“Who did you find?”
“I’m not supposed to tell anyone yet.”
“Then tell me exactly what happened this morning.”
“Well, I drove in and unlocked the trailer like you asked and I let Obiwan out of the truck on the leash. There were some piles of brush and branches, but I didn’t think anything of them. However, he got close to one of them and started sniffing around and the next thing I knew, I was pulling branches off some poor guy. I called Aaron.”
“And you don’t know who it is?”
“Well, I do now, because I made Aaron tell me.”
“And you can’t tell me?”
“I’m not supposed to. Does that make me a bad girlfriend?”
He chuckled. “Not really. Is it anyone we know?”
“Well …” Polly paused. “I don’t know him, but you might. Henry, just come back and I’ll tell you everything.”
“I’m on my way right now.”
“How did the meeting go?”
“It was fine. The changes weren’t anything that he couldn’t have sent by email, but it’s over. Sometimes these guys just need to prove how important they are to a project.”
“Do the boys know that someone was found at the job site?” Polly asked.
“No, I didn’t know what to say about it, so I didn’t say anything at all. I figured the Sheriff would talk to them.”
“What are you going to do about work on the lodge?”
“Well, since I can’t, I guess I won’t worry about it. Aaron will let us in as soon as possible. I have a whole lot of people I need to put to work. Since we were starting tomorrow, it looks as if we’ll get more done at the hotel. How are you doing in the basement? Can I send some guys down to help you finish clearing it?”
“Oh Henry, yes please. I’m tired of hauling everything out of here one cart at a time.”
“None of the guys have offered to help?”
“Well, no. They’ve all got their own work to do. It’s cool. I said I would do this.”
“It’s not cool. None of them would expect to do that job by themselves, I don’t know why they think you’d want to. Nobody even offered?”
“It’s not a big deal, Henry. I’m not complaining.”
“Well, that’s just unacceptable. I’ll get someone down there.”
“I love you, Henry, but you don’t need to get worked up about this. They’re ripping plaster off ceilings and walls. I certainly don’t want to do that job. And it isn’t like I’m some weak woman.”
He let a small chuckle escape, “No, Polly. You aren’t weak. But, seriously, no one else there would work alone doing that job and it pisses me off that they are letting you. You’re the one who pays them and you’re my girlfriend.”
“You’re cute when you’re all manly and protective, but leave them alone. I’m fine.”
“I know you’re fine, but I still care. So, can I ask another huge favor? I promise this won’t involve any dead bodies.”
“That’s never a guarantee, you know,” she said, laughing. “What do you need?”
“I need help at the house. Dad is coming home in two days.”
“You’re afraid it won’t be clean enough for him?”
“I know it won’t be. Please?”
Polly laughed out loud. “Henry, you’re the person who cleans my apartment. I’ve never seen things messy at that house. I’m sure it’s fine.”
“Do you think I should clean the drapes and rent a carpet cleaner?”
“Henry, no! This is your dad coming in, not your mom.”
“But she’ll ask him and he’ll tell her.”
“He’s a guy. They never pay attention to stuff like that.”
“I do.”
“I’ll help. I promise. If you want the drapes cleaned, we’ll do that. Whatever you want. We have more than a week before your mom comes. We can make it look better than it did when she left.”
She heard him breathe a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”
“Did your mom say anything about the state of the house at Christmas when they were here?”
“No.”
“Did she even imply that it wasn’t clean enough?”
“No.”
“Did she do any extra cleaning while she was here?”
“Not really. You’re telling me I worry too much.”
“That’s exactly what I’m telling you. We’ll clean whatever you want. But then you have to promise me that you’ll quit worrying about it. I like your mom. She’s not going to say anything and she knows how busy you are, especially since you’re asking your dad for help.”
“Thank you.”
“Now, pay attention to your driving. Are you coming straight to the hotel?”
“I suppose so, since I can’t get to the vineyard job site.”
“I’ll see you later then.”
“I love you, Polly.”
“I love you too. Drive safely.”
She set the phone down beside her and stretched. This had been a very strange day. She stacked another load and hauled the two wheeler up the steps and to the dumpster, then stood and watched as more official looking vehicles drove down the street to the vineyard. They were having a strange day, too. She didn’t know Bruce Victor, didn’t even know if he was from the area. She didn’t know if he had a wife or kids or if his parents were still alive.
Polly had faced enough death to realize that it was part of life, but this family was facing a huge loss tonight. She wondered if the boys were friends with him and what this would do to their plans for the winery.
Walking over to the first room where the guys were stripping walls down to the frame, she knocked on the door, startling the lot of them. Ben Bowen pulled his face mask off and said, “Hey, what’s up? Do you need something?”
“No. I’m fine. I’m going home to get something to eat and let the dog out.”
“Cool. Let us know if you need anything.” He pulled the mask back over his mouth and nose and went back to work. Polly got into her truck and drove down the street toward the vineyard. Aaron’s SUV and two other vehicles were still there, but the emergency vehicles were gone. There was yellow tape stretched across the entrance. She chuckled. That wouldn’t stop the curious, but at least there wouldn’t be any cars driving in. She turned around and headed back to the highway.
