"When I saw you get off the plane, I didn't want you to react, because I guess that anything that happens inside the terminal would be handled by the FBI, not that they aren't going to be involved anyway. We had to get him out of the terminal and onto the street so that Boston PD could manage him. I'm not sure anyone planned for Jon to drop him right there, but my brothers didn't want you to get hurt, so they took care of it the best way they knew.
"And girlfriend, you had a little anger in you when you kicked in him the balls."
Polly finished her wine and smiled. "Yeah. He had that one coming."
Drea went back out to the kitchen and brought the bottle back with her. She poured some more wine into Polly's glass and got comfortable again.
"They found your truck in Omaha," Drea continued.
"Oh!” Polly said, “I need to call Aaron back. There's a gun in the glove compartment of an SUV in the Kansas City long-term parking. Here, just a second. I've got the ticket. Can I borrow your phone again?" Polly set her glass down and drew the ticket out of her back pocket. "I don't know why I took this with me and didn't give it to Joey, but they need to have that. It will be more evidence against him."
Drea said, "I doubt they can get anything done tonight," but handed her phone to Polly.
Polly dialed Lydia again, "Hi Lydia."
"Polly, is everything alright?" Lydia's voice sounded concerned.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Yes. I'm fine. Is Aaron there?"
"Sure, just a moment, dear."
It took a minute and Polly could still hear noises in the background, then Aaron’s voice came through. "Hello Polly," he said.
"Hi Aaron. Say…" she started.
He interrupted. "I'm glad you're safe, Polly. You had us all worried sick."
"I'm sorry, Aaron. I tried to find ways to let you know where I was, but I couldn't."
"Oh, Polly. I didn't mean that. I'm just glad you're alright. What can I do for you?"
"I have a ticket for a green SUV in the Kansas City airport long-term parking. It's the car Joey bought from the lot in Omaha. There's a gun in the glove compartment. That's how he got me out of there."
"You know what? That's terrific. Tomorrow morning, when you go to the police station with the Renaldi boys, give it to the detective in charge and we'll get our hands on it right away. Good thinking, Polly."
"Thank you, Aaron. I'm sorry. I suppose it was silly of me to call you again tonight."
"No way, Polly. Not silly at all. But, you go ahead and trust those friends of yours and their police force. We've got you covered on this. Oh, and Polly?"
"Yes, Aaron?" she responded.
"I have your laptop. We're going to pull that recording off that you made. Is that alright? We're awfully lucky you stowed that away instead of taking it back upstairs to your room. I don't know how else we would have found you today."
Polly gave a weak laugh. "I guess sometimes lazy works out for the best, doesn't it!"
"Now, you relax for the night and tomorrow will be a better day. Come home soon to us, Polly."
It was all she could do not to start sobbing on the phone again, but she sucked back her tears and said, "Alright, Aaron, I will. Thank you."
Polly handed the phone back to Drea. "Well, that was stupid. I didn't need to bother him."
Drea rolled her eyes, "Stop it. It wasn't stupid. He's the person you know and he's in communication with the police out here. It's fine."
Polly shook her head. "Just yesterday I was whining at all of them about how they couldn't leave me alone and let me be the adult that I was. My 32-year old self was getting a little tired of them being so protective. And now I don't feel like I can make a single decision without consulting someone."
"You'll be fine," Drea said. "You need a couple of days to get over the stress of everything."
"No kidding on the stress. Drea, you can't believe how bat-shit crazy that family is! How did I never see it?"
"None of us can really figure that out, girlfriend." Drea retorted.
"Do you know I called his mother yesterday and she sounded like a total headcase, too?" Polly said. "I was so floored when I got off the phone with her I didn't know what to think. She thought it was completely appropriate for her son to stalk me and she kept talking about what a great wife I'd make for him. Why are these people not locked up somewhere far, far away?"
"You're starting to feel better, aren't you?" Drea laughed.
