Pages of the Past (Bellingwood Book 9)

by Muir, Diane Greenwood

  "What was your price?"

  He glanced in the vicinity of the offices. "Helen. She was angry with how things were handled. I was furious that she couldn't understand my choices. We both felt like we were betrayed by the other one. Lydia took the kids down to Atlanta several times to see the family, but I stayed here. When Dad died and then Mom a couple of years later, I went back for their funerals, but I lost my family. I did the right thing, though, even if she didn't like it."

  "Did she know everything?"

  "She knew enough. In fact, she was the catalyst. But she had no idea how much her actions would cost. She did the right thing too, though. The cost was worth it."

  He tugged at the front doors and said, "It never occurred to me that you would end up in the middle of all of this. For the last two years I've tried to protect you from the absurdity of your own life and then, mine sideswiped you. That nearly destroyed me, you know. How was I ever going to explain to Lydia that you were in danger because of choices I made before she'd even met me."

  "How did the two of you meet, anyway?" Polly asked. She didn't want him to stop talking.

  Aaron smiled. "It was a blind date for me. But not for Lydia. That woman picked me out and told one of her friends to set us up. She didn't ask, she told the friend."

  "Someone I know?"

  "No. Nena Mack. She lives in Washington. Got married, he worked for a little programming company that exploded in the nineties. But back then, Nena was dating a boy whose brother was a deputy."

  "Where was your first date?"

  "I took her to State Fair. It's always been her favorite thing to do in the summer." He released a breath that sounded like a laugh. "Actually, I didn't take her. She took me. I'd never seen anything like it. She loved the entire experience."

  "Did you ever camp down there?" Polly asked. "I have friends who used to do that."

  "When we had young kids, we spent the whole two weeks. I rented a camper and off we went. Lydia was in heaven. There was nothing too big or too small for her to experience. We don't spend enough time doing that now. If we can get down for a day, it's a big deal."

  "You should go with your grandkids. They'd love it."

  "Maybe when they're older. Lydia will tell me when she's ready. You know, after that first date, she told her friend that if I asked her out again, she'd marry me."

  "I take it you asked her out."

  "Nena called me and told me that I'd better not screw this up. So I didn't. I called Lydia the next night and asked her to dinner. That night she took me to Davey's and she never let me out of her sight again. We were married five months later and Marilyn was born less than a year after that."

  "Lydia's never really talked about this."

  "All you need to do is ask. She tells these stories all the time, but I think she believes that she's worn them out and no one wants to hear them any longer."

  "I loved hearing my dad tell stories of when he and Mom were dating. You could feel them falling in love with each other."

  "I fell in love with that woman the first time I met her and then as I experienced her enthusiastic joy while she dragged me around those State Fairgrounds, I knew I couldn't live without her. She was like no one I'd ever known. I moved here after experiencing the worst lows of my life and one day, there was a light and she wanted to be with me. I couldn't marry her fast enough."

  "Five months is a short time to plan a wedding."

  "That's what her mom said, too. Her Dad offered me two thousand dollars to elope. But Lydia had it well in hand. I gave her a ring, she said yes, and flew into a frenzy of activity. It was a simple wedding. We got married and had a small reception at the church. Nothing like what you serve up here at Sycamore House."

  "Some of them are ridiculous," Polly said. "You saw how I did it. Simple. I couldn't go through what these brides and their families create."

  They were standing in the lounge across from the offices. Polly would have loved to sit, relax and listen to Aaron talk. But she knew that if she interrupted him, he'd take off and the moment would be gone.

  "As long as they're happy," he said. "Marilyn's wedding was an extravaganza. That's the only word I have for it. Lydia had a ball. I wondered if she was making up for her modest wedding, but no, that woman always knew what she wanted. She and Marilyn spent a year planning and honestly, it wasn't as expensive as I feared."

  He looked off toward the addition as if he could see Lydia through the walls. "She's always taken care of me. No matter what. Our family had everything it needed and more, but she wasn't reckless or out of control. I couldn't have asked for a better life."

