“I’m sorry,” she said. “The children grew up.”
Monica and Val both jumped a little where they were standing, but Robin held up a hand.
“My little boy played there.” The ghost nodded to the window seat. “I wanted to hold him so much, so I stayed. But they moved away and there were no children for a long, long time.” The smile on her ghostly face was wistful. “But then you came, and you had your little boy. Then your little girl.”
“Is that why you stayed?” Robin asked. “To see your son?”
“A son needs his mother.” The rocking chair went back and forth. “I couldn’t just abandon him.”
Monica said, “Val, do you see the chair?”
“Yeah, I see it.”
Robin kept her focus on the ghost. “Can you leave? Where would you go?”
“Oh, there’s a place.” The ghost’s eyes took on a faraway gaze. “But what if he comes back and I’m not here?”
Your son is an old man now. Robin didn’t want to say it; she felt the ache of longing from the ghostly woman.
“What’s your name?”
“Clara.” Her smile was soft. “My boy was named Paul, after my father. Henry did that for me. He named my boy Paul.”
“That’s good.” Paul McGillis. Robin wondered if she could find out where he’d gone. “My name is Robin.”
“I know,” Clara said. “We all know.”
“Are there many of you?”
“Oh, a few.” Clara looked at her from the corner of her eye. “You haven’t seen all of us yet.”
“But I’ve seen you.” And she’d gotten a few answers. Clara had stayed because she wanted to. Because she felt needed. Had Billy done the same? Was he stuck here because he felt an obligation? Was he waiting for his son too?
Robin put her pencil down and looked at the sketch she’d drawn. It was one of the best she’d ever done. Clara McGillis was rendered in clear swipes of the pencil; everything from her dress to her curls to her lips was perfect. Exactly as Robin had seen her.
When she looked up from her sketchpad, Clara was gone.
“She left,” Robin said.
“That was so weird,” Val said. “Monica?”
“Super weird.” Monica sat next to Robin. “What did you see?”
Robin passed her the sketch. “What did you see?”
“You were staring at the rocking chair so hard, and then it started creaking. Not much, but it was definitely moving back and forth.”
“Did you hear me?”
“You said one thing about the children growing up,” Monica said. “But then nothing. You were just staring at the chair.”
“But I had a whole conversation with her,” Robin said. “With Clara. You didn’t even hear me?”
“Nope.” Val reached for the sketchbook. “Weird. It sounds like it was all in your head.”
She turned to Monica. “But by the lake when I talked to Billy, you could hear me then?”
“Yes, but maybe it’s a different connection there. Or a different method of calling him? Maybe if they reach out to you, you stay more in yourself. If you call them up, then it’s internal.”
“That makes as much sense as any of this.” Val was staring at the sketch. “So what happens if you sketch Billy?”
“I don’t know, but I’m thinking that might be the way to go.”
“What happens if you sketch Billy when you’re with Grandma Helen?”
Monica’s eyebrows went up. “Playing with fire, Val?”
“Hey.” She shrugged. “If we want to get answers, that might be the only way to go.”
Robin felt her phone buzzing in her pocket, so she stood and brought it out. “It’s Sully.”
Val sat up straight. “Sully?”
Monica made an “answer it” motion with her hands.
Robin tapped on Accept Call. “Hey, Sully.”
“Hey, Robin.” He sounded tired. “So, we haven’t gotten anything formal from state medical examiner’s office. They as much told us that even though it’s suspicious, it’s a cold case, so we go to the bottom of the priority pile.”
“But there must be something,” Robin said. “Or you wouldn’t have called.
“You could say that.” He sighed deeply. “I don’t know why, but I figured you might want to know that he—it’s a male—was definitely murdered.”
“The chains kind of gave that away, don’t you think?”
“Well, whoever killed him definitely didn’t want his body found, but that’s not what killed him.”
“Really?” Robin motioned Val and Monica closer. “He didn’t drown?”
