Suddenly Psychic (Glimmer Lake #1)(49)

Robin waved a hand. “He’s busy. We don’t talk much these days.”

“That’s too bad.” A shadow fell over Raymond’s face. “You know, you shouldn’t lose touch with your family. I’ve always regretted that your mother and I didn’t get to reconnect after Gordon passed. But I know it’s complicated.”

She didn’t miss the use of her grandfather’s first name. “Gordon?”

Raymond raised one eyebrow, and he’d never looked more like the image of Billy Grimmer than he did in that moment. “Tell the truth, Robin. Why did you want to meet me after all these years?”

She took a deep breath. “Because I’ve been doing some research into family history.”

“Uh-huh.” Raymond didn’t look surprised.

“It started out… It’s a long story. But I came across some things that didn’t make sense, and I’m hoping you can tell me what I’m missing.”

“Like why Gordon Russell hated his only son so much? Or why I don’t look anything like the rest of the family?”

He knew.

“Yeah,” Robin said. “It’s definitely along those lines.”





“My real father’s name was Billy Grimmer.” Raymond was looking at the picture that Robin had copied, the one from the dam. “Of course, I had no idea until a few years ago. I never questioned that Gordon Russell was my father when I was growing up. After all, he was an ass to everyone, not just me. I don’t know how much you remember about him.”

“Not much.”

Raymond waved a hand. “Our mother, his employees, even his friends. Gordon was not a nice man. But he cast a big shadow. After I left home, I had to go far away. No one in the mountains would hire me to wash their windows, much less anything approaching a real job.”

Robin’s eyes went wide. “He told people not to give you a job?”

“Yep. He said Glimmer Lake was his town. He made it and he controlled it. If I wouldn’t work for him, I wouldn’t work for anyone.” Raymond shrugged. “And I was never going to work for Gordon Russell. So I made my way up to Sacramento, found odd jobs, and managed to finish school eventually.”

“What did you do? Something with metal, right?”

“I’ve done a few things. I ended up studying material sciences and made it out of school just in time to get drafted. Ended up back in California after the war and found my way into the Cal State system, working as a metallurgist.”

“That’s interesting.”

“It had its moments. By the time I got back from Vietnam, your mother was out of school and already dating your dad. I kept in touch with Mom, but Gordon made it clear I wasn’t welcome back. I don’t know if your mother knew how much he controlled that whole town. He told me not to come back for your mother’s wedding, and honestly, I don’t think she ever forgave me.”

“Did you tell her?”

Raymond smiled sadly. “I was young and proud. I should have, but I didn’t. I decided in my own head that Grace was on Gordon’s side, and I didn’t want to make life harder for Mom.”

“Grandma Helen says you write every week.”

“I started that when I was deployed,” he said. “Guess I never really stopped.”

“Does she write back?”

“Mostly. Not as much anymore, of course. Sometimes she’ll just send me little sketches she’s made.” He pulled a paper from his jacket pocket. “This is one she did of you when you were little.”

Robin took the paper and saw a picture of a smiling, chubby-cheeked girl in a bright yellow swimsuit, playing along the edge of the lake. “I remember that bathing suit.”

“She said you’re quite the artist yourself.”

Robin’s smile fell. “I don’t know. I took over Mom’s shop.”

“The antique store, right?”

“Yeah.” She stared at the sketch. “I always think of Grandma Helen as a painter, but her sketching is a lot like mine.”

“Or yours is like hers.” Raymond smiled. “I’d love to see some of your work.”

Robin hesitated; then she pulled out her sketchbook from her purse and flipped to the picture of Billy Grimmer.

Raymond blinked. “How about that? That’s a very good likeness.”

“How did you find out?”

“Because my wife thought it would be funny to do one of those DNA testing kits for a surprise on my birthday.” Raymond looked up from the sketch. “Surprise!”

“Wow. But if you and Mom didn’t both do the testing—”

“The Grimmer family contacted me,” he said. “One of my cousins on that side is really into family history and research. She has the whole family up there. I guess they ended up in the Sacramento area after the dam was built in the mountains.”

“But not Billy?”

Raymond shrugged. “According to the Grimmer family, I was part of the reason they went looking for their family tree. They knew that Billy was staying behind for a girl—that he had plans to marry her and follow them when he got the money together—but they moved, and year after year passed with no word. They figured something hadn’t worked out and Billy took off. They were looking for a lost branch, and they found me.”