Through the Storm (Bellingwood Book 8)

by Diane Greenwood Muir

  "Now let's go inside and see what Eliseo found for Henry."

  "It's pretty cool." He opened the front door for her. "Andrew always says that you're willing to talk about things, no matter how weird. He's right."

  "You could be a little nicer to him."

  "Not likely. I don't want him getting a big head or anything."

  "Got it." She laughed and went into the front room.

  Henry was sitting on the couch, surrounded by a pile of comic books.

  "What in the world?" she asked.

  "Look at these. Uncle Loren actually took the time to put them into plastic sleeves and everything."

  Sylvie was sitting beside him. "I told Andrew he couldn't touch these until you saw them. I have no idea what they're worth, but they look old."

  "Let me see one of those," Polly said.

  Henry handed her a comic book from the pile. "See, this is the premiere issue of Silver Surfer."

  Polly took out her phone and entered the text, then turned it back to Henry. "I have no idea how they determine the quality, but this one is up for auction at more than five hundred dollars."

  Sylvie put the comic she was holding back on the stack and took a breath. 'You have to get these out of here. I just about had a heart attack. How much money is this worth?"

  "Some of these are pretty beat up," Polly said. "But if they're early comics, those guys are rabid. I wonder where Loren got them."

  "There were always comics here at the house when Grandma and Grandpa were alive," Henry said. "Maybe he was smarter about this than I realized." He pointed at the bookshelf on one of the walls leading to the dining room. "When we were little, there were piles of comics that all of us cousins would pull out and read while the adults were talking. I don't know if any of those are in this stack or not."

  "Well, they're yours," Eliseo said. "I certainly don't want to be responsible for them. I haven't bought the house yet, and who knows what else I'll find here."

  "Where was this cubby hole?" Polly asked.

  "It was up in the bedroom where I'm staying," Sylvie said. "In the closet. I told Eliseo the other morning that I thought something looked odd with the wallpaper in there. He checked it out and found that Loren had cut the wall out and made a door. I wonder if he did that when he was a kid. That front room was his bedroom, wasn't it?" She looked at Henry.

  "Yeah. It was." He shook his head. "The things you learn after someone has died. I wish I'd known him better when he was normal."

  "Dinner's going to be ready in a few minutes," Sylvie said. "Jason, would you help me put things on the table?"

  He started to huff, but thought better of it after looking around the room at the other adults and got up, following his mom into the kitchen.

  "I'll get Andrew and Rebecca," Eliseo said and went out the front door.

  "If we sell these and there is a lot of money here, I have to let Eliseo in on that," Henry said.

  "I know. We'll talk to your dad and Betty and decide what the best thing is to do." Polly sat down beside him.

  "If these are really worth so much money, I'm not comfortable with them sitting around the apartment."

  She started to pick one up, then drew her hand back. "We can always put them back in the cubby hole."

  "That might be a little strange. I'll take them over to Dad. He's got plenty of hiding places between the house and the shop. If you go up to their attic, you could stow these in a corner and no one would ever know they're there. So much stuff it's easy to lose things."

  Andrew and Rebecca came running in, followed by Eliseo. "Aren't those cool? Mom wouldn't let me open any of them. She said they are really old."

  "They are. And she's very smart. They might be worth some money."

  "Not worth much if you can't read them," he grumped.

  "You are a very smart kid, Andrew Donovan," Polly said, laughing. "That's exactly how I feel about them too. But, since not everyone is as smart as we are, I guess we'll have to abide by their rules."

  "I was afraid you'd say that. I love comic books."

  "Have you ever spent much time with comics, Rebecca?" Polly asked.

  "No. We couldn't afford them."

  "Really. The way you draw, you'd be great at doing something like this."

  "Rebecca!" Andrew shouted, getting the attention of everyone in the house. "Oops, sorry."

  "Andrew," Sylvie scolded from the dining room. "Inside voice."

  "I said I'm sorry," he muttered.

  "What did you want?" Rebecca asked quietly.