"It might be the wine," Polly said, taking down the last of her second glass. She wiggled it in front of Drea, who filled it again. "This is probably going to hurt in the morning, isn't it?"
"The boys are coming over about 9:30 to take you down to the police station. I've canceled my class tomorrow, so I will be around all day to help you get things sorted out.”
Polly snuggled deeper into the couch.
"I am starting to feel a lot better," she murmured and shut her eyes.
"Polly? Are you about to fall asleep?"
"Nope. This has been a wild day and my adrenaline is still running high, isn't it?"
"I don’t think so,” Drea remarked. “Let’s get you into bed."
"Don't make me move,” Polly whined. “I don't want to move again. I'm fine right here. That way you won't have to change your sheets when I leave."
"I made the bed up for you, my friend, and you are going to sleep in it, not here on this couch. Get up!" Drea took the wine glass away and set it on the table in front of them.
"Polly, you have to help me," Drea said when she tried to pull Polly up out of the couch. "I am not big enough to throw you over my shoulder."
"Ray is," Polly giggled. "He could throw us both over his shoulder and then probably run a marathon."
"Too much wine and not enough food. Let's go, Polly. Stand up straight."
Polly stood straight up and then began to lean. She caught herself by placing her hand on the arm of the sofa. "You're right. Too much wine. Let's take me to bed."
She snickered. "If I said that to Ray, it would mean something different entirely. Why didn't I ever say that to Ray?" she asked.
"Because you're my friend and I would have had to kill him. It's much better this way. Love him from afar, girlfriend." Drea wrapped her right arm around Polly's waist and guided her down the hall toward the bedroom.
"Wait!" Polly exclaimed.
"What now?"
"I need to pee. He didn't let me pee but once today and I think I'd better pee."
Drea giggled, "Of course you do. It's right here. Go on in and I'll be here waiting when you're finished."
"Drea?"
"Yes, Polly."
"I love you, thank you for helping me today."
"I love you too, sweetie. Now, go pee."
Polly went into the bathroom and shut the door. Drea waited a few moments and realized this might be taking too long, so she opened the door and peeked in. Polly was still sitting on the toilet with her pants down around her ankles, and her head resting on the counter, gazing off into space.
"Polly, are you finished?"
"Sure! OH! I was supposed to come back out, wasn't I! But, the seat is so comfortable."
"Let's get you into bed and you can tell me tomorrow morning how comfortable my toilet seat is."
Polly giggled again. "Wow, that wine went to my head, didn't it!"
"Yes it did. I'd forgotten what a nut you were when you’ve had too much to drink. Let's go."
Polly stood straight up again and reached down to pull up her pants, then decided against it and walked out of them. "I'm just going to have to take them off in the bedroom in a few minutes. I'll save a step." She bent over and held on to the counter. "Oh look," she said, "I had my purple underwear on. Doug would be so proud. Maybe that's what saved me today." She picked up one leg, then the other and slipped those back on and left her jeans on the floor of the bathroom.
Drea helped her get into the bedroom and pulled the covers back, then watched as Polly crawled in between them.
"I'm in someone else's bed again.” Polly said, “I can't wait until I can sleep in my own bed every night, but this is nice."
For a moment, lucidity seemed to return to Polly's eyes.
"Drea. I'm sorry I'm so out of it, but thank you for everything. You saved my life today."
"Polly, I love you. You're my best friend, even if you live clear on the other side of the Mississippi River. I'd do anything for you. Now, go to sleep and tomorrow will be a new day."
Chapter Twenty-Two
One more uncomfortable plane ride and she’d be home. Finally Polly chose to close her eyes, even if she couldn’t sleep, and try to ignore the rest of the world. The week had been exhausting and she was glad to be on her way home. That seemed funny, considering that for the last nine years she had considered Boston her home. She'd had lunch with both Sal and Bunny and everyone was able to catch up on their worlds, but she missed her new friends, her own bed and even the craziness of construction.
