Reflecting Love's Charms (Bellingwood Book 14)

by Diane Greenwood Muir

  "It's like a dream come true." Rebecca jumped up from her seat and ran to hug Polly. "And a trip to Taos with Beryl? I never expected anything like that."

  "Between her travel miles and the two of you staying with Tallie, it made the trip quite reasonable," Polly said. "You'll have a wonderful time with those two artists. I hope you learn tons."

  "Beryl said we're going to paint something every day and take lots of pictures so we can paint more when we come back." Rebecca turned to Kayla. "I wish you could come."

  "Me too." Kayla said quietly, then she perked up. "But Stephanie said we're moving into a real apartment when she gets out of the hospital. I'm going to be busy decorating my room." She blinked her eyes. "Maybe you can paint something for me when you're there and I can hang it over my bed."

  "I will!" Rebecca said. She bounced on her feet. "I've never flown in a plane before. Beryl says you see the clouds from the top instead of the bottom. Is that true?"

  Polly nodded. "It sure is."

  "Will I see mountains from the plane?"

  "I suppose so," Polly said with a smile. "And you'll drive through them on your way up to Taos, so you'll see plenty."

  Rebecca dropped back down into her chair. "I didn't think about that. Is Beryl driving from the airport up to Tallie's house? We'll be lost for sure."

  Polly laughed out loud. "No. I've already spoken with Tallie. She'll be at the airport to pick you two up. We won't let Beryl loose in a vehicle any time soon."

  "Good," Rebecca said with a sigh of relief. She turned to Kayla. "Otherwise, I might end up in some little town off the beaten path and never find my way home."

  "You have to come home. I'll miss you." Kayla pointed at Rebecca's hand. "And Andrew will miss you too. Can I see that again?"

  Rebecca pulled the ring off her middle finger and handed it to Kayla.

  "This is just so cool. Is he going to write notes to you?" Kayla spun the top of the adorable secret decoder ring that Andrew had found. It wasn't quite as gaudy as those Polly remembered from her childhood; this was stainless steel and quite simple. Henry had raised his eyebrows at a ring, but when he saw what it was, they lowered just a bit. Not completely, but he tried not to panic.

  "He said that he would," Rebecca said. "Maybe whole letters when I'm gone."

  "But there won't be enough time for mail to get to you," Kayla protested.

  "He can send texts to me." Rebecca grinned at Polly. "Thank you for letting me get a phone. I really promise to be responsible."

  "I know you will, honey." Polly shivered and rubbed her hands on her arms. "It's starting to get chilly. Shall we head home?"

  "We can leave," Rebecca said, "but I'm not ready to go home yet."

  "Where should we go?"

  "Down to the hospital to see Stephanie? I haven't seen her today and really should say thank you. She saved my life last night."

  "It's getting late," Polly said. "Visiting hours are over and she needs her rest so she can come home."

  "Stephanie was worried that you guys would fire her for leaving like we did," Kayla said.

  Polly shook her head. "No way. Jeff has been lost without her. I don't ever want to live through a week like that again. He complained every single time he saw me. And besides, I know something that you don't know yet." She winked at Kayla as she stood and folded her chair up. "Let's put these in the garage. We're supposed to have storms this week and I don't want them to blow away."

  "What do you know?" Kayla asked as they walked to the truck.

  "Maybe I shouldn't tell you and let her surprise you with it." Polly and Jeff had already discussed Stephanie's raise and new title, as well as the fact that they were cleaning Polly's office out for her. He texted Polly that he had told Stephanie this afternoon and she should go ahead and let Kayla know. Kayla had been worried about how they could afford a new apartment and could use a little boost.

  "That's not fair," Kayla said.

  Rebecca stopped in front of Polly and turned around. "Did anyone ever tell you that you're mean?"

  "Who, me?" Polly asked, laughing. She opened up the door into the garage and took the girls' chairs from them, stacking things along the inside wall. "Mean? Go on, hop in the truck. We'll go riding around for a few minutes before we go home. Let's see what's happening downtown." She watched the girls run to her truck and climb in the back seat. That was one thing she liked about having Andrew with them; at least one always wanted to sit up front with her.