“If he did, he did it after surviving a pretty vicious slice to the neck.”
Robin cringed. “He was stabbed?”
“More like his throat was cut. The initial visual exam just came back, and there’s a cut right across his throat that went so deep it cut the bone.”
Robin closed her eyes. It was so much worse than she’d imagined. “Horrible way to die.”
“But they did determine the age of the bones is well over fifty years, so you and your friends are officially in the clear on that. This guy died long before you or I were born.”
“I’ll let them know. Thanks.”
“See ya, Robin. Say hi to Mark.”
“Will do.” She tapped on the phone to end the call. “Did you guys hear that?”
“Not all of it,” Monica said.
“Billy Grimmer’s throat was cut. Whoever put him in that mine shaft must have come back to make sure he hadn’t escaped and he—”
“Or she.” Val shrugged. “What? It’s possible.”
“He or she didn’t want to wait to let the water do its job. Billy’s throat was cut so deep with a knife it left marks on the bones.” Robin flipped to her sketchbook and stared at Billy Grimmer’s face. “I think it’s time that Grandma Helen and I had another talk. And this time I’m going to get some answers.”
“Good luck with that,” Val muttered. “She may be ninety-five, but she’s cagey.”
“I know.” Robin looked at Monica. “We’re going to need enchiladas.”
Chapter 19
Grandma Helen was sitting outside in a wooden lawn chair, staring at the sun setting over the lake, when Robin, Monica, and Val arrived. Bright red autumn leaves were scattered across the lush green lawn, and the roses were eking out their last blooms before the frost came and forced them to settle down for winter.
Robin was reminded as she stared at the old woman sitting on the giant lawn, bundled in a fluffy coat, that her grandmother was ninety-five.
Ninety-five years had seen a lot. Ninety-five years had seen a Depression, a World War, atomic bombs, and nuclear scares. It had seen the transition from agriculture to manufacturing to technology. Grandma Helen had been born into radio and was ending with the internet.
Without a word, she and her friends went into the kitchen and dragged chairs outside to join Helen. They sat in the late-afternoon sun in silence. No one spoke, though Helen reached across the table and took Robin’s hand.
Robin looked at her grandmother’s profile. “Are you happy here?”
“I love this spot. I love the view.” Helen glanced over her shoulder. “The house is too big. I told Gordon that, but he never listened. If we were going to have a house so big, we needed more children in it. But he didn’t want more children.”
Robin leaned closer to Helen. “One was enough for him?”
Helen didn’t look shocked. She just smiled. “I always wondered if Grace suspected. Does Raymond know?”
“Yes.”
“I never wanted him to.”
“Debby gave him a DNA test for his birthday.”
Helen frowned. “What is that?”
Val moved closer. “You can spit in a cup and send it in, and they’ll tell you what your DNA profile is.”
“Heavens,” Helen said. “Why would anyone want to do that?”
“One of the Grimmer cousins
did it to find out what happened to Billy and his family.”
Helen finally looked at Robin. “Don’t they know?”
“No.” She shook her head. “They don’t know what happened to him either.”
The long, sad look returned to Helen’s eyes. “I suppose no one did.”
“Grandma—”
“I don’t want to talk about sad things, Robin. What is the point of talking about sad things like this? I was poor and I had a baby on the way. No one was going to help me.” She glanced over her shoulder. “And then Gordon came along. He found me when I was sick. I was waiting in our cabin, crying over Billy, and he found me.”
Robin made a mental note to look for a cabin—maybe the one Monica had seen in her dream—but she didn’t interrupt her grandmother.
“I don’t know how,” Helen continued, “but he did. I hardly knew him, except to know he had a hard reputation. He was a businessman. Other men didn’t like him much, but he was kind to me. And he said he’d marry me. Just like that. That very day. He said, ‘I know your condition, Helen, but I don’t much care. Marry me and no one will say a word against you. I’ll build you a big house and you’ll be a lady.’”
Monica said, “And he did. And you are.”
