"You're right," Polly said, nodding. "I will." She looked up. "You guys were at the Boston Marathon bombing, weren't you?"
They both nodded. Ray said, "You knew that. Drea told you."
"She said you were helping. I just assumed you were there to cheer her on and got drafted."
"We were there to cheer her on, and it wasn't my company who ran security that day, but we had people there. It was a big miss, though we learned a great deal from it."
"I didn't even think about those people."
"What people?" Henry asked.
"The ones like Jon and Ray... in charge of security. How awful for them. They'd feel like failures and it was something no one could have predicted. Two brothers decided to do an abhorrent act and then followed through."
"It was an awful day," Jon said. "But we can't focus on those days. If you only knew the number of lives we've saved over the years, the good things we've done. You see the big, awful things and we will never be able to talk about the little things that make it possible for us to live good lives."
Polly chuckled. "I'd probably be a paranoid nut if I knew any of them. I can scent a conspiracy from a mile away. I don't understand how you live, knowing about the bad things and awful people that are out there."
"Because I know so many good people like you," Jon said. "We can't get too caught up in the intrigue of our world. It would take us over. For every one instance of conspiracy or fraud, there are thousands of normal people who live normal lives. If we focus on the one over the other it gets to be too much."
Ray had picked Leia up and put her in his lap, stroking her from head to tail. She purred like a freight train and her eyes closed as she absorbed the attention. "Maybe I should get a cat," he said. "She likes me."
"I'm going to take the dogs back outside," Jon said. "Then we should let these two get some sleep. Do you want to walk with me, Ray?"
"No, I like it here. Have you ever had a cat purr like this, little brother?"
"You have to be kidding me."
"I'm not. This is relaxing."
Jon shook his head. "Come on dogs. Let's try this again. No more random clothing finds, okay?"
After he left, Ray said, "If we don't find Joey over the weekend, I have another team on the way."
"Have you talked to Aaron?" Polly asked.
"They're coming in to protect you two. They aren't here to investigate or deal with Joey or his buddy. Their only purpose is to make sure that he stays away from you. I'm bothered by the fact that he got so close tonight."
Polly shuddered. "At least he didn't get inside."
"I don't think that was his purpose. He wanted you to know that he could get close when you didn't expect it."
Henry took a deep breath and stood up. "I want to just leave town with her. We won't tell anyone where we're going. We'll just go."
"But she won't let you, will she?" Ray said quietly. "There's a little girl downstairs that holds Polly here."
Henry shook his head and stalked into the kitchen.
"He doesn't like being helpless," Polly said. "For that matter, neither do I. This sucks."
"I know it does. I wish we were here as your friends. I wish you didn't have to know what we did. I wish none of this were real, but it is and everyone is trying to make it as easy as possible for you. For both of you."
"Henry knows that. He's just frustrated. I tend to walk into too many situations that he can't control."
Ray smiled at her. "He's a good man. You couldn't have married anyone better." He put the cat back down on the floor.
Leia shook her head and gave him a look, almost as if she were offended that he'd stopped petting her.
"I'll be back another time, little girl," he said. "Jon's had plenty of time with the dogs. We're going to check the property tonight. Make sure doors are locked and everything is as it should be. We'll look in on the animals down at the barn. Anything else we should know?"
Polly shook her head. "The creek is a good place for people to hide, but it's high right now from spring rains. It wouldn't be a comfortable hiding place."
"Good to know. You two sleep and we'll start fresh tomorrow. If you need anything, just call and I'll be right here."
Polly stood up with him and he crossed to her and pulled her into a hug. "It's going to be okay, Polly," he said.
"I know. But thanks for being here."
Ray left by the front door and Henry came back out into the living room. "I'm sorry," he said.
"For what?"
"For walking out. I'm tired of not being able to take care of you, but things get so out of control that it's more than I can handle."
"Good night, all!" came Jon's voice from the bottom of the steps as the two dogs raced into the room.
Polly started to respond, but heard the door shut instead.
"It's just us now," she said. "What do you want to do?"
"Honestly, I just want to sit on the couch and watch stupid television until I'm too tired to do anything but sleep."
"Great. I'll make popcorn."
CHAPTER EIGHT
"I'm glad you're going to get out for a while today," Henry said. "You've had enough."
Polly had just come back upstairs from checking on Rebecca and Sarah. She remembered from experience with her own mother that it was nearly impossible to find your way through the waiting period before a death. You went back and forth between pleading for it to be over and hoping that you would have one more day.
Rebecca tried to draw, but was so attuned to her mother's breathing that any hesitation had her running back to Sarah's bedside for a soothing touch. Sarah drifted in and out of consciousness, but her presence in those few fleeting moments was enough to keep Rebecca motivated.
This morning, Sarah woke up for a few minutes while Polly was there - long enough to give Polly a smile and then pat the side of her bed, asking Rebecca to sit beside her. When Polly left, Rebecca had placed her head on the pillow beside her mother and wrapped an arm around the woman, tucking in as tightly as she could.
