“But that was before he had a wife and children. He’s been settled in Jewell for a long time. I told her that Thomas had evidence proving she didn’t kill that policeman and she just wants this to be over now. Aaron, she lost the father of her son without ever seeing him again. Don’t you think she’s had enough?”
“I need to make some calls,” he said.
“How much trouble am I in?” she asked again.
“You’ve interfered with this investigation, Polly.”
She felt tears spurt to her eyes. He was going to arrest her. “Okay. You’re right. I’m sorry.”
“However, you are the one who figured this out, so a little interference isn’t enough to get you into trouble. But promise you’ll call me before you do anything else?”
“I’ll try. I can’t guarantee that, though. I never know what’s going to happen around here.”
Aaron laughed. “Of course you don’t. What was I thinking? Let me work on this end and be careful. Can I ask that of you?”
“I’ll try,” she repeated.
“That’s all I can expect.”
She relaxed when they ended the call. She would live.
Later that morning, Polly looked up from her computer. She’d spent the time paying bills and making sure things were sorted and filed. But now she smelled something amazing coming from the kitchen and that didn’t make sense, because Sylvie was never here on Mondays. She headed for the kitchen, surprised to see Jeff wearing an apron, pulling dishes out of the oven.
“What are you doing in here?” she asked.
“Cooking,” he said.
“I didn’t know that you cooked. Why are you cooking and what are you making? It smells wonderful!”
He put the casserole dish down on the prep table and peeled back the aluminum foil. “I didn’t do this. Sylvie did. We came up with some simple meals that she prepared in advance. All I have to do is get things in the oven. It’s easy. Would you like lunch today? If Sylvie cooked, there is enough to feed an army.”
“What did she make?”
“We have baked steak,” he pulled the tinfoil off a second pan with a flourish. “Mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables and fresh fruit. There are rolls with butter and jam and I just need to take the cottage cheese and apple sauce out of the refrigerator.”
“Can I help?” Polly asked.
“Sure,” he shrugged. “I didn’t want to bother you. We came up with this harebrained idea and I didn’t think you needed to feel as if you should do the work.”
“If you’re going to let me eat it, I can help you serve it,” Polly laughed. She walked on into the kitchen and began pulling plates out, then dug around for serving spoons.
“Are they all coming down here?” she asked him. “Do we need to set up a table?”
“No,” he responded. “I’m making up a plate for Lila Fletcher. She couldn’t …” he stopped speaking. “Anyway, I’m taking a tray up to her. Grey Linder is coming down and so is Natalie Dormand. The other two men in the addition will be coming for theirs pretty soon.”
Jeff opened his phone and swiped it a couple of times, then set it down beside the food. “I have a list,” he said, as he put food onto a plate. “Would you hand me two of those small dishes? The cold food can’t touch the warm food. Oh and a small plate for the roll?”
Polly smiled at him. “You’re a good man.”
“Big bonus. That’s what I’m looking for. A big bonus.”
Polly knew he was kidding. They’d long since worked out his salary package and bonus schedule and he made them happen every quarter. She was certain that Sycamore House wouldn’t be quite as successful without Jeff Lindsay running the place.
When he left to take the tray up the steps, she saw Grey Linder coming around the corner, peering back at the set for the Haunted Hallway. He looked worse than he had when he first arrived and Polly wondered just how much alcohol he was consuming.
Grey looked up to see Polly behind the counter and she could have sworn that he faltered in his steps, as if he wasn’t sure whether or not he should approach her.
“Hello,” she said brightly. “How are you today?” She had no idea why he was acting so strangely, but figured she could assure him that it was safe to be here.
“Fine,” he mumbled. “I’m fine.”
“I have plenty, how many pieces of steak you would like.”
He lifted a single finger and she thought she heard him say “One,” so she put it on his plate and handed it to him. That seemed to stymie him, so she helped him finish filling his plate. He continued to take quick glimpses of her and then look back down and she was relieved to see Jeff return to the kitchen.
“Mr. Linder, would you like Mr. Lyndsay to take the tray up to your room?” she asked, nodding rapidly at Jeff.
Jeff didn’t wait for the man to answer, but picked the tray up and said, “I’d love to do this for you, sir.”
He started to walk away and Grey Linder turned back to Polly, “Did he say anything?” he asked her.
“Did who say anything?” Polly wondered if he was talking about Thomas Zeller, but that had happened over a week ago.
“Zeller. Did he say anything to you?”
“I’m not sure what you mean,” she responded. “He didn’t say much of anything to me the night he died, if that’s what you’re asking.” She wasn’t about to give out any information about Thomas’s family. They had stayed hidden for so many years, that until they were ready to out themselves to the world, she wasn’t going to let anyone know who they were.
“Mmph,” was all she heard as he turned to follow Jeff.
“That was odd,” she said to herself, pushing the platters around on the counter in order to align them. She chuckled at herself and pushed the bowl of potatoes back out of line. “You’re odd, too, Giller.”
Natalie Dormand walked around the corner. Her eyes were bloodshot and there were deep circles under them. She was wearing a dark grey sweater that she continually pulled across her chest as she walked and even as she spoke to Polly.
