"They want to release Curt on Saturday. I told them that we didn't have a good place to go. I don't think this place is a good environment for him and we can't afford anything else."
Polly half-closed her eyes and tried not to purse her lips in anger. "What do you think should happen?" she asked.
"I don't know. I wish Jessie hadn't run away. She's the cause of all this. Her father wouldn't have been out here looking for her if she'd been at home where she belonged."
Jeff didn't miss a beat, "Doesn't your husband drive a truck? It seems to me that it was better he was here rather than out on the road somewhere. At least we were able to get him to the hospital immediately."
"Yes, but ..." Kelly started. Her son walked out of the office and dropped into a chair in front of Sarah's desk.
"Will your insurance pay for a rehabilitation facility so that he can get stronger before you have to travel back to Colorado?"
"I don't know."
"You're more than welcome to bring him here, but we can't provide any more care," Jeff said.
"Maybe your insurance will cover an ambulance to take him back to Colorado," Polly offered. "I think you should talk to him and his doctor about this."
"I can't invest any more time in Jessie. I need to be back at work on Monday. This has gone on long enough. If you find her, tell her she's on her own now."
The woman walked out of the office and Polly looked at Jeff. His face must have matched hers in shock and confusion.
"What in the heck just happened there?" he asked.
"I think she just threw her daughter away."
"People are unbelievable. The man was going to have a heart attack. Because it happened while he was in Iowa looking for his daughter, it's the girl's fault?"
"I have an idea. I can't believe I didn't think of it before." Polly jumped up and ran out of the office, catching up to Kelly Locke before she and her son entered the addition.
"Mrs. Locke?"
"Yes?"
"What was the last name of that friend of Jessie's? The one that told your husband about her boyfriend."
"That no-good trash. She won't tell you anything. I asked her repeatedly to tell me where Jessie was. I know she lied to me when she said she didn't know. I tried to get her mother to force her to tell me, but the mother isn't any better."
"Maybe she can give me a clue that she doesn't even realize she has." Polly tried to mollify the woman.
"I don't have her phone number here. It's in Jessie's phone. I left that in Colorado."
"You did what?" Polly was astounded. "Well, can you at least tell me her name? Maybe her parents' names?"
"Her name is Maggie Dunn. Her mother's name is Louise. There's no father in the house. He's probably in jail somewhere."
"Thank you. This might help me."
Kelly Locke opened the door and pushed through and her son held back. He waited until the door had closed and said, "She's just worried about Dad. She doesn't mean any of it. Anything you can do to find Jessie would be really helpful."
"Can your older brothers help at all with your dad?" Polly asked.
"They don't live close. Dave is in Oregon and Pete is in Alabama. We never see them."
"I see," she said. And she did. No wonder Curt Locke had come out here on his own to find his daughter. He wasn't ready to lose one more child to the world. "I'll do what I can."
"Can I give you my phone number? If you find her and we're gone, will you call me? Just to tell me that she's okay? And will you tell her that I miss her and want to hear from her? Even if Mom is mad, Dad and I want to be sure she's safe."
"I'll do that." He gave her his number and she entered it into her contacts.
"I'd better go before she comes looking for me. Call me, will you?"
Polly nodded and watched him take off after his mother. That poor boy had a lot on his shoulders. If he stayed close to her, he was going to end up with a great deal of responsibility.
She went back into Jeff's office. "I'm going to make a few phone calls."
"What did you find out?"
"I should have done this earlier, this week has been crazy. I'm calling Jessie's friend in Colorado if I can figure out who she is. At least now I have a name. Maybe she'll tell me something that she wouldn't tell Kelly Locke."
"You aren't a threat," he said. "At least not yet."
Polly searched the internet for Jessie's friend and landed on a phone number that had been disconnected. That was the one thing she didn't like about everyone moving to cell phones, there was no way to access those numbers easily. The next thing she did, though, was to look through Facebook. She found Jessie Locke's profile and then after a few more clicks found Maggie Dunn. All she could do was take a stab at it, so she sent a quick message to both girls and hoped for the best.
She should have tried that earlier, too. A quick search later told her that neither Kelly nor Curt Locke had profiles on Facebook, so that explained why they hadn't thought to try to reach out to their daughter in that manner. She just hoped that the girl wouldn't be too gun-shy to communicate.
"Polly?"
She turned back to the front of the office and saw her friend standing in the doorway. "Sal, what are you doing here?"
"I came by to see if you and Henry wanted to take a break tonight. Mark is going to have a free evening and maybe we could have dinner together."
"I don't know. Henry hasn't been getting home until after nine every night this week. Let me text him." Polly motioned to the chair in front of her and then sent a quick text to her husband.
"Sal and Mark are free tonight. Do you want to do dinner?"
She looked up at her friend, "I'm so sorry this week has been crazy. What a weird time for you to land in Bellingwood."
"It's actually been okay. I've been thinking a lot about things and this week is helping me make some decisions."
