Unexpected Riches (Bellingwood Book 13)

by Diane Greenwood Muir

  Her dad would have loved this. He adored gadgets of all kinds, but was so frugal that they were usually three or four generations old by the time he finally gave in and bought one. He had jumped right into Macintosh computers, though. When she emptied his house, she found an old one in the attic. People told her that it would make a great fish aquarium, but she didn't have time for that and it had been taken to Goodwill.

  He'd made sure she had what she needed for school. That was probably to justify his need for the newest and best thing. He'd gotten a Palm Pilot when people were moving away from them and was frustrated at its limitations, even though it was more powerful than anything he'd ever carried. He would have been on the forefront of GPS planting had he stayed on the farm.

  Yes, he would have loved being able to access any book he desired. Polly smiled at memories of him sitting in his chair in the living room, the light on over his shoulder and a book in his hands. Sometimes it fell into his lap as he took a short nap - resting his eyes before moving on to the next chapter. He'd never admit to falling asleep. Whatever book he was reading in the living room stayed in the living room. He had another stack of books beside his bed. He told Polly that those were there to put him to sleep. She wondered if he ever finished War and Peace. It had been in that stack as long as she could remember.

  Polly looked up at the sound of the front door opening. "Hello. Welcome to Bellingwood. How can I help you?"

  "Do you have a room available this morning?" the young woman asked. "I drove all night and I'm dead tired."

  "We sure do," Polly said.

  They worked through the process of securing a room and Polly didn't think anything of the woman's name until she offered her home address in Taos, New Mexico.

  "Carter?" Polly asked.

  The young woman nodded, her eyes weary and red. "You've heard?"

  Polly continued typing. "The man who was killed?"

  "He was my brother. I told him not to come up here. I just knew something terrible would happen to him."

  "Did the sheriff's office contact you?" Polly asked.

  "I'm meeting with them later today, but first I need sleep and a shower. Is there a good place to eat lunch in town?"

  "Yes, there is," Polly said. She wasn't sure whether or not to tell the young woman who she was. She glanced at the registration information. Natalie Carter. "Should we call you Natalie?"

  "Just Tallie," the young woman replied. "Everybody calls me Tallie."

  "I'm Polly Giller."

  Tallie's head shot up. "You're the one who found Ethan's body."

  Polly blinked. "I am. I'm surprised the deputy or whoever you talked to, gave you my name."

  "He didn't," Tallie said. "I stopped for gas before coming here and the girl behind the counter was talking about it. I didn't tell her who I was, but she told me everything. Did you really find him in a Carter cemetery?"

  "Yes," Polly said. "The cemetery is old and holds the remains of two of the founders of Bellingwood."

  Tallie shook her head in disgust. "He was really looking for it, then. I told him it was a fool's errand, but he didn't want to listen to me. He only saw stars and unicorns. Nothing ever comes easy or free, right?"

  "Looking for what?"

  "The Carter treasure. Don't tell me you've never heard about it. Surely there are Carters around here who know what old man Jedidiah did."

  Polly wasn't sure what to say. "Jedidiah Carter? There's treasure? We don't know anything about this. You have to tell me what you know!" She grinned at Tallie Carter, realizing the girl had no idea what was going on in her head. "I'm sorry. It's just that I'm friends with Beryl Watson. She's a descendant of Jedidiah Carter and she's never said anything about this."

  Tallie nodded. "My great, great, great, whatever grandfather was his brother, Lester."

  "We wondered," Polly said. "Beryl is certain that since there are so many Carters in the world, your brother couldn't possibly be related to her."

  "I'd like to meet her. Do you think that would be possible?"

  "Possible is an understatement," Polly replied. "Beryl's best friend is the sheriff's wife. That should make things go a lot more smoothly for you."

  "Small towns, huh?" Tallie said with a knowing grin. "Taos is about twice the size of Bellingwood. Everybody knows everybody. I get it."

  "Beryl won't be able to wait to meet you, but I can hold her off while you get some sleep. I've put you in room fourteen behind me here." Polly pointed to the back of the building. "It should be quiet enough."

