Page 32 of Dead Serious: Case 3 Mr Bruce Reyes

“They found human bones buried beneath an abandoned sports ground in Surbiton,” Dusty explains.

“Surbiton?” he repeats. “That’s where I used to play. My parents still live there.”

“It’s all a bit complicated.” I chew my lip and try to figure out how to explain everything that’s happened in the past twenty-four hours. “Okay, this is going to sound a bit crazy, but here we go.” I take a deep breath and dive in. “This guy claiming to be Death told me your bones were going to be uncovered—well, actually, I had a dream about him first, but then he turned up in my kitchen. Then we found out that Danny and his partner Maddie were called to an abandoned pitch where some bones were somehow uncovered during the storm, and yeah, we haven’t had formal confirmation, but it’s looking likely that they’re probably your remains.” I take another breath.

“You think… my bones? Really?” Looking a little shell-shocked, Bruce sinks down on the edge of the dais.

“Bruce, honey.” Dusty crouches down in front of him.

“It’s just… a lot to take in,” he whispers as his eyes rise to meet hers. “I never thought… it’s been so long. I never thought they’d find me.”

“It’s going to be okay.” She reaches out to cup his cheek, his usually golden skin pale.

“Do they…” He swallows hard. “Do they know what happened to me?”

“Not yet,” Dusty tells him fervently. “But we’ll find out, I promise.”

I feel like I’m intruding on an intimate moment between them, but I have no choice but to interrupt.

“Bruce.”

His eyes lift over Dusty’s shoulder and lock on me.

I say apologetically, “We’re going to do everything we can to figure this out, but there’s so much going on that we don’t understand. We could really use your help.”

“How can I help?”

“Um.” I hum, trying to decide where to start. “Death seems to think that you are somehow connected to the… you know.” I wave one hand at the archway. “Magic doorway.”

“I guess I am.” Bruce frowns as he turns to stare at the doorway. “I’ve never given it much thought. After I died, I was lost and lonely, just wandering aimlessly around London. No one could see me or hear me, but I think something drew me here. Maybe it was the energy of the doorway itself. Honestly, I really don’t remember. It’s… confusing.”

“What do you mean, confusing?” I ask.

“There are gaps in my memory, and what’s left is hazy and disjointed. My first clear memories are from about six months after my death. That’s when I know I was here and helping people cross into the afterlife. Anything from before, from the moment of my death to being here in the bookshop?” He taps the side of his head. “Just not there.”

Behind Bruce, the gateway begins to act strangely. It starts sparking, and the surface of the space inside the arch ripples like a pond in the rain. While we all watch, a figure steps through and onto the dais.

It’s a woman who looks to be in her forties. She’s wearing a baggy shirt and a pair of yoga pants with cartoon characters on them, and two small dogs press against her ankles. She scans the almost empty room, and as Bruce climbs to his feet and turns around to face her, her gaze locks on him.

“Hola, estúpido.” She grins at Bruce, a book tucked under one arm and a mug of coffee in her other hand.

“Angelica.” Bruce shakes his head in amusement, a small smile playing on his lips. Climbing the dais and approaching her, he leans in for a hug. “What are you doing here?” He pulls back to look at her.

“The old lady sent me.” She sips her coffee nonchalantly.

“You know Abuela hates it when you call her that.”

“She said you needed some help,” she replies as she studies Bruce’s face. “Whoa, primo, you don’t look so good.”

Shaking his head, Bruce turns to me and Dusty. “Dusty, Tristan, this is my cousin, Angie.”

Cousin, that explains it. Although her skin tone is a little lighter than Bruce’s and her eyes hazel rather than his deeper brown, I can see the resemblance between them.

“Dusty?” Angie’s brows lift as a sly smile graces her lips. “Oh, I’ve heard all about you two playing in the bushes at El Dia del Amor.”

Bruce coughs as his cheeks pink up, but Dusty just laughs and climbs the dais to shake Angie’s hand.

“So, you and Bruce are cousins?”