  "So far," Polly said.

  Aaron smiled at her. "Of course. So far. Don't worry, Polly. I'm not going anywhere. You live much too risky a life for me to let anyone else take care of you." He patted her shoulder. "Except for Henry. That man is a saint. I'm not married to you and some nights I stay awake worrying about what you've gotten in to. He has to live with you every day. I don't know how he goes to work in the morning."

  "Stop it," she brushed him off. "It's not that bad."

  "It would be for me. You're a menace to strong hearts everywhere."

  Polly had subtly guided Aaron back into her office as they talked and gestured to a chair. He hesitated and then sat down.

  "I guess I'm not going anywhere and at least this way I can see out into the parking lot," he said.

  "Nothing is going to happen. You've got the bad guy."

  "No, we just have a minion, but if we're lucky, he's not a bright minion and will give us what we need."

  Aaron's phone rang and he looked at it curiously. "Sheriff Merritt speaking."

  All of a sudden, he looked up at Polly and motioned for a pen and paper. She shoved those at him and he wrote, "Call Stu. Tell them to trace this call. I need to know where he's at."

  "That's not going to happen, Price. It's all over," he said.

  Polly dialed the main number for the Sheriff's office. The voice on the other end of Aaron's call was loud, yelling.

  "Boone County Sheriff," a voice said.

  "This is Polly Giller. Can I speak to Stu? Aaron needs a trace."

  "Just a moment."

  In a split second, Stu was on the line. "Aaron's number?"

  "Yes. I think it's that Price Sutton. Aaron wants to know where he is."

  "It's already going through. Tell him we'll call back when we have information."

  "Thanks, Stu."

  "Is everything okay up there?"

  "Just peachy," she said. "We thrive on insanity around here, you know."

  Polly thought she heard a chuckle, but he said, "Tell Aaron I'll call."

  While she was talking to Stu, Aaron left the office. She figured he would come back when he was finished. This was probably as good a time as any to let Henry know what was going on, but when she looked at the time, she realized there was only a short time left to pick up the kids from school.

  She grabbed her coat and keys and walked out, stopping to tell Stephanie where she was going.

  "Gonna get the kids," she called out to Sylvie as she ran through the kitchen toward the garage. "Back in a few." She pulled up short at the back door and ran back to the stairs.

  "Obiwan! Han! Come down here!" Both dogs came running through the house and down the steps. She grabbed two leashes from the hook inside the door and they followed her into the garage. Obiwan jumped up into the cab, but Han needed help. He was trying to grow into his feet, but hadn't gotten there yet.

  Polly had hoped that he was going to be a small dog like his mother, but he was starting to fill out and grow. When they saw his feet growing faster than the rest of him, she and Henry had become concerned. They were running out of room on the bed. What kind of dog had hooked up with the poor mother of this litter?

  Sylvie's dog, Padme, was not as thick as the three males. Eliseo's pups were growing too. She couldn't just get lap dogs, she had to have dogs that took the entire chair.

&nbs
p; Andrew, Rebecca and Kayla were already crossing the street in front of the elementary school when Polly drove up. She honked and they stopped to wait for her.

  "In the back seat," she said. "We're taking a side trip today."

  "Why are the dogs here?" Kayla asked.

  "I thought it would be fun to take them to the park for a romp."

  "Isn't it too cold?"

  "You all have your coats and mittens. The dogs would love to play in some of this snow. Come on, it's an adventure."

  Kayla didn't seem thrilled, but when Polly glanced in the rear view mirror, she saw Andrew's face alight with excitement. Rebecca pulled a piece of paper out of her backpack and handed it to Kayla.

  "Where did you get this?" Kayla asked in a whisper.

  "I saved it. You should show Polly."

  "I threw it away."

  "I know. It's cool, though. Show Polly."

  "Show me what?" Polly said.

