Finding Eliza Read Online Free Page A

once you get in there. Before you know it, you’ll be chasing dead people like the rest of us! Trust me. It’s addictive.” Abi couldn’t contain her excitement as she waved to the woman who stood just beyond the hood of the Suburban. “Blue - look who’s here!”
    Agnes “Blue” Meriwether walked around the front of the vehicle and joined the friends. Agnes was another life-long friend to both Gertrude and Abigail. As a child, Agnes loved the color blue so much that everything she wore included it even if it meant adding a thread or an accent of the color. From that point on her nickname became “Blue” to the girls of the town. Like most nicknames, this one was never outgrown. At seventy-eight years young, she continued to be their Blue.
    “Please, Abi. We knew it was just a matter of time before our plan got her here,” Blue sang in her slow southern drawl. “This’ll do you good, baby girl. Just you watch.”
    “Oh, Blue!” scolded Abigail. “You hush. We promised Tru that we wouldn’t say a word.”
    “Stop acting like I’m letting the cat out of the bag. Lizzie isn’t a bump on a log. She knows perfectly well what we’re up to with this plot. This child is struggling, and we’re throwing her a rope. Now let’s get in there before I leave you lunatics and take her out for a drink.”
    Blue was a good, church-going lady with a fun wild streak and a fondness for a nip of whiskey every now and again. Spunkier than the others, she took immense pleasure in teasing her teetotaler friends. Lizzie adored her way of dealing with life. Ms. Blue didn’t give you any sugar-coated half-truths. She assumed that as adults, these women could handle the realities of what faced them. If they couldn’t, she intended to teach them how to do it.
    Linking arms, the ladies continued their walk toward the church building. Lizzie loved these grounds. Visitors entering the church walked along a stone path leading from the parking lot to the back of the building. As the path continued up the sloping hill, a section of the walkway veered to the left away from the building. The second path climbed to an outdoor venue complete with gazebo, picnic tables, and playground. Outdoor luncheons took place here for events from birthday parties to baby dedications. Lizzie remembered playing on these stones with church friends after Sunday services. The stones sat at such a distance that it made them the perfect tool for a summer game of hopscotch. Many times the kids would steal a stick of chalk from the Sunday School room to create their board. The adults would often pretend to scold them for their illegal act. As an adult, Lizzie knew that in reality they were just thrilled that the kids wanted to stay after service to play on church grounds.
    Lizzie howled, indulging herself in the first real laugh of the day. “I knew it! It was a plot!”
    She gave them each a glance intended to appear displeased, knowing that they would see right through it. Despite her angst over participating in the evening, she was beginning to enjoy herself. It was sweet to find out that the ladies had worked together to get her here. Their feisty behavior reminded her that despite their age they weren’t ready for the porch of the local senior home. The shared giggles of the three started coming together like the threads on a quilt as they made their way up the hill together.
    “Of course we had a plot, sugar. Don’t you think we can see when our girl is having troubles? We’ve been together longer than you’ve been alive, sugar. We know when one of our own needs help. And you, Lizzie, need some help,” Blue said as she turned to give Lizzie a comedic look, complete with rolling eyes.
    Blue was spot on, but Lizzie wasn’t going to tell them that.
    “I don’t know why you think I’m so delicate. I’m fine. There’s nothing wrong with me. I promise.”
    The pair walking with her came to a stop. Taking Lizzie’s face into her aging hands, Abi