  "When we get home tonight, Kayla, you and Rebecca need to find your school clothes. You're staying with us for a couple of nights."

  "And then to Jeff's house?"

  "No," Polly said. "I think you might stay in the addition while Stephanie gets better. That way she has people around her all day long and you guys are close at night. She can also go to work when she feels better."

  "I get to stay with you," Kayla said, jumping up and down in the seat.

  "Put your belts on, girls," Polly said. She waited until she saw them both snap their belts into place before backing out of the driveway. Polly still found it hard to believe that someday her family would live here. It was so far away, but events like today's made it seem more probable.

  "You still haven't told me the surprise," Kayla said. "I haven't forgotten."

  "No, I guess you haven't. What would you say if I told you that we were giving Stephanie my office?"

  Kayla grinned, while Rebecca frowned. "Why won't you keep your office, Polly?"

  "Because things are changing at Sycamore House. Stephanie is going to be Jeff's assistant. Her new title will be Assistant Manager. We're going to hire a receptionist to answer phones."

  "Will she make more money?" Kayla asked and then looked ashamed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't ask that."

  "But you should. Yes, she will."

  "So it won't be so expensive for us to live in a better place? Stephanie said we were going to be able to just barely get by and we'd have to cut back on some things in order to swing it."

  "Hopefully this will help."

  "It will be great," Kayla said. "And we won't have to live in the trailer park anymore and I can have friends come over and see where we live. It will be awesome."

  Rebecca sat forward. "I can't believe you aren't going to have an office, Polly."

  "I'll share Henry's for now," Polly said. "When we move out, Jeff and I are talking about moving all of the main offices upstairs to the apartment. Sylvie and Rachel can have an office for their catering and if we hire other people as we grow, there will still be plenty of office space."

  "Wow," Rebecca said, sitting back again. "That's weird to think about. Things are really changing, aren't they?”

  "They always do, honey. Remember, change is good." Polly turned a corner and drove past the coffee shop. "Where do you want to go tonight?"

  "Everything's closed, isn't it," Rebecca said.

  Polly nodded. "It's Sunday night. People are home getting ready for the week."

  "I'm just not ready to be done with the day. Can we drive to Ames? It's not even eight o'clock yet."

  "This is me spoiling you," Polly said, pulling into a parking space. "Just a second. I'm calling Henry to tell him we're going to be late getting home."

  "Yay!" Rebecca and Kayla said together, high-fiving each other.

  Polly swiped the call open.

  "Hey there, sweet stuff, what'cha doin'?" Henry asked.

  "Spoiling our daughter. She's not ready for the day to be over so we're going to drive to Ames."

  "You're doing what?"

  "Driving to Ames. I know. I'm a pushover, but..."

  He interrupted her. "It's okay. You don't have to explain. How late will you be out?"

  "We're just driving down there. Maybe we'll go through McDonalds and get a little ice cream cone or something."

  The girls repeated their "Yay" and high five in the backseat.

  "Apparently that's a good idea," he said. "Let me know if you'll be later than nine thir
ty."

  "Everything quiet there?"

  "Hayden's working in my office and Heath is at the dining room table. I'm in bed watching television."

  "Okay, that's cool."

  "Did you hear me?" he asked.

  "Uhhh, yeah."

  "I'm in bed. All by myself. Alone. Without you."

  Polly chuckled. "Oh that. Do you think you can stay awake long enough for me to get home tonight?"

  "If I can't, you have my permission to wake me up."

  "I love you, Henry Sturtz."

  "I love you too. Take care of our girl and I'll see you later."

  Polly put her phone down and turned to the back seat. "It's a go. And for the record, if I hear that you fell asleep in school tomorrow, it's not my fault."

  "Of course not," Rebecca said. "It never is." She laughed a little maniacally. Polly knew she was wound up. It was probably good to try to drain some of this energy before she settled down for the night.