Yesterday had been fascinating. Polly had gone to the Library to talk to her old boss and deal with a stupid little girl who seemed to have no brains. At the end of the conversation with her boss, Margaret, that stupid little girl no longer had a job. It had been one thing to help Joey stalk Polly through online searches, but breaking into Margaret's office to get a phone number from a personnel file was more than she could justify. Polly knew she was only young and gullible and Joey was smooth and could talk anyone into anything, but that was no excuse and the girl needed to figure out what real life looked like before she damaged someone else's life. Margaret felt awful for all Polly had gone through, but she assured Polly that she finally looked happy and healthy and wished her the best. Polly spent time talking to her friends who worked at the library and left feeling as if she was heading for a new life, not leaving her old life.
Ray and Jon, true to their word, picked her up Monday morning and helped her get through the day at the police station. Aaron had been on the phone with them several times, and sent two of his deputies to Kansas City to pick up the SUV. She gave her statement to different people during a very long day and again on Tuesday, but by the end of Tuesday they assured her there was enough information to keep Joey in prison for a while. His mother hired lawyers for him, while his father stayed completely away from the situation.
Polly had gotten her cellphone back and her first call was from Joey's mother who begged her to see his side of the story and understand his need for Polly. She couldn't seem to comprehend that Joey had done anything wrong in bringing Polly back to Boston. The detective who had been interviewing her at the time the call came in, listened to the conversation with laughter in his eyes and a smirk on his face.
"She'd be great on the witness stand," he laughed. "Not that Delancy's attorney would be stupid enough to allow that to happen. If someone offers her the opportunity to speak for her son, she'll get him a certain sentence to the crazy house. That boy didn't have a chance, did he!"
When all was said and done, Polly felt like she was truly finished with the city. She scheduled the flight for Thursday when everyone was busy so she could quietly leave town. A quick flight change in Chicago and she would be in Des Moines before five o'clock.
The flights were uneventful. Polly pulled her luggage from the overhead compartment when they landed in Des Moines and entered the terminal. Lydia had begged to be allowed to come get her and when Lydia saw her, she ran to her for a hug.
"I'm sorry no one else came with me. I thought maybe we could go out for dinner and make a big spectacle of having you back, but it seems like everyone had things going on!" Lydia exclaimed.
"Oh, please Lydia," Polly responded. "I'm so glad to be back in the Midwest and on my way home I don't know what to say. I'm glad to see you and know everyone here is alright. I was worried about Doug and his mom being upset at me and what a mess Joey had made of everything. It will be good to get home, see everyone and look in their faces and reassure myself they don’t hate me."
"Polly, you have nothing to worry about. Good heavens, nearly everyone has a nut somewhere in their past. Yours just happened to show up and get public with it. No one blames you for his actions. In fact, we all wondered what else we might have done to help you avoid this. But, no worries. It's in the past now and you've got a school to finish!"
"Have they heard anything more about the murder of those two girls, Kellie and Jill?" Polly asked.
"Not yet, but Aaron says he has some thoughts. He's keeping it close to his chest until they get more information back from the DCI. Waiting on them is like waiting for water to boil. It's going to happen when it happens and if you worry too much over it, time seems to slow down.
"Oh!" Lydia went on, "Aaron did finally corner old Doug Leon. He went to Joe's Diner yesterday for breakfast like he always does and my old man was sitting there waiting for him. They went back to his apartment and sure enough, it was a hoarder's paradise. All of the trash and things he'd picked up over the last twenty years were in there. He hadn't heard Aaron knocking on the door, it's so well insulated, and the doorbell had quit working years ago.
"It was a classic story. Piles of newspaper and magazines, stacks of paper and plastic bottles everywhere. There was a small path leading from the door to the living room. Mr. Leon is living in a very tiny amount of space.
