Charmed to death: an Ophelia and Abby mystery Read Online Free PDF

confinement buildings and sewage lagoon. Health issues stemming from the close proximity to the lagoon, the stench, and dropping property values were all concerns. Everyone had a reason to look serious—and worried.
    After exiting my car, I walked quickly to the building. As I did, I felt people watching me. No doubt, they were surprised to see me at the meeting, I thought. Until a few months ago, I'd kept to myself after moving to Summerset. It had only been recently that I'd begun to let people, other than Abby, into my life. Ned, Darci, and a few others made up the small circle of friends that I trusted. The stares I felt on my back made my skin tingle. I walked faster.
    Once inside the church's meeting hall, I stopped. Currents of emotion flowed in the confined space. Fear, anxiety, anger—all eddied around me like swirling fog, the tendrils infiltrating my mind. I shut my eyes and concentrated on imagining myself in a bubble, a shield against what I sensed. A wall to hold the feelings of others at bay. When my wall was firmly in place, I opened my eyes and scanned the room.
    A long table had been placed at the front of the room and chairs were assembled in rows. Several of the rows were already full, but a lot of people stood milling around. I spotted our local state representative, George Saunders, going from group to group, shaking hands and doing a bit of backslapping. His face didn't mirror the worried expression of his constituents. Instead, he wore the practiced look of a seasoned politician. Concerned and attentive. But I noticed how, occasionally, his eyes would slide around the room, marking the next group to schmooze. After a final handshake and a firm pat on the shoulder, he'd move on.
    Harley and his boys stood to my left, leaning against the wall. Some had their hands shoved in their pockets. Others stood with their arms crossed tightly over their chests. And all of them appeared ready for a fight.
    Dudley Kyle and his group stood on the opposite side of the room from Harley. Dudley was dressed in navy Dockers and a navy and white pinstriped shirt. His tasseled loafers screamed "expensive."
    My gaze moved from Dudley to Harley over by the wall. He watched Dudley too. His eyebrows were knitted tightly together above eyes full of hostility, eyes that never left the spot where Dudley stood. The corners of his mouth dropped down in a scowl.
    Dudley knew Harley watched him. Quick looks in Harley's direction were accompanied by a lot of nodding and low voices from the group knotted around Dudley. I recognized one of them as a member of the CountyBoard of Supervisors. Talk about sleeping with the enemy.
    But the tension was what I noticed the most. It stretched like a cord between the two men, taut and ready to break. Abby was right. The meeting could get sticky.
    From my position by the door, I saw Abby at the front of the room with a cluster of people around her—Stumpy all spiffed up in a shirt and tie, Edna Walters with her walker in tow, and several more of the senior group. Abby's eyes met mine and she gave me a thumbs up . I smiled in return.
    Without warning, another emotion crossed my radar, trying to penetrate my wall. It didn't come from Harley or Dudley Kyle. And it wasn't vague or insubstantial. It was hard and driving and it battered against my protection, looking for a chink. My hand instinctively went to the talisman I wore around my neck. I closed my eyes, while in my mind, I fought to keep my wall intact.
    "Hey, Miss Ophelia."
    The battering stopped. I turned to see Gus Pike standing next to me.
    "Gus. How are you?" I asked smiling and held out my hand.
    I was surprised to see him at the meeting. Gus Pike had to be almost eighty and lived in a shanty out in the boonies, south of town. He was even more reclusive than I'd been and his main companion was his goat, Charlie. I'd met Gus while on a walk with Lady, after she'd tried to make friends with his chickens, much to their distress. He'd been