Dead and Breakfast by Kimberly G. Giarratano Read Free Book Online

couldn’t force her body to move. I must be inside a memory. What year is this?
    Autumn caught a glimpse of Inez in the reflection of the French doors. Unlike Mariana, Inez had heavy bangs that sat on her forehead and thick dark eyebrows. She was a beauty like Mariana, but Inez’s countenance appeared sharper than Mariana’s. If Mariana was all soft, curvy lines, Inez was hard angles and edges.
    Autumn directed her attention toward the young sailor, whose face she still couldn’t see. She wanted to tap him on the shoulder, force him to look at her, and demand he pay attention to her. That definitely wasn’t something Autumn would do.
    Mariana waved Inez over. “Come on. Don’t be such a square.” The tall sailor laughed, and heat spread through Autumn’s body. She bunched up her fists. The other sailor finally turned around. His sloped nose. Those Caribbean blue eyes. That dark, wavy hair. He winked at Autumn—no, Inez—and said, “It’ll be fun.”
    If Autumn had any control over this body, she would have gasped. He looked just like—
    “Hey all!” a voice rang out.
    Autumn turned to see her Uncle Duncan, now young with his tousled brown hair and sparkling hazel eyes, approach the group. A lanky, skinny fella, who reminded Autumn of one of those complete skeletons from biology class, was in tow. He hid shyly behind Autumn’s uncle.
    Duncan approached Inez and grinned before he clapped the bony sailor on the back. “Ralphie and I are ready to go. The boat’s waiting. You coming, Inez?”
    So, that’s Ralphie. How do I know him?
    Just then, the tall, blond sailor joined Autumn. “Of course she’s coming. We’re all going.”
    “What’s your name, sailor?” Autumn felt herself smile, but the feelings inside were all jumbled up. She wasn’t happy.
    The blond sailor held out his hand. “I’m Mick. Mick Canton.”
    Suddenly, Autumn’s vision blurred, and the pressure in her chest waxed and waned. She struggled to breathe. Her eyes twitched, and she shut them tight. When she opened them again, she was back in her familiar, drab surroundings.
    She collapsed into the patio chair and let out a deep breath. Her whole body shook. “Whoa.”
    That had never happened to her before, but then again, she’d never put on a dead girl’s ring before. Autumn wished she hadn’t been pulled so quickly from the vision. She enjoyed seeing Uncle Duncan. He had died when Autumn was a small child, but she remembered him as a joyous, carefree man with a mischievous streak.
    Perhaps Inez wanted help puzzling out her memories. And so far, Autumn thought she had unearthed at least one clue. She knew why Inez had targeted Liam.
    #
    Liam’s grandfather lived in New Town, a section of Key West north of George Street. While Old Town was lined with charming and historic Victorians and roosters parading up and down the sidewalks, New Town’s small, one-story Floridian ranches lacked the ornate decorations and soft pastels of Old Town. Pops’s white one-story had faded blue trim and a single carport.
    Pops could sell his home tomorrow and make a fortune—if he wanted to. But as Pops said, “Where am I going to retire? I already live in Florida.”
    Liam pulled his scooter up the driveway and killed the engine. He took off his helmet and wiped the sweet from his brow with his forearm. He grabbed Cora’s cookies and his wet shirt from the small cargo hold. The brown paper bag was soggy, and he imagined the cookies were too.
    Liam opened the screen door and called out, “Pops, you here?”
    “Yeah, sport.” His grandpa coughed. “In the kitchen.”
    Liam found Leo Breyer at a small, round table reading the newspaper. Bifocals perched on the tip of his nose. A salami sandwich lay half-eaten on a chipped ceramic plate. And rather than use a napkin, Pops wiped his hands on his wrinkled khaki shorts. “You’re home late. How was your first day at the Cayo?”
    Liam opened up the fridge and found a can of soda. He popped it