  Kayla took the paper from Rebecca and pushed it down in her opened backpack. "Nothing."

  "It's something. Rebecca thought it was important enough to save it. Show me."

  "Okay," Kayla huffed and pushed the paper over the seat toward Polly.

  Polly glanced at it as she turned into a parking space. She'd come up to the newly restored baseball fields. They'd been destroyed in last summer's tornado, but several fundraisers put together enough money to build new bleachers and a brand new snack shack. They'd finished it just before the season ended last fall and the community was already abuzz with excitement over a new season.

  The snow on the ground had been trampled by people and animals, but there were plenty of new scents for the dogs to have a blast.

  She snapped leashes on the two dogs and they followed her out of the truck.

  "I get Obiwan," Andrew said and took the leash from Polly. "Kayla, you take Han. He likes you. Come on, Rebecca, let's run!"

  Polly looked at the sheet of paper that Kayla had handed her. The pre-printed handout asked the question "Who inspires you?"

  Kayla had written her paper about Rebecca and gotten an A. Of course Rebecca pulled this out of the trash. This was something Polly wanted to keep for the girl forever. Kayla told of how Rebecca took care of her mother even when she couldn't stay with her every day and how she was a great artist and a good friend. Polly breathed back tears when Kayla talked about missing her own mother and that when Rebecca's mother died, she'd make sure that Rebecca was okay because that's what friends did.

  It occurred to Polly that so much had been happening this last week she hadn't taken enough time with Rebecca. Polly thought back to the year after she'd lost her own mother. So much of it was a blur. Her dad and the woman who practically raised her - Mary, and her husband, Sylvester, were the only people who really came into focus. There weren't any friends who listened or let her talk about her mom. Kayla and Rebecca were lucky to have each other.

  Polly leaned against the truck and watched the kids and dogs in the snow. Kayla fell down once and Polly started toward her, but the girl stood up, shook herself off and ran after Obiwan. She caught up to him and threw herself at him, hugging his neck. He gave her a sloppy lick on the face and she rubbed it off. When she turned toward Polly to find Han and Rebecca, she had a look of pure joy on her face. She chased the smaller dog and picked him up, then started walking back to the truck.

  "Have they done their business enough?" she asked.

  "A few times," Polly said. "Are you ready?"

  Obiwan was meandering, sniffing and lifting his leg, with Andrew and Rebecca following behind. They were both panting from the chase and their faces were bright red from cold and exertion.

  "He's good to go," Andrew said.

  "Then I vote we head back to Sycamore House for hot cocoa."

  They piled back into the truck. Somehow Han had managed to squeeze himself between Rebecca and Kayla, perfectly happy with the attention they offered.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Kayla, Rebecca and Andrew were settled upstairs with homework and hot cocoa. Polly stopped in the main kitchen on her way back to the office, but Sylvie and Rachel were both head down in a frothy concoction at the stove top, so she slipped on through.

  She had just settled at her desk when Helen Oswald stormed in. "Where's my brother?"

  "I don't know," Polly said. "I just got back from picking up the kids. What happened?"

  "That son of a bitch. I'll kill him myself."

  "Aaron?"

  "No, not Aaron. Price Sutton. You won't believe what he had the audacity to do."

  Polly shook her head. It seemed better to just let Helen storm for a few moments.

  "He's shutting down the shelter. He's trying to intimidate me."

  Aaron walked in and said, "What happened?"

  Helen spun on him and jabbed a finger in his chest. "Fix this. Fix this right now. I got a call from Fuller at the shelter. They were just served an eviction notice. He's not even giving them ninety days."

  "Who? Sutton?"

  "Damned right, Sutton. He owns that building."

  "Helen, I would have expected you to move out of his building."

  "Don't give me that. We did. Twice. Each time he ended up buying whatever building we were located in. If that jackass thinks he's going to intimidate me, he has another think coming. I'm done. I've played the game far too long. I don't care who this exposes, he's not hurting those children. He has no right."