  Tallie turned her wrist to look at a watch. "I'll set my alarm, but if you don't see me by one o'clock, would you mind calling my room? I'm supposed to be in Boone at three o'clock and I need to eat something first."

  "Of course I will," Polly said. "It's nice to meet you." She picked up one of Sycamore House's brochures and scratched her cell phone number on it. "This is how you can reach me. I own both of these places. If you need anything, just call."

  "Small towns." Tallie smiled, picked up her bag and walked back out of the lobby.

  Polly barely waited a heartbeat after the girl had cleared the front door and dialed her phone. "Pick up, pick up, pick up," she muttered as the call rang and rang.

  "Hello, my friend," Beryl said. "I'm sitting on my sofa with two snuggly kittens, doing my best to keep them quiet so they don't rip their stitches. I’ll need a few bottles of wine when this siege is over. They're happy they both lived through their ordeal. All they want to do is play with each other. But Doctor Jackson said I'm supposed to keep them quiet. Does he not have kittens in his life? How in the hell am I supposed to do that? It's not like I'm the boss of them or anything. Where did he go to veterinarian school? It's like he lost all sense of reality when he got his diploma."

  Polly had been tapping her fingers while Beryl worked through her monologue. Finally, she couldn't stand it. "Beryl. Stop talking."

  Beryl laughed. "Well, that's rude. Why did you call me if you didn't want to hear all about my escapades with the kittens? They've become my whole life these days, you know. And it isn't like I didn't have a full and complete life before they got here. I don't have time to be distracted by two more fuzzy things, but here they are and I can't give them up now. They love me too much and they rely on me for their whole existence. I'm their jungle gym, their warm spot in the middle of the night, I make sure they have food and water and for god's sake, why didn't someone tell me that three cats made that much poop? It's like a perpetual motion poop factory in here. It never ends."

  "Seriously, Beryl. Shut up."

  "Okay. Shutting up. Why did you call me?"

  "Because Ethan Carter is related to you and his sister just showed up at Sycamore Inn. She wants to meet you."

  "Why didn't you tell me that in the first place?" Beryl asked.

  Polly sighed. "I don't know. Because I'm mean, I guess."

  "Yes you are. Now tell me everything." Before Polly could speak, Beryl asked. "How come you know she's at Sycamore Inn?"

  "I'm working here this morning for Grey. He has something else going on and I offered to help."

  "That makes sense. Now why are you still holding out on me? Talk to me, woman!"

  "Aaron's office reached her yesterday."

  "He what?" Beryl cried. "Whoops. Sorry. I just woke up the kittens. It's okay, little ones. Go back to sleep." In a much quieter voice, she repeated herself. "He what? He knew that there was a sister and didn't tell us? I'm going to have his head for this one. Anyway, go on."

  "She drove all night because she's going to meet with him this afternoon."

  "The poor girl. I hope they don't make her identify the body. His wallet was there. That should be enough. Maybe she'd rather stay at my house. No, that wouldn't work right now. The kittens and I are sleeping in the guest room downstairs while they recuperate. That way they can't tear through the house like they usually do. It's bad enough as it is." She giggled. "Sorry. Go on."

  "So, she's meeting with someone in
Boone today and apparently there's a treasure that her brother was looking for up here."

  "A treasure? In Bellingwood? That's ridiculous."

  Polly smiled at her friend. "That's what she said, too. But her brother believed it was here and she thinks he was killed because of it."

  "I should probably ask what her name is," Beryl said.

  "Natalie Carter."

  "That's a beautiful name."

  "But people call her Tallie."

  "I like that even better. Now, how did you find out that they're related to me?" Beryl yelped. "Stop that. Come back here, you little brat. Just a second, Polly. May escaped and she's the one I'm worried about."

  Polly sat back down in the chair and laughed. This was the craziest conversation she'd had with Beryl in a long time. Until those kittens got past this crisis in her world, she was going to be quite distracted. Polly needed to remember to thank Elise for taking care of Leia for the first couple of days after the kitten had been spayed, even if she'd run away in the middle of it. With all of the chaos during those days, Polly hadn't had time to worry about whether or not the kitten was going to be okay. Leia had just sucked it up and lived through it.