“Hello,” she said, coming into view.
“Hi there! How are you doing?” Polly asked.
“I suppose I’m okay. Thank you for providing a few meals here. I was tired of pizza.”
“You really should try some of our restaurants. The Diner has sandwiches and terrific breakfasts and Davey’s is also good.”
“I’ll try to get out sometime.”
“Have you been working a lot?”
“After they gave me Thomas’s laptop, I’ve been trying to clear up his life. I was all he had, you know.”
“How is his latest novel? Was it complete?”
Natalie looked up from the platter of vegetables. Her brow wrinkled. “His novel?”
“I thought it was pretty much finished. You said you were looking for it. I just assumed you’d found it on the laptop once they got it back to you.”
“Oh, that. There is always initial editing that needs to happen.”
“He told me he didn’t like the editing part of the process.”
“He talked to you?” For some reason, Natalie’s face had gotten red. She took a small plate and filled it with rolls and butter.
“We had several opportunities. He seemed to want a friend.”
“I don’t know why you say that. He had me.”
Thomas had told Polly very little about the woman. In fact, he’d only called her by name once and that was in passing. Whatever she was to Thomas, he saw the relationship as much less personal than this woman did.
“How long do you plan to stay with us?” Polly asked.
“I have some things I need to clear up. Did Thomas ever talk about his family? I think he was here looking for someone.”
This caused Polly to stop. She wasn’t sure what to say. So, she asked more questions. “His family? I didn’t think he had a family.”
The woman looked directly at Polly, her eyes dark and her face grim. “I know you’ve bee
n investigating his past. You and that girl from the Sheriff’s office. I overheard you talking about him. Don’t think I didn’t know what he was doing here. I knew that every time he wrote an Eddie Powers mystery, he was looking for the woman he loved and her son. You found something, didn’t you?”
“You were eavesdropping?” Polly was beginning to worry and she was ready for Jeff to walk back into the kitchen again.
“I came downstairs to get something to drink last Saturday. You figured out his little code. I found it years ago.”
“Why didn’t you tell him that you knew? Why would you keep that from him?”
“Oh, he needed his little secret. I always figured that if he wanted me to help him find her, he’d ask.”
Polly looked up as she heard men’s voices. Jeff rounded the corner with their two other guests, who swooped in on the counter with gusto and appreciation. Natalie Dormand took her tray off the counter with enough force that the dishes began to slide. Jeff stepped in and stabilized things for her, then smiled as she glared at him and walked away. He sent Polly a questioning look and she raised her eyes as if to say, “I don’t know.”
When the kitchen finally cleared out, he asked, “What was up with her? She looks awful and she looked pissed.”
Polly realized she hadn’t said much to Jeff about what had been going on with Thomas’s flash drive. The way things were going, it was probably better to keep him in the dark. It was going to be easier if she simply avoided the question, so she said, “I think she isn’t getting a lot of sleep while she works to edit his last novel.”
“She looked upset.”
“I think she’s still pretty upset at losing Thomas. They might have been closer than I realized. Did you get Grey Linder settled in?”
“I tell you what. It worries me when our guests look worse after they’ve been here for a while than they did when they arrived. It’s like he has aged ten years since he got here.”
“Do you think he’s drinking a lot?”
“I don’t know for sure. He wouldn’t let me in his room. I’m going to take food back to my office and shut the door unless you want company.”
“Don’t worry about it. I should go upstairs and spend some time with the animals.”
“Okay, I’ll clean things up later.” He covered the bowls and platters after they both filled their plates and then Polly took hers and went into the back hallway to head for her apartment.
Everything seemed strange today. Maybe it was the spooky stuff in the hallway or the odd interactions she’d had with her guests, but she was ready for something normal and she couldn’t think of anything better than a few minutes with her dog and cats.
The washer and dryer were spinning away and she hoped Eliseo knew there was food in the kitchen. She’d text him when she got upstairs. Jeff had more than likely spoken with him, but she couldn’t help herself. Right in the middle of typing the text into her phone, it rang. Henry’s picture popped up in the screen.
“Hey there, hotstuff,” she said. “How are you today?”
“I’m good. Just checking on you. What ‘cha up to?”
“About five six, depending on the shoes I’m wearing.”
“Smart Alek. What have you been doing today?”
“Paying bills. It was boring. And now I’m getting ready to eat an amazing lunch with my favorite boy.” She looked down at the dog.
“I hope that’s Obiwan or Luke.”
“He’s going to be drooling on my feet if I’m not careful.”
“Now I really hope that it’s Obiwan.”
“So do I,” she laughed. “So what’s up with you?”
“I was worried about your conversation with Aaron. Did you live through it?”
“He was only a little mad at me. I came through relatively unscathed. It’s good to have a reputation for being independent. He didn’t have high expectations for much else.”
Henry didn’t respond and she knew he was trying not to laugh.
“Henry?”
“Yes, Polly?”
“This is serious. Don’t tell anyone about the Campbells, okay?”
“I haven’t. I won’t. But why are you telling me that?”
“I got some weird vibes around here today.”