"Really? What kind of decisions?"
"I don't want to say too much yet. Mark and I haven't had time to talk about it."
"What exactly does that mean?" Polly couldn't let herself believe this.
"I might throw caution to the wind and move out here. Maybe it's time for me to start writing. Maybe I'll look for a job at one of the universities or colleges in the area."
"But what about your parents? Your mom will never let you come to Iowa, of all places."
"I'm in my thirties, Polly. I think Mom can let me go."
"But Mark isn't Jewish. I mean, he really isn't Jewish." Polly grimaced. "You aren't going to make him convert, are you?"
"Oh, good grief, no!" Sal started laughing. "We'll just have to figure that out as we go. It's not like this is going to carve a big hole in my life. And Mom and Dad only go to temple when they have to. I don't care what they say, we're just not very religious."
Polly's phone buzzed with a text from Henry. "I'm busy. But go if you want. I'll see you later."
"Henry can't go tonight. I didn't think he would."
"What about you? Do you have time for us?"
"I'd like to say yes, but I should be here to work in the kitchen. It's nuts around here in the evenings."
"I know. It was a long shot."
"So would you move in with Mark?"
"That's part of what we need to talk about. I think so. It's been a really great week so far. I've even gone out on some of his calls with him."
"In the mud and manure?"
Sal grinned across the desk at her. "Believe it or not! I like watching him take care of those big animals. He knows just what he's doing and before long, they're all fixed up and he's shaking hands with the farmer." Her face dropped. "I didn't like watching him put down a calf that had been hurt in the storm. She was a little girl's 4-H calf and that poor child cried and cried. He said there wasn't anything he could have done, but it broke my heart."
"And you still want to move here, after all of that?"
"I'm as surprised as you."
"When will this happen?"
"
I don't know." Sal was shaking her head. "Like I said, we need to talk. But I tell you what, after being here through this and meeting so many different people and being able to breathe at night and not panic in the morning about getting to work, I don't want to go back at all. I just want to call my dad and have him hire a moving company to pack my apartment and ship the stuff to me."
"Wow," Polly said. "Just. Wow."
"I know! I'm really excited." She reached across the desk and Polly put her hand out to take Sal's. "Are you going to be okay with me moving to your little town?"
"Of course I will."
"But you have an amazing life here and I don't want you to think I'm horning in on it."
Polly squeezed Sal's fingers and then sat back in her chair. "You're a nut. You are one of my very best friends and even though I haven't shown it this week, I love having you around. And besides, this isn't my little town. People move in and out all the time."
"But it is your friends I'm getting to know."
"Don't be silly. We've never been like that." Polly jumped up and ran around the desk to hug Sal. "If you think you'll be happy here, I can hardly wait!"
"Oh, I'm so glad," Sal breathed a sigh of relief. "I just wanted to make sure."
"Be sure. This is going to be fun."
"It will be, won't it? We'll rock Iowa until they don't know what to do."
"Or something like that."
Sal scooted her chair back and stood. "I'd better get back to Mark's house. Are you sure you don't want to go with us tonight?"
"It sounds like you two have some things to talk about. We'll find a time before you go back to Boston."
Polly watched Sal leave and shook her head. Life never slowed down. She went back to her desk and was surprised to find that there was a message in her Facebook inbox. It was from Maggie Dunn.
"I looked you up online and I think Jessie needs your help. But you have to promise not to tell her mom where she is."
Polly responded. "I can't make that promise, but I will do everything I can to make sure that Jessie is safe."
"I won't tell you where she is if you are going to send that witch after her. She hates Jessie."
This conversation surprised Polly. She didn't even know the girl.
"I don't think that's true, but Jessie's dad had a heart attack last weekend and I know he'd like to know that she's safe."
"I didn't know that. Is he okay?"
"He will be fine, but he's worried about his daughter. They both are. Do you have a way to reach Jessie?"
"We talk on Facebook. She has to go to the library to do it though. We're supposed to talk at eight o'clock on Saturdays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, but I haven't heard from her since last week."
"Will you tell me where she is? Does she have a job? Is she living someplace safe?"
Polly waited ... and then waited some more.
"Maggie? Are you still there?"
"I don't think she's in a good place. But I want to talk to her before I tell you where she is."
"I understand that. If I give you my cell number, will you call me when you hear from her?"
"Yes. If she doesn't log in tonight, can I call you anyway?"
"Absolutely."
"You can't call the police or tell her mom, okay?"
"Maggie, I told you, I won't promise any of that. My only goal is to make sure that she is safe and okay. I won't make her go back home or do anything she doesn't want to do, but her family needs to know."
"Okay."
Polly gave the girl her cell phone number and sat back in her chair, then looked up and said in the way of a prayer, "Please let her log in tonight so we can find her."
