Free Raising the Dead by Mara Purnhagen

just for observation,” she said. I could hear the noise of the hospital in the background, people talking and machines beeping.
    “Is he conscious?” I asked. “Has he said what happened?”
    “Yes and no. He’s awake, but he can’t remember what happened. He has a concussion and they’re still running tests. Right now, the doctors think he suffered a mild stroke and fell.”
    “So the doctors are talking to you?”
    Mom chuckled and lowered her voice. “They think they’re talking to his niece.” She cleared her throat. “I’m trying to locate his family members, but I don’t think he has any. None that he can remember at the moment. Tell Dad I’ll be home in a couple hours.”
    “Sure. Give William my best, okay?”
    I updated Dad, then called Noah to fill him in. He sounded relieved.
    “Are you going over to William’s house tomorrow?”
    “Yes. Mom thinks he’ll need help, you know, with dinner and stuff.”
    “Right. Well, count me in.” He paused. “Tomorrow’s Halloween.”
    I had forgotten. And with our street still covered with several inches of water, I felt relieved—no curious fans would be stopping by. We usually went out on Halloween night and kept the house dark.
    “Halloween brings out the crazies, doesn’t it?” Noah continued.
    “Sure.” I wasn’t sure where he was heading with this.
    “What if this guy comes back tomorrow night? To William’s, I mean.”
    “I’m sure the police will check it out.”
    “Not all night. They have other problems to deal with.”
    He was right. And if this guy was hiding out in the woods—which the police had checked but hadn’t been able to cover completely—and knew William had returned home, then what? Would he break in? “I’ll talk to my dad,” I said. “He’ll probably stay the night.”
    “Good. That makes me feel better.”
    I was touched by Noah’s concern for a man he barely knew. “Can I ask why this matters so much to you?”
    “I don’t know.” Noah cleared his throat. “He reminds me of my grandpa, I guess. And he’s alone, and I can’t stand the idea that someone preyed on a nice old guy like that.”
    “Yeah.” I hated seeing William on the stretcher. He had looked so frail.
    After I hung up with Noah, I called Avery. She knew about the attack and was happy to get the update. She was also happy about something else.
    “Jared and I won our movie trivia game and it’s thanks to you.”
    “Me?”
    “Guess what movie was our final question? The Ghost and Mrs. Muir . And I nailed it.”
    I laughed. “Congratulations. What’d you win?”
    “Bragging rights. And a certificate that I printed out. And, you know, time with Jared.”
    “So things are getting intense with you two?”
    I could practically feel her blush through the phone line. “Not exactly. I’m not looking for a romantic relationship, but Jared and I have a bond. I want us to be close.”
    “How close?”
    “That’s what I’m not sure about yet. I need more time.”
    We talked about our Halloween plans. Or lack of them. Avery wasn’t planning on doing anything. The storm had pretty much ruined any potential parties.
    When I hung up, Dad was still at his computer, staring intently at a digital photo of a sword.
    “Research?” I asked.
    “Not quite.”
    I sat down and looked more closely at the image. It had a long, silver blade and a brass handle. “Looks like something from the Civil War.”
    “I agree. I think this is a cavalry sword from 1864.”
    “Cool. Why are you looking at it, though?”
    “Because this is what they pulled out of the first coffin.”

Chapter Ten
    I spent Halloween morning planning a funeral with Avery.
    “What do you think about white lilies?” she asked me.
    “Reminds me of Easter,” I decided. “Let’s get something seasonal.”
    She frowned at the florist’s website. “Our options are limited. Unless you want to go with carnations.”
    I sighed. “No. You’re right. Lilies would be