“No problem. I don’t have anyone I would tell. But last night was a pretty interesting night, even for you.”
“You haven’t been around the times I’ve found bodies. Last night was pretty tame.”
“Have you ever thought about how strange that is, Polly? You found a long lost son and old girlfriend of a dead author and you think it’s tame.”
“Welcome to my life since I arrived in Bellingwood.”
“Speaking of your life in Bellingwood, I can’t believe there haven’t been any more vandalism incidents.”
“Hush your mouth!” Polly drawled. “I’m happy that I don’t have to fix anything or clean anything up. Maybe whoever was doing it got over being mad at me.”
“That would really be nice. I hate worrying about you.”
Her first reaction was to tell him that she could take care of herself, but she decided to let it go. “I’m glad it’s been quiet. I can use the quiet.”
“You enjoy your lunch and your quiet. Do you want to do something tonight?”
They’d been out a lot this last week and Polly didn’t want to go anywhere. The rest of the week was going to be crazy as they prepared for Halloween and then the Black Masque Ball. She just plain didn’t want to.
“No?”
“Does that mean you don’t want to do something at all or can you not do something with me around?”
“I can not do something with you around. I really want to watch stupid television or Star Wars or something mindless and eat simple food. Is that okay with you?”
“I’ll be there around six thirty. Will the boys be gone by then?”
Sylvie usually picked her kids up by six, even on her latest nights.
“Yep.”
“Love you, pretty girl. See you then.”
“Love you too.”
She set the phone on the table beside her plate and took a bite. Sylvie had outdone herself. Obiwan wagged his tail, as if to tell her that she should share, but she patted the top of his head. “You never get human food, you beggar. I love you very much, but today isn’t going to be any different.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Once she realized there wasn’t going to be any more sleep, Polly finally got up and sat on the edge of her bed. She’d been tossing and turning for the last hour. The animals were too close, the blankets were too warm, the pillow was uncomfortable, everything was annoying. Leia had finally taken to the cat tree in protest after being pushed back and forth between Polly’s legs.
“Sorry,” Polly whispered. “I don’t know what my problem is.”
The thing was, she did know. There was something about the conversation with Natalie yesterday at lunch that had been bugging her and she couldn’t put her finger on it. The jealousy thing was weird, but that wasn’t it. Then again, maybe it was.
Polly had never questioned whether or not the woman should have access to Thomas Zeller’s laptop. He was paranoid and worldly enough to have password protected it if he hadn’t wanted others to have access. She shrugged her shoulders. Maybe she should have called his publisher and asked questions.
Since she’d moved back to Iowa, Polly had found that she lost some of her big city paranoia. No longer did she assume that people were out to get her. She waved at them on the highway and looked up and spoke to them when she was downtown. She still hadn’t gotten used to the fact that the locals left their cars running when they had to run into the bank or the post office. It had taken quite a few months, but now was a point of pride that she could walk away from her truck without locking it.
As far as Polly was concerned, if Natalie Dormand said she was the person to take care of Thomas Zeller’s things and have access to his laptop, that was the right thing to do.
Why would anyone lie about that? But something was still off.
Polly went into the kitchen. Thank goodness Henry wasn’t staying here any longer. It would kill her to feel trapped in the bedroom. Living alone and having the freedom to move around without bothering anyone else was a wonderful feeling.
The clock on the microwave told Polly that it was two fifty-two in the morning. “I don’t want to be awake at this hour,” she said to Obiwan, who had followed her, hoping for something more to eat. Opening cupboard doors and then the refrigerator offered her nothing of any interest, and then she saw a box of cocoa mix.
She filled her favorite mug with water and set it in the microwave, turning the timer on. “Should I put something a little extra in there so I can go back to sleep?” she asked. “If you don’t tell anyone, I’ll give you a treat.”
At that word, he wagged his tail. “You’re easy,” she said. “You’d tell on me for another treat, wouldn’t you!”
When he heard the word again, he walked over to stand in front of the cabinet where the treats were stored. The microwave dinged and Polly took the mug out and set it on the counter. She opened a package of cocoa into it and stirred, waiting for it to cool. When she couldn’t wait any longer, she opened a drawer and took out a dish cloth, wrapped it around the mug and started for the living room. A plaintive woof stopped her in her tracks.
“Whoops. I promised, didn’t I!” she laughed. A treat on the floor and another in her hand would keep the boy happy.
Television was awful. There weren’t even any reruns on that held her interest, so, since a Star Trek:TNG DVD was still in the player, she began watching and then groaned. Season Two. Not her favorite. Oh well. Watching Picard and Riker debate Data’s sentience was at least a little entertaining. She took a sip of the cocoa and when Obiwan curled up beside her on the couch, pulled the blanket over both of them and leaned back.
The noise in the background dulled as she shut her eyes and tried to figure out what had bothered her about the conversation at lunch. It didn’t take long for Polly’s mind to drift away, making no connections at all. The afternoon had been filled with her friends, setting more props into place for the Haunted Hallway.
Diane Greenwood Muir - Bellingwood 05 - Life Between the Lines Page 21