  "That's what we should do. Make a comic book together. I could tell the story and you could draw the pictures."

  Her face lit up. "That would be fun."

  Polly looked at Henry and smiled, shaking her head. "I love watching little brains get all creative."

  "You're going to have to buy a lot of paper."

  "Anything to keep them doing things like this."

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Turning over in bed, Polly said, "I like having Jason live with Eliseo. I don't have to get up as early in the morning."

  "When's the last time we got to sleep in?" Henry asked.

  "No kids until later, nobody else in the place. I could get used to this." She jostled a cat, who yawned, stretched and curled back into the warm spot she'd left behind.

  "That seems dangerous."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Getting used to this."

  "What are you doing today?"

  "I'm going to take the comics over to Dad. He needs to know about them. Nate borrowed a flatbed and we're going out to Mrs. Willard's to pick up those cars."

  "I can't believe the two of you think you're going to bring those shells back to life. You're insane."

  Henry tucked his arm under her shoulders and drew her in close. "I wouldn't do it if Nate wasn't sure of himself. It does seem pretty overwhelming. After that, though, I don't know what else is happening. What about you?"

  "Nothing much, actually. Rebecca is spending time with Beryl this morning. Sylvie's dropping her off. Andrew and I will pick her up and then we'll head down to Boone. That probably means a stop at the bookstore."

  "Do you ever think about those days when we didn't have anyone else in our lives and we spent entire days watching movies and eating pizza?"

  "That was just last year," Polly said.

  "It seems like forever ago."

  Obiwan's head popped up and he jumped to the floor. Standing in front of the door with his tail wagging, he turned back to look at Polly.

  "There isn't anyone out there," Polly said, "and I'm not ready to take you for a walk. Come back to bed, you stupid dog."

  He let out a bark.

  "What?" she asked. "That's just not right." Polly nestled back into Henry's arms. "What's up with him, anyway?"

  "Shhh. Do you hear that?" he asked.

  "I don't hear anything. No one is getting me out of bed this morning. Stop it, both of you."

  "Polly, someone is out there."

  She sat up and scooted up against the headboard. "Oh come on. Unless they have a key to get into Sycamore House and then into the apartment, no one is there. I don't hear anything."

  "If you'd be quiet long enough to pay attention, you'd hear something."

  Obiwan barked again, three times.

  "You stay here," Henry said. "I'll see what's going on."

  "Like I want you to be the one who gets shot?" Polly sat forward and took a deep breath. "Who's out there? You're bothering my Saturday morning sleep."

  She nearly leaped out of her skin when there was a knock at their bedroom door.

  "Polly? Henry? I'm sorry, it's me. Jessie."

  Polly glared at Henry. "I nearly wet the bed," she said softly, then broke into hysterical laughter. "You'd be shot and I'd wet the bed. What a pair we'd be."

  "I'll be right there, Jessie," she called out. "Just let me get my wits about me."

  "What in the hell do you think she wants?" Henry asked disguste
dly.

  "You stop it. We don't know what's been going on."

  "She runs out on you, she runs out on Mom and now she sneaks back here in the dark of night and scares us to death. Does the girl have no sense?"

  "It's seven o'clock in the morning. The sun has been up for half an hour. Dark of night left a long time ago. Get over yourself and put some clothes on. I'm going to start the coffee and you're going to take Obiwan for a walk. Then we're calmly going to find out what she's been doing this last week and we're calmly going to figure out what comes next. Got it?"

  "Don't calmly me. I was nearly shot." He threw the blankets back and swung his legs to the floor. "I told you not to get used to being alone here. You did this to us. You jinxed our lazy morning, so I'm going to be mad at you."

  "I need coffee," Polly said. "Lots and lots of coffee. My heart is racing so fast it seems to have missed the checkered flag."

  "No more Sunday afternoon Nascar racing for you."

  "It's great for naps. Varoom, varoom ... wonderful white noise."

  "Get out and deal with the girl."

  Polly pulled on her robe and opened the door. Obiwan dashed to the sofa and jumped up on Jessie's lap.