Some might call it being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but Polly wondered if there was some strange pull in her life. Coincidences drove her nuts. People died in a million ways every day, but in Bellingwood, she had to be the one to find them after they’d gone on. Maybe someday she’d write a book about the whole thing. She’d call herself the Dark Body Magnet. Hah. That was her super power. When everyone else was trying to figure out what it was they brought to the table, she could don a black cape with a Grim Reaper hood and …
Polly stopped at the corner to turn into her driveway and waited for two cars to drive past. And what? And nothing. All she knew was that if she was going to spend the next sixty years finding people after they had died, she needed to come to grips with it.
Her stomach came to attention when she opened the door from the garage to the main building. Rachel was cooking something wonderful. Polly knew she was a horrible mess. After her experience at the vineyard this morning, she’d spent time in the barn with the horses and donkeys and gone from there to the basement of the caretaker’s house. Maybe she’d just call Ben and ask him to take the cart back to the basement and close the place up. Then she could eat and take a long, hot shower. First, she had to see what was happening in the kitchen.
She poked her head around the corner and saw Rachel pulling pans of chicken breasts out of the oven.
“Hi there, it smells wonderful,” Polly said.
Rachel jumped a little and looked up at her, then grinned. “Sylvie wanted me to try a new recipe this afternoon. We’re catering a birthday party tonight. Do you want to taste it? I made plenty.”
“I’d love to
!”
“I don’t have anything to go with it, just the chicken. Let me put it in a container for you.” She placed a chicken breast in one of their takeout containers, then spread a sauce made with crushed tomatoes on it and sprinkled a crumbly cheese mixture over the top. “It’s kind of a bruschetta chicken. Let me know what you think. I’m making Jeff taste it too.”
“I’ll let you know. Thank you! I’m starving.”
Polly took the container and ran upstairs. Obiwan and the cats were sitting at the end of her bed when she came into the room.
“Don’t look at me. I’m not sharing any of this.” She went into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, then took out an apple and a container of cottage cheese. Cottage cheese went with anything. She grabbed a fork and sat down at the dining room table. The cats were already standing there and she looked at each of them, trying to catch their eyes.
“No. Get down.” When they refused to acknowledge her direction, she picked them up, one by one and put them on the floor. Luke attempted to return to the table, but after a second unceremonious push to the floor, he sat down to clean his belly, letting Polly know that he was unconcerned with her interference.
She opened her laptop and logged on, then took a bite of the chicken. Oh yes, that was perfect. Rachel was becoming quite a good cook. When she clicked to her email tab, her heart jumped into her throat. There was another email from “igotyou.” She had hoped that after the trouble last fall with broken windows in the kitchen and paint splattered over the front of Sycamore House, the person had gone away for good. There hadn’t been any other instances of vandalism since then and she could hardly believe the person was back.
Polly took a deep breath and opened the email.
Did you miss me pretty girl? I’d hate for you to forget about me.
She slammed the laptop closed and jumped up from her seat. Running out the front door and down the main steps to the office, she pulled up short when she got to Jeff’s office.
“Did you get another one?” she asked.
“Another what?”
“Another email from the person who vandalized Sycamore House last fall. I just opened one.”
Jeff clicked to his email and scanned through them. “Nope. I don’t see anything.”
“Check your spam folder. Please?”
He clicked through and opened the folder. “No. Nothing here.” He looked up at her. “What did it say?”
“It asked if I missed him and said that he didn’t want me to forget him. Why didn’t he email you?”
“I have no idea. Nothing has happened around here, though, has it?”
“I’ll call Eliseo, but I haven’t noticed anything. Oh Jeff, I can hardly breathe.”
“I understand that. I wonder why he waited so long.”
She dropped into a chair and tears filled her eyes. “You know I just want to say the worst swear words ever right now, don’t you? I want to say them all in a row over and over.”
“I’m sorry.”
Polly leaned forward on Jeff’s desk, putting her head in her hands. “I don’t know what to do. Is he going to escalate? Will he hurt someone? Does he know about the hotel?”
“Breathe, honey. Call Aaron or Ken and tell them what’s going on. They’ll send more patrols around at night. We’ll leave the lights on and make sure things are safe. The rooms are full, so people are wandering around at all hours and if you keep your bedroom door open, Obiwan will alert you to any sounds that are out of place. Right?”
“You’re right. And I suppose if he does any damage out at the hotel, it’s no big deal. The place is in complete destruction as it is. Damn it, Jeff. Why do things always pile on top of each other?
“I don’t know. Who should we contact? Aaron or Ken?”
“Probably Aaron. If Anita needs to come up and look at the system again, he can have her do that.”
“Doug probably wouldn’t mind it if she did.”
Polly grinned. Doug and Anita were tentatively trying to figure out how to have a relationship. They’d dated a few times in the last several months, but Doug was terribly shy about the whole thing and Anita was extremely busy. There had been a few gaming nights in the computer room here and Anita had come up to play, but they had yet to do much more than be casual about it.
