Suddenly Psychic (Glimmer Lake #1)(26)

The forty minutes into Bridger City flew by, and pretty soon they were pulling into the familiar hospital parking lot. Robin had been there countless times to visit friends who were having babies or whose parents were in the hospital. Both her kids had been born in Bridger City. Austin had broken his arm when he was eleven. Emma had her tonsils out at thirteen.

She knew they’d blend in with all the other visitors, but she still felt conspicuous as Monica led them into the lobby and down a hall, not once stopping or pausing for anyone to question them.

“Where are we going?” Val asked quietly.

“Just follow me,” Monica said.

“Do you know—?”

“Val, shut it.” Robin knew why Monica knew where the morgue was. She was only surprised Val didn’t remember.

Monica hadn’t been home when Gil had died. Jake had been the one to find him. Robin had been the one to drive Monica into Bridger City to join the boys because they’d taken Gil’s body to the hospital morgue.

They walked through corridors and through doorways, following Monica silently.

What was she feeling? The last time she’d been here had been maybe the worst day of her life. Why had she suggested coming back?

They reached a door that simply said Morgue on the door.

“Do you think it’s locked?” Val whispered.

“Probably.”

Monica reached for the handle. “We’re not going to know until we try.” She gripped it, pulled down.

And the door swung open.

“That can’t be legal,” Val said. “You just leave a morgue unlocked?”

“I mean, it’s Bridger City,” Robin said. “Not LA.”

“Weirdos are everywhere, Robin!”

Robin was watching Monica’s face. She had the door handle in her hand, but she hadn’t pushed it open. She hadn’t gone inside. “We don’t need to do this,” Robin put her hand on Monica’s shoulder. “We’re probably just imagining—”

“Do you want to find out what’s happening to us?” Monica’s eyes cut her. “I do. I want to find out how that body got in the back of your car. I want to find out why this weird guy who’s maybe a ghost is in my dreams.”

Robin nodded. “Okay. I saw him again this afternoon by the sheriff’s station. Just for a second. You realize—”

“The bones in there might belong to the mystery man?” Monica asked. “Yeah. I had the same thought.”

“Yeah.”

Val took a deep breath and put her hand on Monica’s. “Okay. Let’s get this over with.”

Monica and Val pushed the door open, and all three of them stepped into a dark room that smelled like disinfectant.

“Lights, lights, lights.”

Robin pulled out her phone and flipped on the flashlight. “Is this enough?”

“No,” Val hissed. “There are dead people in here! Turn the overhead light on.”

“People will be able to see from outside,” Robin said. “There’s a window in the door.”

“No one is out there!”

“Do you want them to find us? They’re going to think we’re the weirdos!”

“Will you just—”

The lights went on. Monica walked over and shoved a piece of paper in the little window at the top of the door. “Stop arguing. Let’s find them.”

Monica walked to a wall of square doors.

“That looks exactly like it does on TV shows,” Val said quietly.

“Well, yeah.” Monica squinted. “Why wouldn’t it? Darn it, I forgot my readers. Robin, do you have an extra pair?”

“I didn’t bring them.”

Val shoved both of them to the side. “Okay, old ladies, get out of the way and let the young eyes in.”

“Right.” Monica drew out the word. “I’ve seen you on your phone, Val. But keep lying to yourself. That’s fine.”

“This one has a name on the door,” Robin said. “We’d be looking for like… John Doe or something, right?”

They all took different rows. Val was the tallest and read the top row. Robin the middle. Monica the bottom.

“Jerri West,” Monica said. “Isn’t that Dorrie’s sister? From the salon?”

“Oh, maybe. That sounds familiar.”

“That’s a shame. I wonder what happened.”

“Let’s not find out.”

“Focus,” Robin said.

Val said, “Here’s a John Doe.” She opened the door and quickly slammed it shut.

“What is it?” Robin frowned. “What happened?”

“Just… definitely not bones.”

“Okay.” Robin decided she didn’t want to know.

“Found it,” Monica said. “It just says Glimmer Lake Bones. That’s more obvious than I would have expected.”

“But accurate.”

Robin and Val walked over, and Monica opened the door.

She gripped the edge and pulled. A long metal shelf slid out from the wall with a black body bag lying on top. It was pretty flat, but then there was far less body in the bag than normal.

Robin bit the inside of her lip and stepped forward. “Okay. Let’s do this.”