Unexpected Riches (Bellingwood Book 13)

by Diane Greenwood Muir

  "Sucker bet," Polly said. "And if you didn't hurt so bad, I'd squeeze you."

  Heath moved away from her. "Ouch?"

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Leaving the boys in the living room, Polly called Aaron. When she gave him the names of the boys who had been involved, he groaned.

  "What's wrong?" she asked.

  "It's nothing. They are trouble."

  She heard him breathing.

  "Aaron?"

  "Sorry. Is Heath willing to accuse them of beating him up?"

  "I don't know," Polly said. "He's certainly fearful of reprisals. He didn't want me to tell you and I think he hopes this will just go away."

  "This is one of those things I hate about my job," Aaron said. "I want to nail these delinquents, but Heath is right. It won't be easy for him at school. They have their claws dug in pretty tight and as you can see, they're more than willing to make a statement with their fists, feet, and now weapons."

  "Doesn't that change things?" she asked.

  "That a knife was used? Yes, for one of the boys. But the others will still be around to torment Heath and his friends. What a strange sense of loyalty they have. But it's worse for Heath because he was once part of them. He sighed. "We'll round them up and see what we can shake out, but I don't know what we'll be able to do. How is he doing?"

  "He's getting better," she said. "I’m not sending him back to school this week. If he has to face them, I want him to at least be healthy. You know, Aaron, I can totally get helicopter parents. I want to yank him out of there and put him into a completely different school system so he never has to see those boys again."

  "I understand," Aaron said. "Let me ask more questions at the school before you make any decisions. This beating is an escalation, but they've hurt kids before. From what I understand, Ladd Berant has become a hero to some of the kids that knew him."

  "How does that even happen?" she asked.

  "The world is a scary place for our young people some days."

  "Can I open a little home school in my back yard?" Polly asked. "How can I send Rebecca into that type of environment?"

  "Most kids don't even realize this is going on. She might never see any hint of it."

  "This is Rebecca we're talking about," Polly said. "You know better than that. Say, by the way, have you gotten any more information on Ethan Carter's death?"

  "Your friend Beryl and young Tallie gave me some names this morning. Anita is checking to see if any of the other cousins are in Iowa, just in case they came up to check on his progress."

  "Finding a treasure that no one knows whether it even exists?" Polly was incredulous. "After all of these years, why would they think it's just going to pop out at them?"

  "It's the only thing we have to go on."

  "Did you talk to Beryl about her half-brother, Darien?"

  "The English boy?"

  Polly laughed. "He's not a boy. But yes. I'd almost bet that he was the one who broke into Sycamore House last night. It's the only thing that makes sense."

  "What do you think he was looking for?"

  "That's where we're stumped," she said. "Maybe it was the list of family members so he could reach out to Lester Carter's descendants or get in touch with some of the boys he'd talked to last fall when he contacted Ethan. Or maybe he was looking for the research Andy had done on land that the early Carters owned around here."

  "This is all pretty convoluted," Aaron said with a chuckle. "I'm glad you reached out to Bellingwood police rather than me, though."

  "That was the alarm company. I would have called you."

  "Dead bodies, Polly. All I want is dead bodies from you."

  "And beaten up sons?"

  "I will always take care of your family. We do need to talk to Heath, though. Stu is up in that neck of the woods. Can I have him stop by?"

  "Sure. Heath's brother is here for a while. It might help if Stu talks to both of them. Hayden is good support."

  "I'll give him a call. Thanks, Polly."

  "Thank you," she replied.

  Polly wondered if she still had Jeanie Dykstra's contact information in her phone. They really didn't see each other outside of summer band rehearsals and performances, but they'd exchanged numbers the first year. She scrolled through the list until she found it. Blast Beryl anyway. This wasn't Polly's job and here she was doing it just because Beryl asked.

  She frowned, then swiped the call open and waited as it rang.

  "Jeanie Dykstra, how may I help you?"

  "Hi, Jeanie. This is Polly Giller. How are you?"

  "Polly! I'm fine. What can I do for you?"

