Polly shooed Rebecca toward her bedroom.
"Was your office a real mess? What did they steal? Who was the police officer? Did Hayden tell them anything more?" Rebecca stopped in her doorway, placing her hands on the frame. "I have questions that need to be answered or I won't be able to go to sleep.
"Let's see," Polly said. "Yes. I don't know. Officer Bradford. I don't know. There. I've answered your questions. Now go to bed and we'll talk more at breakfast."
"But what if he comes back?"
"Then the alarm will sound and we'll play this game all over again, but I don't think he'll be stupid enough to do that. The police will patrol the area tonight. We're perfectly safe."
"I know we're safe," Rebecca said. "That's why you and Henry are here, but a girl shouldn't be left without answers. She makes things up in her head and has bad dreams."
Polly laughed and gave Rebecca a small push into the room. "No she doesn't. I love you, crazy girl. Climb into bed. Go on." She stood in the doorway while Rebecca took her robe off and climbed up into her bed. "Do you want an animal in here tonight?"
"Just leave my door open a little so the cats can come in if they want," Rebecca said. "Can you tell me what this was about?"
"Whoever broke in was digging into the boxes that Beryl left here. I suspect they're looking for information about the gold that her ancestor, Jedidiah, stole."
"Oh!" Rebecca slowly nodded. "I can't wait to go to sleep now. I want to dream about that."
"Good." Polly flipped the overhead light off. "Then, sweet dreams." She pulled the door closed, leaving a small gap and looked around the living room. Hayden and Henry had gotten Heath back into his room and were still talking with him, so she wandered around the house, turning lights off. Rebecca had taken out cookies and milk for her and Heath. What a good little sister she was. Polly set the glasses into the sink and looked out the kitchen window to the street.
"Keeping an eye out?" Henry's voice made her jump.
"I guess. Really, I was wondering if I'd miss living on a main street when we move to the Bell House. It's going to be so quiet over there."
He chuckled. "The house backs up to a cemetery. Of all places in Bellingwood, you are going to be near a cemetery. Something tells me that nice, quiet, serene setting will be regularly disrupted after you arrive."
"Stop that, you rotten man," she said, putting her hand on his chest. "It's not my fault. This tonight? Not my fault at all."
"Except that those boxes of Carter family history are here at Sycamore House and not at Beryl's."
"Wouldn't you rather that person break in downstairs than at her place?" Polly simpered. "She doesn't have two strong men around to protect her."
"Now you're just being a brat. Will you be able to go back to sleep?"
Polly looked up at the time. It was nearly four o'clock. Tomorrow morning was going to be painful. She opened the freezer and pointed at the extra breakfast sandwiches. "This is why I make so many. We're totally set. Now I can sleep."
Henry took her hand and they walked through the house.
"Thank you for taking care of things," she said. "I know that I give you trouble, but I'm glad you're here."
"Just call me your hero and we'll be good." He shut the door to their room and turned the overhead light off. Enough light came in through the windows for them to see.
Polly stripped back down to her night shirt and slid under the blankets, patting the bed for Obiwan to jump up and snuggle in beside her. Han leaped up, circled the base of the bed three times and dropped before Henry could climb in.
"I need room for my feet, you mutt," he complained.
~~~
Polly sat at the dining room table after Rebecca and Henry left for the day and took a deep breath.
Hayden and Heath had gone back to their room so Hayden could help Heath get showered and ready for the day. Heath insisted that he was doing better, but Polly was glad his brother was still here to give some assistance and let the boy retain dignity. There was no way she was prepared to be that close to her teenaged son.
Her phone rang and she glanced down.
"Good morning, Beryl. You're up awfully early."
"I just got a call from Lydia. Did you really have a break-in last night?"
"Yes I did. And I sent the police over to your house to make sure whoever did this didn't try to break into your place."
"Well aren't you just the sweetest pot of strawberry jam in town," Beryl said. "I appreciate how you take care of me. What do you think he wanted?"
"I'm guessing something from those boxes of family history that are here. Several were opened up and papers scattered around. I don't know if the person found what he was looking for, though."
"Maybe the first thing I should have asked was if everyone was safe there," Beryl said.
"Absolutely. Henry and Jeff had all of the downstairs windows alarmed last year, so that's what woke us up." Polly paused. "I hope it was just the downstairs windows. Maybe I should ask."
"Hard to believe you missed that going on right under your nose."
"Tell me about it. Did you have fun with Tallie?"
"We talked until we couldn't keep our eyes open, Polly. She's a terrific young lady. I've invited her to come back to Bellingwood this summer. She said she would love to. Can you believe that?"
"Of course she did. You're pretty wonderful."
"I'm just me, but we have so many things in common. We're spending today in the studio. Just us and paint and kittens. She loves my kittens, too."
"I'm glad she went home with you yesterday. Did you find anything in the research you were doing?"