She became distracted by a sudden influx of young people, coming in and moving throughout the building. Some of them waved at her. She recognized them from short conversations throughout the week. If there was one thing that kids this age were good at, it was digging in when they were needed. What a way to spend their summer break. She gave a sigh and headed for the kitchen.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
"Shh," Polly said to whichever cat was purring loudly beside her head. She opened her eyes and saw a piece of paper on top of Henry's pillow. He'd left her a note.
"You were sound asleep. The dog's been walked. I made coffee. You're cute when you're asleep. I love you."
Last night she took supper to him about eight o'clock and he hadn't come home until after eleven thirty. He'd dropped into bed and she couldn't believe that she was the one who had slept through all of the regular morning activities.
"Good morning," she texted him. "I love you, too. Are you going to get a break this weekend?"
It didn't take long for him to respond. "I hope so. There are a lot of houses that need to be protected from the rain that's coming in. It won't be long, though. I promise."
"Okay, let me know if you need anything."
"Lunch and a kiss?"
"I'll be there."
She smiled. Even in the midst of all of this, he still made her feel important.
Neither Jessie, nor her friend, Maggie, had contacted her last night, but at least someone was communicating with the girl. Polly was going to Boone early this morning to see Curt Locke. His wife didn't go down until the middle of the afternoon and Polly wanted to talk to him about what she'd learned. At this point she didn't know what to think, but the bad feelings between Kelly and her daughter weren't going to make it easy to get the girl to safety. A side trip to the Sheriff's office in Boone might also be in order. If nothing else, Anita might be able to give her a little insight as to what was happening with Henry's Uncle Loren.
Obiwan looked up from his spot on Henry's side as she swung her legs over the side of the bed. "Yeah, you slug," she said. "You've already been out. You're going to take another nap, aren't you?" He thumped his tail and stretched his front paws out to reach her. Polly rubbed his head. "I love you, too. I'd better get going, though."
After a shower and cup of coffee, Polly headed down the back steps. It was still early, but there were plenty of people moving around the building. Rachel was in charge of the kitchen when Sylvie was gone and Polly poked her head in to see what was going on.
"Good morning," she said to Lydia and Andy. "She has you working today?"
Lydia pulled her hands out of the soapy water in the sink and dried them on a towel hanging off her apron. "Good morning, Polly. I was just coming in when your sweet husband was driving away. That boy was up and at 'em early this morning."
"He's been doing that all week. And just think, we could have been riding down into the Grand Canyon on burros."
Lydia chuckled. "I'm not sure I'd choose that for my vacation expedition, but to each his own. I haven't had an opportunity to talk to Marie this week. It seems like every time I think to call her, something else comes up. How are they handling Loren's death?"
"They're fine. No one has had much time to think about it. I'm going to Boone. I might haunt Anita for some information if she has any."
"Aaron hasn't said anything, but I haven't seen much of him this week either. You should stop over at the Methodist Church later. The ladies are serving lunch on the front lawn today."
"I promised Henry I'd feed him. That's a great idea."
"Well stop by. It's just boxed sandwiches. We'll put it in a bag for you two."
Polly hugged her, "I'll probably be there, then. Thank you."
She went out to her truck. When she turned it on and looked at the clock, she realized she had plenty of time to drive around town. After the destruction that had swooped through last Sunday evening, Polly hadn't really had time to explore things. She drove north. There were several cul de sacs that were still roped off, but debris was constantly being hauled out of town and streets were reopening every day. Henry said his main goal was to at least get temporary walls and roofs up so people could return home. It was going to take a long time for many of the residents to return to normal, but maybe when they began to redefine normal, life wo
uldn't be quite so frightening.
After passing a series of flattened homes and seeing families still going through rubble in an attempt to find anything that could be salvaged, Polly'd had more than she could take. Ben Bowen's wife was still a wreck. Their youngest son and his wife lived in Lehigh and wanted them to move in until they could rebuild, but Amanda refused to leave Bellingwood. Every morning she went back to their home with black garbage bags and picked through the rubble until she found something familiar. Ben was worried about her, but didn't know what to do to help. He had rented a storage unit so that everything she collected could be held until they found a place to live, and she carried bag after bag off the site. Much of it was broken glassware and china – useless - but each piece brought more tears. She'd come back to Sycamore House one night clutching a pair of candlesticks. Ben had gone out the next morning and purchased two candles for her. It was all he knew to do.
Polly's phone rang as she was driving to Boone. She didn't recognize the number.
"Good morning," she said.
"Miss Giller?" It was Maggie Dunn.
"Yes, and call me Polly. Is everything okay with Jessie?"
"She didn't log on last night. I stayed up really late and Mom told me I shouldn't call you, but I'm worried about her. She always talks to me and it's been too long."
Polly blew out a breath. "I'm going to the hospital in Boone to see her father right now. Can you tell me anything about where she has been living? Anything at all? I'm going to need something more concrete if I'm to find her."
"That Dennis guy is a real creep. I think he's done something to her."
Tomorrow's Promises (Bellingwood Book 7) Page 12