"But, they had a long talk. Mr. Leon assured Aaron he never stole anything, but he did pick up everything if it was left around for very long. It seems as if he hadn't been too out of control while working at the school. He picked things up and created a crate for them every year. When they closed the building down in 1992, he was pretty upset about losing his stash, but I guess that before too long, he'd started another one in his apartment and that brings us to today.
"What about the jacket and shirt?" Polly pressed.
"He doesn't know anything about that. He was confident that each crate was specific to one year. He said he was pretty obsessive about that," Lydia responded.
"Did anyone else know about the room?"
"Yes," Lydia replied, "From what Aaron says, there were several high school kids who spent time down there. Mr. Leon doesn't remember them well, but they're planning to meet at the library tomorrow to look through old yearbooks. There's some reason my husband believes that coat is connected to the bodies found in your bathroom, but he hasn't seen fit to tell me what it is."
The two of them talked about Polly's time in Boston and got caught up on news from Bellingwood.
"I can hardly wait to get home," Polly said. They had turned west on to the county road leading to town. “Everything looks familiar to me again. Like it is where I belong. Like the road is taking me home.”
"It won’t be long now,” Lydia said. “I think some of the guys are still working. Henry had last minute things he was trying to finish before you got home and there's plenty of food in the cooler. More than a few people wanted to make sure you knew how glad we were that you had moved into town and how bad we felt we welcomed you to Bellingwood with death."
"Oh, Lydia, I haven't been able to get my head wrapped around how people out here are so friendly. That's so nice!" Polly said.
"And you know Andy. She has everything marked and labeled and organized. She'll take care of returning all the dishes for you, so you have nothing to worry about."
Polly shook her head. "I can't believe how lucky I was to land in Bellingwood. It could have been any other place in Iowa..."
"And you would have gotten the same type of treatment, my dear. You would have gotten the same type of treatment." Lydia responded.
She pulled into the driveway and parked in front of the front steps, letting Polly out.
"Do you want to come in for a minute?" Polly asked. “I'm sure if the guys are still here, there's coffee.”
"Sure!" Lydia said. "I'll be right in. Why don't you go on upstairs, dump your stuff in your room and I'll pour a couple of cups in the kitchen and wait for you."
Polly went in and head
ed right up the steps. When she got to the first landing she looked around, taking in the familiarity of the place. One of these days she needed to spend some quiet time and come up with a name for the school. She had fallen in love with every square inch of it, even the bathroom with its crumbled ceiling. This was her home now.
She made her way up the second flight of steps and heard noise coming from the apartment. Polly wondered if they had gotten the flooring finished while she was gone. Maybe she'd peek in and see.
She opened the main door to her apartment. The floor in the entryway looked amazing. Then, she heard rustling as Lydia came up and stood beside her. "They did a beautiful job with this didn't they? You can go on in. Henry has been letting people walk on it since last night."
Polly walked through her new entryway into what would be the living room and blinked.
"Welcome home, Polly," Lydia said.
At that, the room exploded with people and noise. Her furniture had been carried up from the basement and arranged in her apartment and it seemed like everyone she had met was coming out of the bedroom, in from the bathroom, up from behind furniture and around corners.
They converged on her, hugging and shaking her hand. All she could do was laugh and before she knew it, tears began to spurt from her eyes. Helen and Frank Randall pulled her into a tight hug. "We're awfully glad you're back and safe, Polly. Doug would have been destroyed if anything had happened to you."
Polly held on for a moment until Helen released her. Doug was standing beside his parents.
"How are you doing, Doug?" Polly asked.
"Oh, I'm fine. Heck, that was clear last Sunday! But, Dad can't make me do anything and I’m getting out of all sorts of work." He laughed and then hugged her.
Polly waded through the morass of people to Aaron, who said, "I'm glad you're alright, Polly girl. You shouldn't work so hard to give an old man a heart attack."
All Roads Lead Home (Bellingwood) Page 23