  "I'm back," Beryl said. "They're in their bedroom now. Can't trust them at all. No jumping, no running, no biting, no fun. Remind me to never do this again."

  Polly huffed a laugh. "Bet me. You'll do it again in a heartbeat if you fall in love with another animal."

  "I'm done with that. Three cats are more than enough for one old lady. Now, what else do you know?"

  "Not very much," Polly said. "She's a descendant of Lester Carter and knows about Jedidiah and Bellingwood. The poor girl drove all night to get here and was completely exhausted, so I gave her a room and I'm supposed to call her at one o'clock. She wants to get some lunch before heading down to Boone to meet with Aaron."

  "That poor girl isn't meeting with him today. I'll take care of that right now," Beryl declared. "Do you think she'd like to meet me for lunch? I'd bring Lydia and you should come too. What could Aaron say to that?"

  "I don't think he'd be able to say very much," Polly replied. "But I'm not sure if I can go. I promised Grey I would stay here until he got back and I don't know how long that will take."

  "Call him and ask," Beryl said. "You have to eat sometime. Surely he won't be gone all day."

  "Not this time," Polly said. "But if you have lunch with Tallie and I can't be there, you'll just have to tell me about it later."

  Beryl thought about it. "We could do that, but I don't want to. You've been part of this since the beginning. You should know what's going on. Especially if we're going to go on a treasure hunt. You find everything."

  "I only find dead bodies."

  "And cars and camera equipment last time. You're our finder. Hush up, in there. Quit your whining."

  "What?"

  "They're going to be the death of me, Polly. Why did I let you talk me into this?"

  "Into the kittens? Not my fault. And oh, by the way. You found them. I didn't."

  "Please let me blame you. It makes it easier on my soul when I'm mad at them."

  "Nope. Not taking that responsibility."

  "Hush up. I'll be in to pick you up in a minute. You will not die in there. It's a big room and everything you need is there. Shhh!"

  "Everything but you and Miss Kitty," Polly said.

  "That little May makes more noise than any cat I've ever known. Especially when she isn't getting what she wants. Quite the persistent little creature."

  "She's good for you."

  "Uh huh. Whatever. My productivity has decreased significantly since they got here. I'm blaming you for that, too."

  "It has not," Polly scolded. "I know better."

  "You're a worthless friend. Will you give Tallie my phone number when you talk to her next? I can't wait to meet her. This could be a lot of fun."

  "She just lost her brother, Beryl."

  Beryl's voice fell. "I know that. I'm sorry. I promise to be good."

  "I'll tell her. Now go give your kittens some love."

  "They never get enough. They're going to suck me dry, you know."

  "Good-bye, Beryl. I love you. Did that fill you up a little bit?"

  "Of course it did, you silly girl. Tell her to call me and I'm calling Lydia as soon as we hang up. She won't have to meet with Aaron today unless she really wants to. She's with family now."

  "Got it. Be good."

  CHAPTER TEN

  Polly didn't need to worry about getting away from the hotel for lunch. Aaron insisted on speaking with Tallie Carter. He needed answers and she needed to come to grips with the reality of losing her brother. Try as Beryl might, she wasn't able to change things at the sheriff's office.

  It was a good thing, too. Grey called, quite concerned that he was taking up too much of Polly's day, but didn't feel that he should leave the family. Denis was going to be admitted into a facility in Fort Dodge for thirty days. It was obvious by the tone of Grey's voice that he felt he had failed the young man, yet at the same time, he knew that Denis’s life was the boy’s own responsibility. Polly didn't want to ask about Leslie Sutworth. She was fragile on her best days.

  They needed to find someone to help at the inn. Though he hadn't said anything yet, Grey was an integral part of Denis's rehabilitation. Traveling from Bellingwood to Fort Dodge on a regular basis would be time-consuming. Her employees were part of her family and when one member needed support, the rest would step up.