  "Well," Polly said. "Apparently you are descended from Lester Carter, one of the founders of Bellingwood."

  Jeanie laughed. "Yes I am. Are you on the committee for the sesquicentennial? I guess you can't get started too early on this."

  "No. That's not it. It's something else entirely right now. I wonder if your family has any old family letters or pictures or information from the days of Lester and Jedidiah Carter."

  "I'm sure we do. They're all out at Mama and Daddy's house, though. What are you looking for?"

  "That's just it," Polly said. "I'm not sure. Apparently, descendants of the third brother, Cyrus, found letters that Lester had sent to him regarding Jedidiah's robbery of the bank."

  "Oh that," Jeanie said. Polly could hear the smile in her voice. "That's old news."

  "What do you mean?"

  "I don't know about the gold, but I know that it was all paid back to the bank. Jedidiah's daughter cleared his name. We have the bank ledgers. That's kind of a family legend that's been passed down."

  "But you don't know if they found the gold?"

  "I suppose not. You've heard about Pearl, though, right? How she wrote under a man's name? Cyrus was very proud of her. If she hadn't done what she did, he would have lost the bank because of her father. The regulators were coming in to audit the accounts and Cyrus didn't know what to do. Pearl sold more stories that year than ever before so that she could pay him back for her father's wrong doing. Old Jedidiah had died by that point. She wouldn't have had to take responsibility for it, but she did."

  "So Cyrus didn't have any idea where Jedidiah might have buried the gold?"

  "Buried it?" Jeanie laughed out loud. "He was such a thief and a gambler, it had to have just dribbled out of his hands."

  "But as I understand it, he died before that could have happened."

  "Hmmm," Jeanie said. "I suppose. It might not be a bad idea to look through that little box of goodies we have at the house. Maybe I should give Mama a call. Would you like to see it, too?"

  "I would love that."

  "Polly?"

  "Yes."

  "There's someone at the door." Jeanie paused. "Well, he's a handsome fellow."

  "Tall? Dark hair?"

  "Yes, do you know him?"

  "Jeanie, don't answer the door."

  "What do you mean?"

  "If he's who I think he is, you don't want to answer the door. He's looking for the same information that I am, but I don't know what his motives are."

  "What should I do?"

  "I don't think he'll try to break in," Polly said. "Is your front door locked?"

  "No," Jeanie said. "I never lock my door during the day. Do you think he'll come in?" Her voice dropped to a whisper. "He's opening the door."

  "Halloo, is anyone here? Jeanie Dykstra, are you home?" It was a distinct British accent.

  "That is who I thought it was," Polly said. She ran out into the living room. "Heath, do you have your phone?"

  He held it up.

  "Call the police and tell them that Jeanie Dykstra has unwanted company." Polly said to Jeanie. "What's your address?"

  "Two-oh-four East Polk," Jeanie whispered. "I'm in the back bathroom. I don't think he came in the house, though."

  Heath handed Polly the phone. "Hi, this is Polly Giller and I think the man who broke into Sycamore House last night migh
t be over at Jeanie Dykstra's house."

  "Is she safe?"

  "I think so. Could you send someone by there, though?"

  "Right away. Are you on the phone with her?"

  "I am."

  "Tell her to remain quiet and we'll be right there. Do you believe he's a threat to her?"

  Polly pursed her lips and thought. "Not really. It's the middle of the morning, so probably not, but I'd hate to be wrong."

  There was a knock at Polly's front door and she nodded at Hayden. She felt like an octopus with a telephone in each hand and now this. He stood up and opened the door, then stepped back as Deputy Stu Decker came in.

  Stu took in Polly's situation and smiled at her, then extended his hand to Hayden.

  "Stu Decker."

  "I'm Hayden Harvey. Do you know my brother, Heath?"

  Stu nodded. "How are you feeling today Heath?"

  "Better."

  "You still look pretty rough. Polly called the sheriff and said you have some names for us. Can we talk?"