These were the moments Rebecca would remember, the closeness she felt to her mom as they faced this together. Polly didn't want to intrude. These moments were theirs and would take Rebecca through difficult lonely nights down the road.
Polly remembered her own mother's touch. A gentle caress on her cheek, a weak smile, whispered words of love. She hadn't been allowed to spend a great deal of time with her mother. Mary had taken her to the hospital in Ames often enough, but there was only so much time in an evening and everyone felt it was important to get Polly home and into bed so she could go to school the next day. If only they would have realized how important those last days were going to be.
"You're a million miles away," Henry said.
"Sorry. I was just thinking about Rebecca and Sarah and then about my own mother. I'm glad Rebecca gets to have this time with her mom."
"You constantly amaze me."
"Why?"
"No jealousy at all."
"What do I have to be jealous of?" She looked at him in astonishment.
"You know that you're going to raise that girl as your own, but you aren't pushing to do that until it's absolutely necessary."
"It's no big deal. Sarah is her mother. I'll never be able to take her place. All I can be is Polly. Rebecca's relationship with me will be completely different."
"Like I said. You amaze me. You are pragmatic about so many things and yet you have this infinite depth of passion."
Polly reached over and kissed him on the cheek. "I love you too."
"What are you planning to do today?" he asked.
"I thought we'd have lunch at the diner. I'll take them to the library to meet Joss. See what Lydia is doing this afternoon. Maybe we can all do supper at Davey's tonight. Then, we'll just take it as it goes."
"Tell me you aren't going to be out looking for that girl."
She shook her head. "It's not on my agenda. I think I'd prefer it if Aaron or one of h
is guys actually took care of that this time."
"I'm not counting on that. Not around here, anyway."
"You haven't heard from Aaron this morning, have you?" Polly asked.
"No. Do you think he'd call me before you?"
She shrugged. "I thought maybe while I was downstairs with Sarah and Rebecca."
"Nope. Nothing yet."
Polly sat down at the dining room table. "Do you think they'll find my truck?"
"I suppose so. At some point."
"I'm not going to be able to drive it ever again, you know."
"Because it's been defiled?"
"I'm not kidding. I can't drive it after all that's happened. Could you?"
Henry looked down at her while he refilled her coffee mug. "No. That would be creepy."
"And who knows how long they'll keep it for evidence gathering, even after they find it."
"Could we just report it as stolen?"
"It has been stolen," she said. "I didn't think about it, but we need to have somebody down there fill out a report on it."
"Why don't I take care of that while I'm home today? I'll call Anita down at the Sheriff's office and get it started."
"Thanks. I didn't expect you to do my busy work."
He sat down beside her. "Do you want a truck again?"
"Yes. Is that strange?"
"Not for you, honey."
"I haven't used it like a truck, though. I don't haul anything except people. Maybe I should get an SUV."
"I'll ask you again," he said. "It's up to you. Do you want another truck?"
"Well..."
"If that's what you want, get it. Don't do this to yourself. You wouldn't catch me driving an SUV."
"But you haul things in the back all the time."
"You're making this too difficult. We'll look for something once this is over."
"Just don't let them make me take back that horrible thing. Do you promise?"
"Of course. I promise."
"And you're hanging out here at the house today?"
Henry reached down to pat Han's head. "I haven't had much down time lately. Until you're able to help us make decisions at the coffee shop, we're at a standstill. So I'm taking time off today, maybe actually get work done in my office, rearrange schedules to keep people working next week and take a nap."
"I'm sorry this is screwing up your schedule." Henry worked hard to make sure that his people had solid hours. There was nothing he hated more than laying them off and re-hiring them. It had to be done sometimes, but it stressed the poor man out.
"Don't worry. We're on time and we have plenty of other things going on. All I need to do is shift people around."
Polly put her hand out. "Can I have the key to the coffee shop? I'd like to go in and see what you've been doing. I can't believe it's been a whole week since I was there."
"Sal would never forgive you, y'know."
"For what?" Polly looked at him and then realized that he was teasing her about finding bodies. "Wipe that smirk off your face. You have to quit saying these things. You act like I do it on purpose or even worse, like it's something that happens every day. I am not in control of this."
Henry gave her a pouty face. "You're right. I'm sorry. I shouldn't be mean to my beautiful, wonderful wife."
"And don't you forget it. Now do you need anything before I leave for the day?"
"Only your promise that you won't fall in love with the two hunks who will be escorting you."
She laughed. "That just isn't going to ever happen. It would be like me telling you not to fall in love with your sister, Lonnie. It's just so ridiculous."
"Then if nothing else, I want to hear all about people's reactions when they see you riding with two young Italians in their black Rubicon."
"They're driving a Rubicon?"
"I assume so, since that's the vehicle sitting outside in the parking lot."
"Do you think I'll need a step ladder to get up into it?"