“Yes.” Helen smiled at Monica. “He did and I was. I didn’t care much about the big house or the money, but I didn’t want to shame my parents. They were good, honest people. They’d been well-off before the Depression, and I cared about their reputation. And Gordon took care of me and my family. My daddy didn’t have to work again after that, except a little in Gordon’s offices for appearance’s sake. And my momma had new dresses and didn’t have to take in clothes anymore. To his credit, Gordon never once mentioned it after the day I agreed to marry him. Not when Raymond was born. Not ever.”
But you never loved him. Not even a bit.
And what was love when you were a desperate young woman? Robin reached for her grandmother’s hand. “You really do have the best view in town.”
“But I know why no one wants to live here,” Helen said. “It wasn’t a happy home.” She squeezed Robin’s hand. “You made a happy home for your children. Be proud of that, Robin. That is a tremendous thing.” She looked at Val and Monica. “And both you ladies did too. I know it. What girls are doing now is just amazing to me. I’m so pleased I’ve lived long enough to see everything you’re doing in the world.” Helen raised Robin’s hand and shook it. “Girl power! That’s what they say, right?”
Val and Monica smiled.
“Yep,” Monica said. “That’s what they say.”
Robin watched her grandmother with new eyes. She’d always wondered what had led Helen to marry Gordon Russell. He wasn’t a nice man, but maybe he’d been an honorable one. He’d married a woman pregnant with another man’s child, and he’d never thrown that back in her face. That wasn’t nothing.
“Grandma, do you want to know what happened to Billy?”
Helen’s eyes didn’t leave the sunset. “What difference would that make now?” She closed her eyes as the sunset reached the edge of the horizon.
“He might have had a reason—”
“What happened, happened. It was a lifetime ago.” The sun slipped below the mountains, and the temperature dropped immediately. “Robin, can you help me back in the house?”
“We brought enchiladas, Grandma Helen.”
“Oh, that sounds nice.”
Monica got on Helen’s other side while Val gathered the extra chairs on the lawn. They helped Helen back into the house through the side door and turned on the lights in the kitchen.
“It’s cold in here,” Robin said. “Is your space heater not working?”
“I might have forgotten to turn it on.” Helen waved a hand. “It’s not that cold.”
“I’m going to check it, and I’ll turn on the heat on the first floor, okay?”
“Don’t fuss.” Helen used her cane to walk to her favorite chair in the breakfast nook. “I’ll be fine.”
While Val and Monica were heating the enchiladas, Robin walked out to the entryway and turned on the heat for the first floor. She’d felt a gust of cold sitting at the bottom of the stairs, as if winter were creeping down from the top of the house to the bottom.
She finally had answers, but just as many questions remained.
Who killed Billy Grimmer?
What was the cabin Helen was talking about?
If the past was in the past, why was Billy still hanging around?
Robin got her phone out and tapped Mark’s number, walking out to the front porch to watch the sky turn from deep blue to black.
“Robin?”
“Hey. I’m at Grandma Helen’s. Monica, Val, and I brought her some enchiladas. I made a chicken casserole and put it in the oven before I left. Just turn it to 350 for like an hour or so,” she said quickly.
“Is she feeling okay?”
“Yeah. I think something is wrong with her space heater though.”
“I’ll go by in the morning and take a look at it,” he said. “It might need the filter cleaned.”
“Thanks.” She felt a wave of gratitude for her husband. He might not be perfect, but neither was she. When anyone needed help, Mark was always the first to volunteer. How many people could you say that about? He didn’t always say the right things, but he did the right things. Most of the time.
She’d married him because she loved him. And he loved her. Did he still?
“Robin, you okay?”
She sniffed. “Just thinking about Grandma and Grandpa Russell.”
“Is it wrong that I’m relieved I never met him? Your dad’s stories would scare anyone.”
“I know. It’s kind of amazing he had the guts to marry Mom.”
“Well, men do stupid things for love.”