  Heath looked at Polly just as Jeanie said, "I think he drove away. Would he go out to my parent's house?"

  Polly turned away from the conversation in her living room. "I don't know that, Jeanie. The police are on their way to you. If you're worried, call your mother and talk to the officer about it."

  "Ms. Giller?" the dispatcher asked. "The officer is pulling up in front of her house right now. He says there is no one there. Will she answer the door for him?"

  "Jeanie," Polly said, thinking she deserved a headache after this. "There's an officer coming to your front door. Do you feel comfortable letting him in?"

  "I do. Can I call you later?"

  Polly chuckled. "Of course. I'll stay on the phone until you tell me that it's okay."

  "It's okay," Jeanie said. "I know him. Thank you."

  With that she was gone. "She knows the officer that's at her front door," Polly said to the dispatcher. "Thank you for your help."

  "Thank you."

  Polly turned back to the men in her living room and Stu raised his eyebrows. "Officer? What's going on?"

  "Too much," Polly said. "There has not been enough coffee in my morning for all of this.”

  "Is everything okay?"

  "I think so. That was Jeanie Dykstra. There was a man at her front door that shouldn't have been there. I'm pretty sure it's the same man who broke in here last night. So, we called the police." She handed Heath's phone back to him. "Thanks."

  Stu chuckled. "There's always something when you're around, isn't there?"

  "Stop it. This is not my fault. When will you people get that through your head?" she asked with a laugh. "You got here faster than I thought you would. I haven't had a chance to talk to Heath yet."

  "I see," Stu replied. "Heath, I just need you to tell me what happened Friday night and who was involved. How did they know where to find you?"

  Heath looked up at Polly again and she nodded at him. "Tell him everything. You aren't in trouble here. He needs the whole story."

  "Go ahead," Hayden said. "Just tell it. It's the right thing to do."

  Heath told his story, this time with more confidence. Stu quietly took notes as the boy spoke, asking questions only to encourage him to continue. When Stu asked Heath if he feared for his life, Heath shook his head.

  Then he stopped, looked down and then back up. "I do now. I don't want to be a drama queen, but they told me I'd die if I talked to you."

  Polly sucked in a breath and held it. This couldn't be happening. Heath was finally participating in life again. He couldn't shut himself back inside the shell he'd built before coming to live with her.

  "Would your friend, Libby, corroborate your story?" Stu asked.

  "I think so," Heath replied. "She was pretty scared, though. I don't know what she remembers." He looked at Polly. "And her mom hates me now, so she might not help."

  "What about other kids at school. Are these same boys threatening anyone else?"

  Heath huffed a derisive laugh. "All the time. Nobody does anything about it, though. I even heard them threaten one of the teachers. Nobody did anything about that either."

  "I see. Just four of them?"

  "Yeah. I suppose," Heath said.

  "What does that mean?"

  "There's those four and then there are some hangers on. You know, kids that will do whatever they say so there isn't any trouble. Those kids are freshman, but they think they're big-time."

  Stu reached over to shake Heath's hand. "Thank you for talking to me. I'm sorry this happened to you. We'll do what we can to make it safe for you to return to school."

  "And if you can't?" Hayden asked.

  "I don't know, son," Stu said. "We will do our best for your brother, though."

  Polly walked Stu to the front door.

  "I'm not sure what to say here, Polly. But don't hurry to send him back to school, okay? Give us some time to talk to people."

  "He needs to heal anyway," Polly said. "Thanks for coming over."

  She stood in the doorway and watched Stu walk down the steps. It made her angry that there was nothing she could do. It made her even angrier that there were more kids than Heath who didn't feel safe in school. My goodness, were people's priorities messed up. She took a deep breath, walked back inside and shut the door.

  "I'm calling the school this afternoon to get your assignments. You're off for at least this week. We'll take this one step at a time," she said.

  Hayden looked at his brother. "I need to head back to Ames. Is there anything else you need from me?"

  She smiled at him and gave him a hug. "I'm glad you were here this weekend. Home game again next week?"

  "We're on the road," he said. "But maybe I can come over Sunday night again?"

