Page 30 of You'll Be the Death of Me

“And how does one stall a medical examination of a dead body?” Jason asked.

They both looked to Cole.

“Decoy?” Cole suggested with his eyebrows high.

Dell snapped her fingers and pointed at him. “Yes. That’s perfect.”

Cole deflated with a relieved breath.

“What’s perfect?” Jason asked.

“Ugh, sorry. Thishalf the conversationthing is going to get old fast. He said we need a decoy.”

“Love a good decoy,” Jason said.

Dell turned and put her hands on his shoulders. “And you’re great at them, Jay. I need you to follow that ambulance and stop them from putting me in a freezer. Do whatever it takes. Stage a scene. Tell them you saw me blink or heard me speak. Anything to slow it down.”

He nodded along like a plan was already unfolding in his mind. “You got it, boss. What are you going to do?”

She paused and chewed Robbie’s chapped lip. “Well, I can’t really follow you around as Robbie. That would be weird. Myfamily would have too many questions. Maybe I’ll give him his body back, and then go back to the house? You can find me there once things are sorted out with my body.”

“Okay. And how do I find you again if you’re not...?” He waved his hands around in front of her.

“Possessing someone else’s body?” she filled in the blank.

“Yes.”

She glanced at Cole and rememberedlittle things. “I’ll find a way,” she told him. “Just keep your eyes peeled.”

“Okay,” he said with a big breath. He threw out his arms to wrap her in a hug. “I gotta say,D, we’ve been through some shit together, but this takes the cake.”

“I know. I hope it’s over soon. Or I at least hope Robbie bathes before I need him again.”

Jason huffed a laugh as they pulled apart. He squeezed her hands and nodded. “See you soon?”

“Yes. Good luck.”

Not really sure what she was doing or if it would work at all, she stepped back and spoke inside her head. “Robbie? It’s me again. I’m going to leave now, so you can wake up, or come out of wherever you’ve been, okay? Here I go.” Still having no idea what she was doing but going off a hunch, she lightly crouched, feeling Robbie’s knees bend, and then jumped. Robbie’s feet stayed on the grassy ground, but with a tingly sucking sensation, she felt herself spring free.

“Whoa!” Cole said when she stumbled right into his arms.

She gathered her footing and looked up at him.

He softly smiled at her. “You are frighteningly good at that, which shouldn’t be possible for a novice.” His dark eyes hooked her for a half second before she stood up straight.

“It wasn’t that hard,” Dell said.

“Which only makes it more impressive,” Cole said. “Even if it weren’t against the rules, I’d never attempt it. Especially not one day into being dead.”

Dell got the sense it was more to do with fear than anything related to rules holding him back.

Behind them, Robbie staggered backward with his hands on his head as if he were trying to hold it in place. “What the hell just happened?” He looked up and saw Jason standing by the bench. “You,” he said, and pointed at him with a shaking finger. “No, no, no. This wasyouandher, wasn’t it?”

Jason arched a bored eyebrow at him. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Robbie. I think you should go home and take a nap.”

Robbie continued to stumble backward away from him. “No, she did something to me. Where is she?” He whipped his head around.

“Is he going to be all right?” Dell asked Cole.