Watch for the Dead (Relatively Dead Book 4) by Sheila Connolly Page A

work, maybe she’ll go for milk?” Or was milk bad for kittens? She hadn’t had a pet in years, and she didn’t remember all the details.
    “I’ll get the hamburger.” Ellie located the foil-wrapped packet in the refrigerator, then put it on the cutting board on the counter, found a knife, and began dicing it into tiny pieces. Abby watched her carefully, but Ellie seemed to know how to handle a knife. “You can put her down now, here, on the counter,” Ellie told Abby authoritatively.
    Abby carefully disentangled the needle-sharp claws from the towel and set Kitten on the counter. Kitten glommed on to the meat on the plate and started devouring it immediately. “She likes it!” Ellie crowed.
    “She certainly does. How do you know she’s a she?” Before the words were out of her mouth, Abby wondered how much of the “birds and bees” conversation Ellie had had with her parents.
    “I just know. Can we keep her?”
    “Sure. For now, anyway. We’ll see what your mother says later.”

Chapter 9
     
    Abby wasn’t surprised when her cell phone rang and she recognized Ned’s number. “Hi,” she said.
    “How’s your weather?”
    “As predicted: windy and wet. We’re fine. We checked all the windows, and they’re good quality, so no leaks, at least so far. Have you heard anything different about the storm from your end?”
    “No, today should be the worst of it.”
    “Uh, there is one thing . . .” Abby began.
    “What?”
    “Do you know how Leslie feels about pets? Because we seem to have found a kitten, or maybe she found us, and of course Ellie wants to keep it. Is anyone in the family allergic or anything?”
    “Not that I recall, but I haven’t ever asked. You don’t think it’s just a cat who’s wandered off from its home in the storm?”
    “It’s tiny, just a kitten. I’d almost say the wind blew it in, and it took shelter under the steps. I’m not about to go around banging on doors right now and asking if anybody is missing a kitten.”
    “Fair enough. We can talk about it tomorrow.”
    Tomorrow might be too late—Abby wasn’t sure she would be able to pry the kitten away from Ellie by then. “Any word from Leslie?” she asked. She looked around: Ellie was absorbed in watching the kitten wash its whiskers, so Abby moved quietly into the dining room.
    “George is home. All Leslie would say was that the doctors found more than they expected, but they’re cautiously optimistic. Petey’s taken care of through the weekend, so Leslie can focus on George right now. You and Ellie getting along?”
    “Just fine.”
    “I’d better hang up. Don’t try to go anywhere today. Please?”
    “Of course not. We’ve got food and games and plenty of books. Not to mention a kitten to entertain us. What more could we want?”
    “Me, I hope. I’ll call you later. Take care, love.”
    “You too.”
    Abby made sure her phone was plugged into its charger, then went back to the kitchen. Ellie was busy drying off her cat, who was accepting the rubdown with remarkable patience. “She ate everything!” Ellie announced.
    “Well, that’s good. And she’s almost dry. Hmm—maybe we need to set up something like cat litter.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “A box for her to, uh, pee and poop. If we can find a box, we can probably fill it with sand and put it somewhere she can find it, until we can get to a store. If we’re lucky she’ll know what to do with it.”
    “Okay, let’s look.” Ellie headed for the pantry, leaving the kitten on the countertop. Abby scooped her up and held her under her chin while she followed Ellie. “Hey, look, here’s a washer and dryer!” Ellie said. “And a box. Is this big enough?”
    “I think so. I’ll go out and get some sand . . .”
    “I’ll do it. You’ve got the kitten.” Ellie found a big spoon and pushed out the back door. She returned five minutes later, drenched to the skin but with a couple inches of sand in the box. “That