherever he had been lurking and introduced himself, and the men made masculine small talk for a couple of minutes. Abby watched them with amusement, and Ellie remained oddly quiet. Had she never seen a plumber before? Had she expected something different?

  Jack kneeled down in front of Ellie. “So, who’s this little lady?”

  “I’m Ellie. I don’t live here, but the plumbing at my house blew up.”

  Abby interrupted hastily. “I’ll tell you about that when we’re done here.”

  “Well, I’m pleased to meet you, Ellie.” He extended his hand to shake Ellie’s before Abby could stop him.

  Ellie was a polite child and she took his hand and shook it Abby held her breath: would Ellie react? Only slightly, Abby was relieved to see. Ellie turned to her and raised her eyebrows, and Abby nodded slightly. Jack didn’t seem to notice anything odd going on. Ellie spoke first. “Can I watch you do plumbing stuff?” she asked.

  “Well, we’re only thinking about ideas, but I’d be happy to have yours.”

  “Cool,” Ellie said.

  “Why don’t we get started?” Abby suggested. After a bit of shuffling they lined up in the hallway and formed an odd procession to the former powder room, now bare, then turned left, through the kitchen, and clustered in front of the laundry area.