“Do you want me to call him?”
“Would you mind? He’s had enough of me today. And if you call him at least he won’t assume I’ve found another dead person.”
“Eliseo told me what happened. You’ve had a bad day. I’ll take care of this. Why don’t you go upstairs, take a shower and relax.”
Polly looked down at her filthy clothes. “Am I offending you?”
“I’m not about to say that,” he laughed, “but you’ll probably feel better if you do.”
He was right. “Thanks, Jeff. I appreciate you talking me in from the ledge.”
“I’m here to take care of everything, even your sanity when necessary.”
Polly went back upstairs and opened the front door of her apartment. When she stepped into the living room, she was greeted by a very guilty looking dog and two nonchalant cats.
“What did you do this time?” she asked and glanced at the dining room table. The chicken was gone and the container and fork were on the floor. The cottage cheese container was tipped over, but she’d not had time to open it, so nothing had spilled. The apple was missing and she knew she needed to find it. She picked up the fork and empty chicken container, then looked for more signs of destruction. There was a smear of tomato on the floor leading into the kitchen. A quick swipe with a paper towel and it was cleaned up. Polly put the cottage cheese away and took out another apple. The bite of chicken had been wonderful, but the email had upset her enough that her stomach had forgotten how hungry it was.
She had a couple of hours until the boys showed up so she headed for the shower. It didn’t surprise her at all to find the apple on the bathroom floor. She tossed it into the trash can under the sink and turned on the water.
Damn. She’d forgotten to call Ben to tell him she wasn’t coming back to the hotel. Padding into the bedroom, she picked up the phone and called Henry.
“Hey pretty girl, I’m not far away now. What are you doing?”
Her voice broke, “Henry, could you tell Ben I’m not coming back to the hotel this afternoon and ask him to take the cart back to the basement and close up?”
“What happened, Polly?”
“I’m done. I can’t take any more today. I’m going to crawl in the shower and wash this damned day off of me.”
“What happened?”
“I got an email from the person who vandalized Sycamore House last fall. He’s back. I haven’t had anything to eat and Obiwan ate my chicken breast and stole my apple. I’m tired, filthy, and hungry and I don’t want to be an adult any more today.”
“You got an email? Have you called Aaron or Ken?”
“Jeff is taking care of it. I’m done.” She started to cry. “I’m sorry, Henry. Don’t worry. I’ll feel better after a shower. But could you call Ben for me?”
“I’ll go there now and take care of it myself. Don’t worry about anything. Take your shower. Make some toast and lay down until the boys show up. I’ll be by later.”
“Thank you. I love you.”
“I love you too, Polly.”
After he hung up, Polly felt tears stream down her face. She figured she might as well do it in the shower, so she checked the temperature of the water, turned it up until it was almost too hot and stepped in. It was only two fifteen and she felt like she had already dealt with an eighteen hour day. This one needed to be finished.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Polly woke the next morning feeling much better. Henry had waited until the boys had gone home and come over with pizza, ice cream treats and Mountain Dew. He’d reluctantly gone to his own home after they watched television, worrying that the vandal might try something, but Polly made him leave. She assured h
im that if something did happen, his presence wouldn’t stop it. Today she was heading to his house to start cleaning. She could strip beds and scrub down cupboards, vacuum and dust. If that made him feel better about having his parents return to Iowa, she was glad to do it.
When she and Obiwan got to the barn, Rachel was there.
“Good morning!” Polly said, stopping at Daisy’s stall. “What are you doing here this morning?”
“I miss hanging out with Daisy, so since I’m working late tonight, I thought I’d come down and hug her. Is that okay?”
“Of course it is. I’m glad you want to be here. How did the birthday party go last night?”
“It was great! Sylvie helped me set up, but I did most of the work, so I got the tip. And it was big!”
“Congratulations.” Polly loved the idea that Sylvie, who had been barely scraping by when they first met, was now enabling someone else to find success.
The three of them fed the horses and turned them out. The morning was crisp, but held promise for sunshine and warmth as morning turned to afternoon.
Polly took Obiwan back up to her apartment and called Henry.
“Good morning, pretty girl!” he said. “How are you feeling today?”
“Much better. Thank you for taking care of me last night. I was worn out.”
“No signs of vandalism?”
“None that we’ve seen yet, so I’m hoping for the best.”
“I was worried about you last night.”
“I know, but there’s nothing we can do until we figure out who’s doing this. Do you have cleaning supplies at the house?”
“Everything is on the kitchen table. There’s a box of old rags there if you need them. Do you know where the laundry room is off the kitchen?”
“I’ll find it. Don’t worry. And it’s not like I can’t call if I have questions.”
He chuckled. “You’re right. Are you sure you want to do this?”
“It’s not often I get to take care of you. I kind of like it.”
“Can I bring lunch? I’ll even go to your place first and let Obiwan out for a walk.”
“That would be fantastic. Whenever you show up will be fine. I’ll be the girl covered in dirt.”
Diane Greenwood Muir - Bellingwood 06 - A Season of Change Page 6