  Polly backed out and headed down the highway toward Boone. She soon tuned out of the conversations Rebecca and Kayla were having. They'd had an entire week without each other and it seemed that Kayla had missed out on just so many important happenings at school. Just north of Boone, Polly turned east on the road that would take her across to Highway 17. This road was so familiar to her now. Only a few miles and she'd turn south again. It always fascinated her to drive past homes at night, seeing lights glowing inside. She wondered at the stories behind those walls. They couldn't all be good, but at the same time, they couldn't all be bad.

  She stopped at the sign and waited for a grain truck to go past before turning onto the highway.

  "How are you girls doing?" she asked. "Still awake?"

  "Not funny," Rebecca retorted. "I don't know if I'm ever going to sleep tonight."

  "You do have a pile of gifts to go through at home." Polly shook her head and chuckled. "And that's on top of the pile of stuff you have all over your floor. If I'd known Kayla was spending a few nights, I would have made you clean."

  "But it's my birthday," Rebecca whined.

  "Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's still a dump."

  "I could clean it up," Kayla said. "I like to do that."

  "I tell you what, Kayla. If you can get that room cleaned up and organized, there would be money in it for you."

  "Hey, I'd clean it for money," Rebecca said.

  Polly laughed. "No you wouldn't."

  "Do you mean it?" Kayla asked.

  Rebecca huffed. "Of course she does. I don't care if you clean."

  "Really? You'd let me? Will you let me clean out your locker at school, too?"

  "I suppose," Rebecca said. "I have to get everything out of there before the end of the school year. We might as well start this week."

  "What does your locker look like, Kayla?" Polly asked.

  "Her locker is always clean," Rebecca replied. "Everything is in its place. She has pretty things hanging inside the door and it's all organized."

  Polly stopped to wait for a train to cross in front of them. She looked down the line and didn't see any hope of it being a short train, so she threw the truck in park and sat back, watching the rail cars go by. That got boring so she glanced to her right into the parking lot of the big Co-op, wondering if the grain truck had turned in. She didn't see it, but wasn't surprised. The place was so big, it absorbed trucks.

  "What do you suppose that is?" she asked, pointing into the lot.

  "I don't know," Rebecca said, peering out at it. "Probably a dead body."

  "No way," Kayla said. "She wouldn't."

  "Wanna bet?" Rebecca asked, putting out her hand. "If it's a dead body, you have to ..."

  Polly put her hand up to stop Rebecca from going any further. "No. Kayla doesn't have to do anything." She looked behind her to make sure that no cars were approaching, backed up, then pulled into the parking lot and drove over to the dark pile that she'd seen. "You two stay here. I just want to make sure it's nothing."

  "It's gonna be something," Rebecca said. "I just know it."

  Polly got out of her truck and walked over to the pile and bent over. "Damn it," she said under her breath. "Just damn it, damn it, damn it. We did not need this tonight." She reached down and touched the young man’s neck, feeling for a pulse. The scrapes on his face looked fresh and she shook her head, then stepped back and pulled out her phone, swiping a familiar call open.

  "Polly?" Aaron asked. "Why aren't you home with your family?"

  "Because I'm at the Co-Op on Highway 17. You need to send your team. I did it again."

  "I'm sorry, Polly. Are you alone?"

  "No. Rebecca and Kayla are in the truck. We were going to Ames for one last hurrah before calling it a day."

  "Male or female?" he asked.

  "It's a young man. His face is all scraped up. Do you think this has anything to do with that girl I found last week?"

  "I don't know," Aaron said. He sighed. "I just don't know. I'd hoped you had enough to deal with for one week. I'm so sorry. Go sit with your girls and we'll be there soon."

  "Thanks Aaron. You know you can never retire, right? Who would I call?"

  "They might vote me out of office one of these days, Polly. You never know."

  "I'm not too worried. Will I see you here?"

  "Not tonight. But Stu will be there soon. Take care."

  Polly ended the call and walked slowly back to the truck. She got in and pulled the door shut, then leaned back. "You were right, Rebecca."

  "I knew it! I just knew it."

  "It's a dead person?" Kayla asked.

  "Yes. I called the sheriff and he's sending his people. We have to wait."

