The Body in the Kelp Read Online Free Page A

You should try it.”
    Faith shuddered. “Not this lifetime.”
    Samantha turned to Tom. “How about you, Reverend?”
    â€œYou have a deal. Benjamin and I will go with you tomorrow. I don’t want him to turn out like his mother. She doesn’t know what she’s missing.” Tom had been swimming every day since they came.
    Faith looked at Tom, planned to rake him over the coals later
for suggesting in front of Benjamin that she might be an inadequate role model while Papa was simply too good to be true, and answered crisply, “Oh yes she does, thank you, and the only salt water I want to go near is in a pot waiting for a lobster or some mussels or clams.”
    Benjamin had had enough lap sitting and was ready for round two, so they said good-bye and started back through the woods. They had taken the shore route with Ben once, and it took so long to tear him away from the tidal pools and shells he found that they stuck to the wooded path now and tried to keep him from wandering off into the bracken. He insisted on walking these days and howled if either of them came near him with the stroller or backpack. He seemed to have developed a logic all his own—after all, these same people had wanted him to walk, coaxing and encouraging him to take those first steps. Now he could do it and they wanted him to stop. It was a very puzzling universe.
    Tom reached for Faith’s hand while he watched Benjamin careen over the tree roots and pine needles in the path. “I know you’re mad, Faith, and I’d adore Benjamin to grow up just like you. But a little like me. Besides, it wouldn’t kill you to go swimming. You should try my method. You jump in all at once and swim like hell for a few seconds. Your blood gets going and it’s really warm.”
    â€œSounds like great fun, Tom,” Faith said. “You knew I wasn’t a Campfire Girl when you met me and I’m too old to change even if I wanted to, which I don’t.” Faith had always been suspicious of exercise conducted outside a health club, spa, or ski resort.
    She took a few deliberately limber strides. “And I don’t particularly care to have aspersions cast upon me.” Umbrage tended to embellish Faith’s vocabulary.
    â€œI know, darling, don’t worry. And I won’t teach Benjamin to shoot, swear, and spit. He’ll have to learn them on his own.”
    They looked fondly at said Benjamin for an instant before realizing he was no longer in front of them, but had abandoned the path for greater adventure and was in the act of climbing a
huge rock. They lunged together. Faith might not be Gertrude Ederle, but she could run fast.
    â€œWant wock!” Benjamin screamed. Faith sighed. Even with trusty Samantha, Tom’s absence was going to be tough going. How did single parents cope? She made a mental note never to get divorced no matter how many touch football games Tom wheedled her into.
    The phone was ringing as they entered the cottage. Faith picked it up. Pix was on the other end.
    â€œFaith, fantastic news! They’re going to auction off the contents of Matilda Prescott’s house next Thursday. It’s under ‘Special Events’ and there’s so much listed I can’t read it all over the phone, but there were some lovely things in the house and goodness knows what was in the attic! She only died a month ago, and I thought it would take them longer to go through things. I didn’t even know the will had been probated.”
    It was good news. Faith loved auctions, although until she had come to New England they had been of quite a different nature and mood. Now she knew enough to bring her own chair and a thermos of coffee, and to arrive at the crack of dawn to inspect things.
    She hung up and told Tom. He was crestfallen. House auctions were his favorites, and he told Faith to try to get him any old tools she saw, especially if there were box lots.