"I suspect Jon would have a wonderful time lifting you up and putting you in the seat. Yes," Henry said. "I want to hear the stories. Pay attention to people today. Please?"
"You're horrible." She swatted his arm. "And I love you."
"I love you too. You have to promise to be safe out there. The last time you left, you ended up in a very bad place."
Polly shut her eyes and felt a catch in her throat. "I didn't even think about that."
"Oh, honey. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to remind you."
"But you're right. This is the first time I've really left the house. I know that I've been complaining about it all week, but at some point I got used to my cocoon."
Henry scooted his chair closer to her and gathered her into his arms. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you go there. I'm glad Ray and Jon are here to make you feel safe today. You need to get out of here and see that the rest of the world is continuing on its path around the sun. People are living their lives and doing their jobs."
"I'm going to miss hanging out with my animals. They've gotten used to having me here."
"They're going to have to get used to having me here today and tomorrow. Now, are you ready to go?"
"I think so."
"Call your escorts and get yourself out of here. And text me, okay?"
Polly pushed back and stood up, then bent over to kiss him. "I love you and thank you for trusting that things will be good today."
"You'll be fine and I love you too."
A knock at their front door made both of them jump.
"I've got it," Henry said. "You stay here." He walked out into the living room and called, "Who's there?"
"It's me. Jon. Can I steal your wife?"
"Come on in, Jon. I think she's ready to be taken away."
"You're holding down the fort today?" Jon followed Henry into the dining room.
"There's plenty of work to be done and I can do it here. You two just make sure she gets home safe."
"We've got this, bud. No worries." Jon stopped and looked at Polly. "Ray is driving around to your garage. Can we go down the back way?"
"This feels strange," Polly said. "Like I'm a prisoner under escort. Do you two have ear wigs and can I have one if you do?"
Jon chuckled and tapped his left ear. "Nothing in here except my own Eustachian tube today."
"I feel a little cheated," she said, poking him in the side.
He took out his phone and made a call. "We're on our way down."
Henry walked with them through the media room and into his office, the dogs running along beside and the cats trying to cut them off.
"It's a real process trying to get out of here, isn't it?" Jon said with a laugh.
Polly picked Luke up and put him on Henry's desk. "It isn't usually this bad, but I haven't left all week. They don't know what to do." She hung back and gave Henry a hug. "Seriously. I feel like either a prisoner or a celebrity."
He kissed her lips and then whispered in her ear. "I'll make you feel like a celebrity when you come home tonight."
She felt her face turn bright red and stepped back, stumbling on Obiwan. "I'll see you later."
Jon was at the bottom of the steps waiting for her and held the door while she walked through. She would usually wander into the kitchen and say hello to everyone, but felt like she needed to stay on task since her bodyguards were staying so close. He opened the door into the garage and then the door going outside. She let him look around, then when he beckoned, she left and walked to the Jeep.
"You take the front seat," he said.
"It doesn't look too comfortable back there."
"I'll be fine." He opened the door for her and waited for her to get in, then closed it and stepped to the back door.
"Wait!" she said.
"What?" Ray asked. "Did you forget something?"
"No. It's what I saw."
Both men went on alert.
"I'm sorry. No, I remember seeing something in the side mirror that morning I was kidnapped, j
ust like I saw Jon now."
Ray took a deep breath. "Don't do that to me, I have a weak heart."
"Do you remember what it was you saw?" Jon asked.
"It's intangible. Like a dream."
"Was your window rolled down that morning? Do you remember?" Jon asked.
"Aaron asked me that same question. I don't remember." She pulled her seatbelt on and buckled in, then turned to him in the back seat. "I wonder if Rebecca would remember." Polly shook her head. "Probably not. She's only thinking about her mom. I ride with my window down even if it's raining sometimes, so, like I told Aaron, it's a good possibility. Why are you asking?"
"Because if he came up from behind and plunged a needle in your neck, you might have seen him in the mirror, even if it was only for a split second."
Polly unconsciously rubbed her fingers along her neck. "It would work that fast? So fast that I don't remember anything?"
"Sure," Ray said. "Anything is possible. So, where to first?"
"Do you mind just driving for a while? I want to go out past the hotel and then drive into the parking lot of the winery. I want to wander around town and just be out. Maybe we can drive down to Boone or go over to Ames. Can I roll down the window?"
Ray smiled and patted her hand. "Not while we're in town, okay? Maybe later."
Polly pulled her hand back and slumped toward the door. This was all hard enough to face, but that had just made her feel like a naughty little girl. She knew he didn't mean to be patronizing, it was her own issue. But darn it, she was trying to be obedient. Every single one of her friends got to do their regular daily activities without thinking about it, but she was stuck between two bodyguards because an insane boyfriend managed to escape from his asylum.
"Polly?" Ray asked.
"What?" It came out snotty and she immediately regretted it.
He gave her a look of confusion and she returned a weak smile. "I'm sorry," she said. "Did I miss something?"
The River Rolls On (Bellingwood Book 10) Page 8
