Suddenly Psychic (Glimmer Lake #1)(69)

“Philip?” Grace called again.

“Yes, dear?” Robin’s adorably scruffy father turned around.

“Hey, Phil.” Mark walked over and gave his father-in-law a hug. “How’re you doing?”

Her father smiled sadly. “I’m okay. It’s great to see the kids. I’m sad that we’re not getting together for another reason. Austin is so excited about his new direction at school.”

“I know.” Mark glanced at Robin, who couldn’t stop her eye roll. “Hey, we were thinking about getting some of Gordon’s things down from the attic. Things Helen might enjoy looking at. Grace thought there were some scrapbooks or albums maybe?”

Phil furrowed his brow. “Well, I can’t remember. There was so much happening after the old man passed, and Helen was so insistent that all those hunting trophies and weapons be put away. She hated those things, and she was always terrified the kids would get into them. Not that Jack was ever much interested in hunting. Gordon did his best, but the boy kept getting distracted by birds.”

Bless her brother. “Speaking of Jack,” Robin said, “When is he coming down?”

“He should be here in a few hours,” Phil said. “He had to organize a few things at work, and then he was picking up your Uncle Raymond in Sacramento on his way down.”

“But there might be some things up in the attic?” Mark asked. “Nothing is locked, is it?”

Phil shook his head. “I haven’t been up there in years. I worried a little when Austin and Emma were young that they might go wandering, but they always seemed a little afraid of it, so I didn’t worry much.”

Gee, I wonder why they would be worried about an attic full of hunting trophies, old weapons, and possibly the ghost of a dead murderer?

“I’m going to check on Grandma real quick,” Robin said. “Then why don’t we go check it out? Monica and Val offered to help.”

“Oh, that’s a nice idea.” Phil stirred the soup. “I’ll keep everyone fed. Grace?” He walked over and kissed Grace’s forehead. “How does that sound?”

She leaned against him and sighed. “That sounds fine.”

“Good.”

As her dad rubbed her mother’s shoulders, Robin slipped into Grandma Helen’s room, where Austin and Emma were playing cards. They’d dealt their great-grandmother in and were taking turns playing her hands.

Austin looked up. “Can you believe she’s winning?”

Robin smiled. “She was always the smartest one.” She bent over and brushed a kiss over Helen’s warm cheek. “Hey, Grandma.”

Helen took a deep breath and let it out slowly, as if sighing in relief.

“Has she said anything while I was gone?” Robin brushed her silver-grey hair back from her forehead. “Did she wake up at all?”

“Not much. She’s mostly sleeping.” Emma leaned over and pressed her cheek to her great-grandmother’s arm. “We’re just keeping her company.”

“Great.” Robin glanced at Mark, who was standing in the bedroom door. “Dad and I are gonna take care of some stuff upstairs, okay?”

Emma put her hands over her ears. “Lalalalala. If that’s a euphemism for having sex, I don’t want to know.”

“Dude!” Austin threw a card at his sister. “So unnecessary.”

Mark stared at their offspring. “How much longer do we have to keep feeding them?”

“Legally?” Robin asked.

“Yeah. Just eighteen, right? That was in the rulebook they gave us at the hospital.”

“I believe so.” Robin slid her arm around Mark’s waist.

“Ha ha,” Emma muttered, looking at her cards. “You love us.”

Robin smiled and tugged on her braid. “We’ll see you later. Stay here with Grandma Helen. Uncle Jack and Grandma’s brother are on the way.”

“’Kay,” Austin said.

“Sure.”

Robin took one more look at Grandma Helen.

We’re going to find out what happened, Grandma. I promise.





Val, Monica, Mark, and Robin stood at the foot of the attic stairs. All four had flashlights in hand, and Mark held a set of work lights he’d grabbed from the boathouse.

“Okay,” he said. “I’ll go first.”

Robin stepped forward. “If there’s a ghost up there, I should go first. I might be able to see him, and I’m his granddaughter.”

“Do you think that makes a difference?” Monica asked.

“Maybe?” Robin shrugged. “I have no idea, but I’m going.”

Mark called her name, but she was already on the stairs. She felt the chill run down her spine like a long, cold finger.

You don’t scare me.

If you’re up there, you’re a ghost.

You can’t hurt me.

The only problem with that theory was that Robin knew firsthand that ghosts could move things in the living world if they wanted it enough. Billy had broken the window. Nurse Hawkins had taken her blood pressure. If her grandfather’s spirit was in the attic, how angry might he be?

She clutched her flashlight in one hand and her sketchbook in the other. It felt like precious little defense against an angry ghost. Mark was behind her, shining his flashlight into the darkness as Robin opened the door.