Suddenly Psychic (Glimmer Lake #1)(44)

“Oh yes,” Gail said. “He was a grade ahead of me, but the school wasn’t big. We all knew each other.” She opened one of the boxes and rifled through. “Here’s one I was remembering. See?” She handed the photo to Robin. “There he is in the back row. There was a youth fishing derby on the lake that summer.”

Monica and Val walked around the table and hovered over Robin’s shoulder as she looked at the black-and-white photograph of the young people gathered on the lakeside. A long line of trout was laid in front of them, and smiling teenagers jostled in a clump.

“There I was in the front,” Gail said. “I was always short. But your Uncle Raymond was tall, even when he was young.” She pointed to a blurry face in the background. “There he is. Not the greatest picture, but he’s the first one I thought of when I saw the sketch you did.”

Robin felt her heart start to pound as she reached for the magnifying glass. The young man in the picture wasn’t in clear focus, but a cursory glance did seem to resemble the picture of Billy Grimmer.

What was going on here?

Val’s hand squeezed her shoulder. “Are there more pictures of him in here?”

“I’m sure there are,” Gail said. “Ray was very popular. Always had a bit of the rebel about him. The girls loved him.”

“Right.” Robin set down the picture and turned toward the box. “Thanks, Gail.”

“Sure thing. And I’ll look for whatever I have on the town before the dam,” the friendly librarian added. “I know it won’t be as much. Most of the families that were in Grimmer left when the valley flooded.”

“Right. Thanks.” Robin wasn’t hearing her. All she could think about was finding more pictures of her mother’s brother.

She’d never seen pictures of her Uncle Raymond when he was young. She’d never seen many pictures of him period. Whatever had caused the rift between her mother and her uncle wasn’t spoken of, not by her mother or her grandmother.

Val and Monica sat on either side of her.

“Robin?” Val’s hand never left Robin’s shoulder. “Your family has been in the town for ages. It’s totally possible that your grandma’s family and the Grimmers are related somehow.”

“Uh-huh.” She sorted through pictures, looking for any faces that looked familiar. Her mother wouldn’t be in this set. She was four years younger than her brother and wouldn’t have been in high school with him.

“Want me to look for a yearbook?” Monica asked. “I know where they are. And none of these pictures are labeled.”

“Great idea,” Val said.

Monica left, but Robin kept looking through the pictures. What had her grandmother said when she showed Helen the sketch of the ghost?

“He was a boy from Grimmer. I think. Don’t remember his name. Nobody important.”

If Billy Grimmer had been a relative or a cousin, would Grandma Helen have been so secretive? Would she have looked away from his picture or pretended she couldn’t remember him?

“Here.” Monica returned. “I found 1962. That would be the year, right?”

“I think so.” Robin opened it and flipped through the pages, looking for names she recognized.

Cartwright.

Kenrick.

Montes.

Russell.

“There.” She ran her finger along the black-and-white pictures of the girls in black dresses and pearls. The boys wore suits and ties. Her finger stopped on the picture of a teenager with a hint of acne, unruly brown hair that had been imperfectly slicked back, and an unmistakable resemblance to Billy Grimmer.

Raymond Russell, class of 1963.

Monica let out a breath. “Okay, so there’s definitely a family resemblance. Is Billy Grimmer related to you? Is that why you can see him?”

Val said softly, “I don’t know if Robin is related to Billy Grimmer, but I’m betting her uncle is.”

“Huh?” Monica’s eyes went wide. “Ohhhh. Right.”

“We don’t know it’s that.” Robin slammed the yearbook shut. “But we’re going to Grandma Helen’s. Right now.”

Val said, “I’ll go grab some cookies.”

“Chocolate,” Monica said. “We’re going to need chocolate for this.”





Chapter 16





Robin parked Mark’s truck in front of Russell House right at ten, just as the cleaning crew was exiting the building. The laughing group of three women stopped in their tracks when they saw Robin.

Mom was right again.

Dammit.

“Hi.” Robin glanced at her watch and realized her mood could actually be put to pretty good use that day. “Don’t you guys get here at nine?”

One of the women in uniform nudged another, who was standing at the front and had her hand on a cell phone. “Uh… yeah. We’re just taking a break.”

“An hour after you got here?” Robin glanced at the buckets and mops the women were carrying out. “With all your cleaning supplies?”

Two of the woman had red cheeks. They knew they’d been caught. The one who spoke doubled down. “We’re good at our jobs. We finish fast.”

“Which is it?” Robin was furious. “I’ve cleaned houses before. I know how long it takes if you do it right. Were you taking a break or taking off because you’re so good at your job?”