  "Calm down." Aaron pulled out a chair and tried to move Helen into it.

  "I will not calm down."

  "Helen. You're in the middle of Iowa. You can't do anything from up here."

  "Yes I can. There are a million reporters in that city that would like to hear from me about this. I don't care how old the scandal is, some of those people are still in power and they won't like the press. He has pushed this too far. First a murder and then attempted murder and now this. I was willing to be patient right up until this point."

  "Helen."

  She jerked the chair so hard that Polly flinched.

  "Stop it!" she yelled.

  Aaron shut the door and sent a look of apology at Polly. This wasn't her fight. She was only an observer.

  "Helen. This isn't the right time or place."

  "When's the right time? Your friend was killed. I was a target. How many more people have to be hurt before you stand up against this man?"

  "You don't understand." Aaron wilted and dropped into the chair that had taken abuse from his sister.

  That was enough to calm Helen back down. She sat on the corner of Polly's desk in front of her brother. "I do understand. But it's time for this to be over and you're the only person who can stop it. When Albert was killed, you became the keeper of this secret."

  "There are others," he said quietly.

  "But they aren't as honorable. Their careers still rely on the secret. They've put in their time. Let them retire or face the music. He's threatening us now."

  Aaron took her hand. "I know you're right. But there are some good men who got caught up in this without understanding who they were dealing with."

  "They might've been naive then, but no longer. They're living on borrowed time. Sutton has been intimidating them with his threats. Make it stop now, Aaron. Please."

  Aaron took out his phone and dialed. "Digger? I think it's time. When can they be ready?"

  He listened and nodded, then said. "They've got an eye on him? He's going to try to do something. They know that, right?"

  A few more nods. "What about the girls. What if he leaks it? They're in position?" Aaron listened again and then said, "I know. We've talked about this. It's just more than I want to be responsible for."

  Polly knew that any assumptions she was making about this conversation had to be way off base, but she was about to go out of her mind with curiosity. Here it was playing out right in front of her and she had no idea what Aaron and Helen were talking about. Big city politics, girls, leaks, cops. She was sure that Dig
ger was in touch with the FBI. That was the only connection she could make.

  "I'll make the call," Aaron said. "Thanks for everything."

  He put his phone down on her desk and looked up at his sister. "Two hours. I call him in two hours."

  Helen leaned in and hugged him. "After all these years, that's all that is left. It will be over, Aaron. You can come home again."

  "No," he said, shaking his head. "No, I can't. It will be worse now, you know. I won't be able to set foot in that city. Every cop will have my name. They aren't going to know enough details about the whole thing. They'll just know I forced some of their bosses to leave in a hurry. I wasn't on the force long enough to make friends. Just Albert and everyone thought he was a conspiracy nut."

  "What about the kids at the shelter?" she asked.

  "We'll work that out once he's in custody and the list is safe."

  "D'ya think he made copies?"

  "Probably. But they'll find them. No one wants those girls to go through any more than they did. Their lives are as normal as possible now. It's been thirty years."

  "You and I both know that for some of them, time has made no difference. And for those who made a good life, they don't need to face this again."

  "I don't know what you're telling me, Helen. First you want me to take him down, no matter what and now you're telling me that the girls have to be a priority."

  "It's not easy. Nothin's easy. But that threat needs to be gone."

  "You're right. Things are in motion now. We just have to wait."

  As if she weren't even in the room, Aaron and Helen moved to Polly's office door and left.

  "What?" she asked when they were in the main hallway. "What's in motion? What threat? What girls?"

  Jeff came in. "Are you talking to yourself?"

  "Apparently." Polly patted her shoulders. "I'm still visible, right? You have no trouble seeing me here."

  He chuckled. "Yep. You're all there."

  "Good. I was worried. They talked and talked, telling me nothing, then left as if I didn't even exist. It was a bit disconcerting. But it will be over in a couple of hours. I did get that much."

  "You poor thing. You don't like not being part of all the excitement, do you?"