  "We're not getting ice cream tonight, are we?" Rebecca asked.

  "We still have plenty in the freezer at home." Polly dropped her head forward. "I'm sorry girls, but when we're done here, I just want to go home."

  Kayla reached up and patted Polly's shoulder. "That's okay. We understand. We already talked about it. Rebecca said that this is hard on you." She kept patting Polly's shoulder. "Since I've never really seen a dead body, I don't know what it feels like, but I guess it must feel pretty awful."

  "I just need to process it," Polly said. "I'll be okay by tomorrow." She reached her hand back and patted Rebecca's knee. "I'm sorry this happened on your birthday."

  "I'm never going to forget my thirteenth birthday," Rebecca said. "There were so many things that happened this weekend I can't even believe it."

  "Some of it has been bad, though," Kayla said. "Like my dad kidnapping you and then stabbing Stephanie." The truck went silent and then Kayla continued. "And he's dead now. That's weird, right? That he's dead? Should I be more upset?"

  "How do you feel about it?" Polly asked. This was the second time that someone had asked her if the fact that they didn’t have powerful feelings over this man’s death was weird. Maybe they’d been exposed to her pragmatic behavior too much and took it in stride. Both of the girls had lived through traumatic changes and she was thankful they had each other.

  "I don't feel anything. He was a bad man and he hurt my mom and Stephanie. He was never a dad like Henry is. He came home drunk all the time and we had to be really quiet so he wouldn't know we were there. I'm only twelve and don't have a mom or dad anymore."

  "You have Stephanie, though," Rebecca said. "She's like a mom."

  "Yeah, I guess. I'm really sorry that he did that to you, though."

  "It's not your fault," Polly said.

  "It feels like it is, though," Kayla replied. "He was my dad and the reason he took Rebecca was so that he could find me."

  "And hurt you," Rebecca interrupted. "He wanted to hurt you. Even if he hadn't kidnapped me, I would have done anything to not let him hurt you."

  Polly smiled in the darkness of the truck.

  "There they are," Kayla said, pointing.

  The train had long since passed and the lights of the emergency vehicles flashed as they approached from Boone.

&
nbsp; Polly put her hand on the truck door. "Hopefully we won't be here too long once they arrive."

  "Because they know where you live," Rebecca said. "And it's not like you have any information on who did it."

  "Not yet I don't." Polly opened the door and jumped down from her truck as Stu Decker pulled in beside her. She waited for him to get out of his car. "Were you guys slow tonight? Not enough business?" she asked.

  "Is that what this is about?" he asked, crossing to shake her hand. "If we don't have enough going on, you head out to look for a body?"

  She grimaced. "I swear. This is exhausting."

  "You've already had a long weekend." Stu waved two other deputies over to the young man's body and they watched as the rest of the emergency vehicles drove in. "You didn't see anything?"

  "I was just waiting for a train to cross," Polly said. "When I saw what I thought was a pile of something, Rebecca commented that it might be a dead body. I was already backing up to come in and look."

  "You might as well take the girls on home, then." He turned and waved to the truck. "We've got it from here. All you did was drive in and walk over?"

  She shrugged. "That was it."

  "Okay. If we have any more questions, we'll call tomorrow. Tonight we'll try to figure out where he came from."

  "Thanks, Stu," Polly said, touching his back. "I appreciate you coming out."

  He laughed. "I don't know what would happen if we didn't."

  "You know what I mean."

  He nodded and she walked away and back to the truck."

  "Ready to go home now?" she asked.

  "Are you?" Rebecca asked.

  "I think so. I could use a doggie hug."

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  "Good heavens." Polly opened the garage door and laughed as she pulled in beside Stephanie's car. There might be more boxes and pieces of furniture here now than when she had emptied her father's storage unit.

  In between his finals this week, Hayden had emptied his apartment and packed everything in here and then he, Heath, Henry and Jeff had emptied Stephanie and Kayla's trailer. Polly, Kayla and Rebecca spent the evening last night cleaning the trailer. There were nearly two weeks left on the lease, but there was no reason to drag any of this out.