  "You know you're welcome any time."

  Polly wanted to talk to Jeff. She was sure Henry had contacted him about fixing the window, but she wanted to see him face to face. "I need to go down to the office," she said to Heath. "How about we move you into the media room before I go?"

  He pushed the blanket off his lap and dislodged Han from his feet. "I can do it on my own."

  "Of course you can," Polly said. "But how about you just let me keep an eye on things so I feel better about where you are. Please let me take care of you."

  "You've already done more than anybody ever has for me."

  "Hey," Hayden said, coming out of the bedroom. "I'm your bro. What about me?"

  "That's right. You take care of me. Sorry." Heath tossed a pillow at his brother's feet. "Pick that up, please?"

  "Punk."

  "Dirtbag."

  "Stinkyfeet."

  Polly smiled. No matter how bad things looked, the truth was, you just had to manage your way through it.

  "You gonna move into the other room?" Hayden asked.

  "Yeah. What's it to you?"

  "Let's make sure you can walk without my help. You don't want to lean on Polly and break her back." Hayden stood in front of Heath, held his forearm out and stiffened it so Heath could use it to pull himself up.

  The two boys walked slowly through the dining room into the media room. Hayden dropped his duffel bag to the ground and took Heath's hand, allowing his brother to hold on as he braced himself on the arm of the sofa and finally dropped into place.

  "Ask for help," Hayden said. "Don't hurt yourself because you're being stupid, okay?"

  "Just go," Heath retorted. "I'll be fine."

  "And thank you, big brother, you've been a big help this weekend," Hayden said.

  Heath looked up at him. "Thanks."

  "I'll see you later, Polly. Don't let him kid you, he still hurts."

  "I know," she said. "Thank you for all of your help."

  Hayden headed down the back steps and Polly looked at Heath. "What do you need?"

  "A pain pill," he replied.

  She looked at the clock on the dining room wall. He was well past the time for his medication. "We're running late. I'm sorry."<
br />
  "I was trying to see if I could go without."

  "Good for you," Polly said. "But rather than doing without, just plan to extend the time between pills." She put the remote in his lap and pulled the coffee table out of his way, then tugged the side table out so he could easily reach it.

  After he took his medication, Polly sat down at the dining room table. The morning had already been more exciting than she'd expected. And all of that on very little sleep. A rhythmic noise from Heath told her that he had fallen asleep. If he was out, she had time to go downstairs.

  Polly walked out the front door, shutting it on the dogs who wanted to go out and play. She ran down the steps and walked into the office.

  "Good morning," Stephanie said. "How are things upstairs? Is Heath okay?"

  "He's hurting, but he'll be fine. Have you heard from the police yet?" Polly nodded toward her office.

  "They've been here and are gone already," Stephanie replied. "You can have it back. Eliseo came in and ran the vacuum again. We picked things up and tried to put them back in some kind of order, but you'll probably want to reorganize the knick knacks. Can you believe it? How crazy was that?"

  "Pretty crazy," Polly said. "I had never heard the alarm before. I don't like it. I don't want to hear it again."

  "But aren't you glad we installed it," Jeff said, coming out of his office.

  She chuckled. "Nice of you to tell me."

  "You signed the check. The description was on the invoice."

  Polly didn't know what to say to that. "Oh."

  "We're replacing a lot of windows these days," he said. "Somebody will be here to take care of this on Wednesday."

  "What about out at Sycamore Inn?"

  "Windows are replaced there, door sills are fixed, the rooms have been cleaned and we're repainting them this week."

  Polly dropped into a chair in front of Stephanie's desk. "I just hit a wall."

  "You've had a crazy week," Stephanie said.

  Polly grinned. "I thought I was going to get out and meet someone at the coffee shop. But that didn't happen and I feel a little guilty leaving Heath alone upstairs." She sighed. "What kind of fun coffee did Rachel make this morning?"

  Stephanie turned and glanced at Jeff and he laughed at her. "Go. You've been begging me all morning. Take a break."