“Oh yeah?” Robin smiled. “What stupid thing did you do for love?”
“Moved to this little bitty town in the middle of nowhere.”
“Oof,” Robin said. “That’s rough. No airport?”
“Nope.”
“Movie theater? Major league baseball?”
“Nada,” he said. “But it does have its attractions.”
“Oh yeah?”
“The scenery is pretty great. Schools are good. And there’s this woman.”
Robin felt her heart clutch. “A woman?”
Mark spoke slowly. “Even after twenty years, she still drives me crazy. Still keeps me guessing. I try to make her happy, but… after all this time, I’m still not sure I get it right.”
Robin blinked hard. “Sounds like she doesn't make it easy on you.”
“Well, she’s got a lot going on. And she’s always thinking about other people before herself.”
Robin bit her lip. “Mark—”
“I can be an asshole when I don't know what the right thing to do is,” he said quietly. “I need you to tell me things. Maybe that’s dumb and male of me, but—”
“You’re not dumb. Not even close to it.” She swallowed a lump in her throat. “I need… to be better about communicating. That’s on me.”
“I think we could both improve in that.”
“Yeah.” Robin didn’t know what else to say. “I should get back to Grandma Helen, but I won’t be home too late.”
“Good.” Something chimed, and the weird mood he was in seemed to clear. “That’s Emma. She said she’d text when she was done at the library.”
Robin let out a long breath. “That girl really needs to get her license.”
“I’m about ready to drop her off at the DMV in Bridger City and not pick her up until she has it.”
“Right?” She squeezed her eyes shut. “Mark?”
“Yeah?”
Ughhhhhh. She bit the bullet. “Can you just buy me a car that you think I’ll like and be done with it? I’m sick of asking for rides from everyone, and I hate car shopping so much.”
“You don’t care what kind of car you get?”
“I
mean, I care. But you know what I like. I trust you to get something good.” Kinda. She kinda trusted him. Leap of faith, Robin.
“Good and safe.”
“And safe, yes. As far as the details, I don’t really care that much.” She cared so much, but she genuinely did hate car shopping.
“Okay!” He sounded like someone had put sugar in his coffee. “Yeah, I can take care of that. I’ll do it this weekend.”
“Thanks.” She saw something flickering at the edge of the forest.
What the…? “Hey honey, I have to go.”
“Right. I have to get Emma. I’ll see you when you get home.”
“’Kay.” She turned off her phone, slipped it in her pocket, and nearly ran across the lawn. By the time she reached the edge of the forest, Billy’s ghost was walking away.
“Stop!” Robin was panting. Man, she really needed to start running again. Screw her knee, she hated feeling weak. “Billy, we know about you and Helen.”
He turned and frowned. “What?”
“Helen” —Robin panted— “is my grandmother. I am Helen’s granddaughter.”
“Helen’s granddaughter?” His eye went wide. “That’s why you looked familiar. Are you—?”
“Not yours.” She stood up straight. “I’m sorry. My mother was Helen and Gordon’s daughter. But her older brother, my uncle… Well, he’s—”
“The baby.” Billy’s face was the picture of grief. “We found out, and God forgive me, I was so happy. It was every dream come true.”
For you, maybe. Robin had to imagine that being unmarried and pregnant wasn’t Helen’s idea of a dream come true. “Were you planning on getting married?”
“Oh yes. There was nothing more I wanted in life than to marry Helen Moore. She was sunshine. Smart as a whip and funny. She was scared at first—about the baby—but I told her we could just leave. Her and me. We’d get married and walk away from that old town. We could go up to Sacramento with my people.”
“What happened?”
He shook his head. “I don’t remember. I just can’t remember anything.”
Robin looked over her shoulder to the grand house on the edge of the lake. “Do you ever go see her?”
His smile was sad. “I can’t. I can’t even get close. But I can feel her, especially when she’s happy. Something about her…”
Suddenly Psychic: Glimmer Lake Book One Page 16