  Polly picked up the phone to call Tallie Carter's room at one o'clock when a tall, good-looking older man came in the front door.

  "Good afternoon," she said. "I'm Polly Giller. Do you have a reservation?"

  "You should find it under Darien Blackstone," he said, smiling at her.

  Polly had to look down before she giggled out loud. She was ashamed of herself. His British accent and that beautiful name were almost too much for her to handle. She steeled herself while pulling his information up on the computer. "It's right here. I see you've stayed with us before. Friends or family in town?"

  He continued to smile. "You could say so. I understand you are the owner?"

  "I am," she said. "How did you know?"

  "I've heard things about Polly Giller." He put his hand up. "All good things, though. Mr. Greyson was to assign room fifteen to me. I prefer the larger accommodations since I will be in town for several days. Is it available?"

  Polly nodded. The information was already in his file. "Certainly." She swiped a pass card for him and slipped it into an envelope. "Have we met before?" she asked.

  "Not formally, but it is good to meet you today," he replied. "I look forward to seeing you again." With that, he picked up the portfolio he'd set down on the counter top and turned to leave.

  She watched him walk away, trying to recall where she'd met him before. Surely she'd remember someone as attractive as him, but she had no memory of someone with a British accent. She looked at the time and grabbed up the phone to dial Tallie's room.

  It only rang once before the girl answered. "Hello?"

  "I'm sorry to be late calling you, Tallie. This is Polly Giller at the front desk."

  "That's okay. I've been up long enough to take a wonderfully hot shower. If I come up to the front desk will you point me in the way of some lunch?"

  "I'd love to. See you in a bit."

  Polly hung up and dialed Beryl's number again.

  "Hello again," Beryl said. "What have you got for me this time?"

  "Tallie is going to be here in just a few minutes for directions to the diner. Do you want to do something this evening with all of us? I'd be glad to invite her over to Sycamore House and cook a meal for everyone."

  Beryl hesitated.

  "If this makes you nervous," Polly said, "we can wait until later. It was just a thought."

  "That's not it. I have plans." Beryl sighed. "This really couldn't have happened at a worse time, could it?"

  "I don't
think that death usually picks good times to happen," Polly said.

  "That was terribly selfish of me. I'm sorry. There are just so many things going on right now. How am I supposed to balance it all?"

  Polly laughed. "You’ve been balancing life for quite a few years. Is it really that out of control today?"

  "It's these damned cats," Beryl said. "They put unreasonable expectations on me and don't know any better. What in the world am I supposed to do about that?"

  "They're cats, Beryl. They'll figure it out."

  "But what if they're lonely and miss me when I'm gone?"

  "They will be lonely and they will miss you. Where are you going?"

  "Just out."

  That made Polly laugh out loud. "They'll get over it. They have each other and they have Miss Kitty. Now quit obsessing."

  "You don't know what it's like."

  "Really?" Polly asked. "I don't?"

  "Shut up."

  "Should I ask what your plans are for tonight?"

  Beryl snickered. "You can ask, but I probably won't tell you."

  "That's not very nice. You know everything about me," Polly said. "Do you have a secret love life..." She stopped talking, realizing where she'd seen Darien Blackstone before. "He's here."

  "What are you talking about, crazy girl?"

  "Darien Blackstone. I just met him. That's the man you wouldn't introduce to me six months ago when we saw you at Davey's. I just checked him into the inn."

  The phone went dead in Polly's hand and she stared at it, a wicked grin on her face. When you don't know what to say, maybe the best thing is to say nothing. Polly thought about calling Beryl back, but decided to leave it alone. Beryl would feel guilty about hanging up on her and find a way to make it up to Polly. As for Tallie, they'd come up with a time when everyone could gather.

  Polly waited. If she was going to spend many days here at the hotel, she’d need a better way to manage her time. There had to be something more she could do to keep herself occupied. She left the counter and dug around under the counters in the lobby until she found cleaning cloths. Grey had probably already wiped down the counters and table tops, but Polly assumed there wasn't any such thing as too clean. She took books off the shelves and dusted, not finding much to be concerned about.