  "It looks like someone's glad to see you're back," Polly said, walking through to the kitchen. "Come on out while I make coffee."

  She filled the pot with water and the filter with coffee and flipped the switch, then leaned back on the counter to wait for Jessie. When it didn't happen immediately, Polly opened the refrigerator and stared at the shelves, hoping for breakfast inspiration. Finally, she took out milk, eggs, and a loaf of bread. French toast seemed easier than pancakes this morning. She was whisking the egg mixture when Henry and Obiwan walked through to the back door. The dog was wagging excitedly. Henry scowled as he went past.

  "Jessie?" Polly called out. "Come on in. No one will bite you."

  The cats were meowing and weaving through her feet, so she filled their food dishes and then went ahead and put food in Obiwan's dish as well.

  "I'm so sorry, Polly. I should have called. I should have messaged you. I should never have left." Jessie poked her head around the corner of the door and walked across the room.

  "Yep. You're right. Okay, you're sorry. I accept that. When's the last time you had anything to eat."

  Jessie looked at the floor. "I don't know. I ate something yesterday at a gas station."

  "You haven't eaten except for food at a gas station?"

  "I only had money for gas."

  Polly dropped two slices of bread into the toaster, opened the refrigerator and took out milk and orange juice, pouring a glass of each and putting them on the peninsula. "Sit. Start drinking. We'll deal with this past week after you've had something to eat and taken a shower."

  "I'm so sorry."

  "No apologies yet. Just deal with what is coming next. I don't want you to talk about any of this until you're ready to face every bit of it."

  "But ... "

  "Nope. No buts. First food, then shower, then talking. In that order, so we aren't interrupted. Then we start fixing things."

  "Can it be fixed?"

  Polly leaned over the counter and looked at Jessie. "Tell me that you are okay. That you haven't been hurt, that you don't need a doctor or something like that."

  Jessie pulled her shirtsleeves down over the back of her hands. "I'll be okay."

  "What?" Polly asked and reached out to touch her.

  The girl drew back suddenly and turned her head so that her hair fell in front of her face.

  "Jessie. Have you been hurt?"

  "It's fine."

  "Is something broken?"

  "No." Jessie looked up at Polly, silently pleading. "I'm fine."

  "Do you promise that there is no need to see a doctor?"

  "It's okay."

  "That's not a promise, but as long as nothing is broken, we'll deal with that later, too."

  The toast popped up. Polly buttered it and took out two jars of jelly and put it all in front of Jessie. "Start eating. French toast and coffee will be up in just a few minutes."

  No sooner had she started dipping bread, than Jessie was finished with the first piece of toast and slathering jelly on the second. Polly refilled her milk glass and then the orange juice.

  "This is so good," Jessie said. "Thank you."

  "How long did it take you to get here?" Polly asked.

  "I was stupid. I went to Omaha."

  "From where?"

  "I left him in Rapid City."

  Polly slowly nodded her head. "When did you leave?"

  "I snuck out yesterday morning. I drove all day, well, I had to stop several times to sleep. I don't think I slept all week. I fell asleep last night in a truck stop and then came here and slept in the parking lot."

  "Oh sweetie, you should have called me and come up when you got here."

  "I don't have my phone and I didn't want to scare you in the middle of the night."

  "I see. Okay. More about that later."

  "I want to tell you."

  Polly flipped the four slices of French toast on her griddle. "I know you do. And you'll have plenty of time to do that. Just let me ask one question. Is anyone chasing you? Am I going to have to deal with something else?"

  Jessie shook her head, "No, he doesn't give a shit about me." She looked up. "Oops, sorry."

  "That's okay, there's no one else around to hear it."

  "No, I have to get used to being around the kids again."

  Polly put two pieces of French toast on her plate and pushed the syrup toward her.

  "Do I get to be around the kids again?"

  "It's going to be okay. One way or the other it's going to be okay. Rebecca missed you. It's been a rough week around here."

  "What happened? Is her mom okay?"

  "She will be, but Sarah went back into the hospital this week. This time because she's diabetic. She was getting really lethargic and went downhill pretty quickly."

  "Oh, poor Rebecca."

  "And, Andrew was taken by his father Monday night."

  "What?"

  "Yeah. It's been a little rough. I think we're getting through it, though. Rebecca was worried about you."

  "I missed her."

  "She'll be here later today. She's at Beryl's this morning."

  "Doing art? That's so cool. That little girl is so good."

  "Yes she is. Now eat. More milk?"

  "No, I'm fine. Thanks."

  Obiwan dashed across the floor, stopped to sniff Jessie's leg, then ran to his food dish. Henry came through and turned to head back to their bedroom.

  "I'll be right back. Eat those other two pieces if you want. I have plenty." Polly left and followed Henry.

  "So. Has she sowed her wild oats again?" Henry asked once the door was shut.

  "I don't know anything yet. She hasn't eaten since yesterday afternoon and she's starving. She's been on the road from Rapid City since yesterday morning and I think she's been hurt. Nothing is broken, but she isn't ready to tell me what's wrong. You have to be nice until we know the whole story, please?"

  He set his lips into a flat line. "I'll be nice. This girl is trouble, Polly. I can't believe you want her here and influencing Rebecca and Andrew."

  "Henry, please don't do this."

  "Do what? She ran away from her parents and now she's run away from us. Who's to say she won't run again?"

  "She came back. Can't we at least wait until we know everything?"

  "You rescue people and you take care of them. My job is to take care of you. When people abuse your good will, that infuriates me. She's a stupid kid and you're going to bend over backwards to make sure that she's okay. She'll hurt you again and what if she hurts those kids?"

  "I don't want to fight with you about this."

  "I don't want to fight either, but I'm pissed."

  "Are you mad enough that you don't want to eat breakfast? I'm making French toast."

  He took her by the arms an
d then wrapping them around his waist, he hugged her. "I'm mad enough that I don't want to eat breakfast. Will it make you angry if I take a shower and head over to the shop? If I sit with her and she tries to make me feel sad for her, I don't know what I'll say."

  "I won't make you put up with young girl angst," Polly said, tilting her head up to kiss his cheek. "Go hang out with your parents, get rid of your comic books and call your buddy to pick up your cars."

  Henry stepped back from her. "You just made me sound like a teenager."

  "Oh I did? Come on, now." Polly let a burble of laughter escape her lips. "You have it pretty good, big boy. Do you really think it's a bad thing for me to try to help someone who didn't grow up with parents like yours?"

  "Now you're just being mean." He brushed his index finger down her nose. "I'll go away and calm down and when you've found out all of her dirty little secrets and gotten her all fixed up, then you can tell me about it and I'll feel sorry for her."

  "I'm probably going to let her sleep the day away here. Are you sure you'll be gone all day?"

  "I am now. I'll pack a lunch."

  "I love you, you big, gruff bear."

  "Maybe you should call me Sugarbear."

  "Uh huh. Go take a shower. I'll talk to you later."

  "Are you still taking Andrew and Rebecca to Boone?"

  "Yeah. Do you need something?"

  "No, that's fine. Just be careful."

  Polly moved in closer and kissed him, feeling his arms wrap around her again. "I'm sorry we didn't get our lazy morning," he said.

  "We can try again some other time."

  She went back out to the kitchen and turned the heat on under the griddle again. Jessie had finished all four slices of French toast. "Do you want any more?" Polly asked.

  "No, I think I'm going to die."

  "Well, I'm going to cook all of this up and we can toast it later on. I thought I was cooking for a crowd, but Henry is going over to his parent's house."

  "Is he really mad at me?"

  "He's kind of mad," Polly said, matter-of-factly. "He went out of his way for you with his mom and feels like you stiffed him."

  "I know. I should have called."

  "Yes, you should have. It's going to take a while before he trusts you again." She reached up and took out a box of parchment paper. "Here, tear this up in bread size pieces."