Beryl laughed. "We found so much. Nobody tells me anything, though. Cyrus Carter's family lost their surname right off the bat. He had one son who only had daughters."
"That makes sense. Do they live around here?"
"It looks like there is one family who lives just outside of Bellingwood, but the rest have spread out across Iowa. I could round them up in a day or two ... if I was desperate. I'm not that desperate."
"Who is it that lives in Bellingwood?" Polly asked.
"The Dykstra's. Do you know them?"
Polly thought and then it came to her. "I know Jeanie. She plays flute in the summer band with me. I think she's a piano teacher here in town."
"That's their youngest daughter."
"You don't suppose they know anything about the bank robbery."
"The family has had that farm for as long as I can remember," Beryl said. "It wouldn't hurt to ask."
Polly waited and when Beryl remained quiet, she coughed.
"What?"
"Are you planning to make the call?"
"Since you know Jeanie, maybe you could do it?"
"Beryl Watson," Polly scolded. "You're going to make me call her? She’s your family."
"She isn’t any more my family than the man in the moon," Beryl said. "And I'm taking care of Tallie today." Her voice turned mock-whiny. "Please? Please? You're the only other person who is involved in this little mystery and if you did this I would love you forever."
"You're serious, aren't you!"
"I'm pretty much maxed out on my stranger-quotient for the month. You know I'd much rather be in my quiet little studio where no one can find me."
"Fine," Polly said. "I'll call Jeanie. Maybe I can talk her into meeting me at Sweet Beans before she starts her afternoon lessons. But you owe me."
"I owe you so much already," Beryl replied. "You're a special, wonderful, gorgeous, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious friend. Do I need more adjectives? I thought the last one pretty much encompassed them all."
Polly heard the boys moving around in the living room. She wanted to put this conversation with Heath behind her. The moment she thought about it, her heart jumped.
"Did I lose you?" Beryl asked.
"No. Sorry. I need to go talk to my boy."
"Which one? Henry or Obiwan?"
"Heath." Polly lowered her voice
. "I need to make him tell me who beat him up and I'm nervous about it."
"Oh. Well, good luck. Let me know if you get anything from Jeanie Dykstra. And I know, I know. I owe you big-time. You can bet that pretty little bippy of yours that I'll find a fun way to make this up to you."
"Just enjoy your time with Tallie. That's enough for now."
Polly put the phone back down on the dining room table and took another drink of coffee. It was time.
"Boys," she called, walking into the living room. "Would you come out here?"
Hayden came out and turned around. "Come on. She won't bite. You know that."
Heath followed him and the two sat down on the sofa. Heath braced himself as he sat, then leaned back gingerly.
"Do you feel better now that you've showered?" Polly asked.
"A lot." He dropped his hand to rub Obiwan's head. The dog stuck his nose between Heath's leg and the edge of the sofa.
"Heath," she said. "I don't want to have this conversation with you any more than you want me to have it, but we must talk about Friday night. I've put it off long enough."
"Okay."
She glanced at Hayden, who wouldn't take his eyes off his brother. "Buddy, you've got to tell her."
"He's right, you know," Polly said. "You have to tell me. Who did this to you?"
Heath shook his head and looked down. "I don't know."
"You do know." Polly sat forward. "Look at me."
He looked up.
"You haven't looked me in the eyes any time I've asked you this question. When you tell me that you don't know, you’re lying to me. Why is this such a big deal?"
"It's not a big deal. I don't know," he said, taking an interest in Obiwan's collar.
"You did it again, Heath," Hayden said. "Talk to her."
Heath rolled his lips between his teeth and refused to look up.
"I don't know what I'm going to do with you," Polly said. She put her elbows on her knees and dropped her head into her hands. "You frustrate the heck out of me." Then she sat up. "But I will tell you this. I have all day. If that's what it takes to get you to talk, I will sit here on this couch until you're ready."
She sat back and tucked her legs up underneath her.
"That's it?" he asked.
She gave a startled bubble of laughter. "What?"
Heath looked at his brother.
Hayden picked Luke up off the back of the sofa and put him into his lap. The cat pulled away, jumped back where he'd been and perched himself. "What's your end game, Polly?" he asked.
"My end game? All I want is the truth. We need to know who did this."
"And if you don't get an answer?"
"Like I said. I'll sit here until I do."
"But what if you don't?"
"I will," she said.
"But what if you don't?"
Polly peered at him. "I don't understand what you're asking. I insist that we talk about this. We aren't going anywhere until there is a good response." She smiled. "Okay. If we're here too long, you're going back to school, but Heath and I can stay like this as long as it takes."
"What if you don't like the answer?"
"We'll deal with it. At this point, I can’t imagine that I’ll like it. You've turned this into something immense and it doesn't need to be. Obviously, the answer makes Heath uncomfortable. What are you asking me?"
"What happens if you don't like what Heath has to tell you?"
"I don't know," she said. "It depends on what it is. But it can't be as bad as the two of you are making it. So far, the worst thing that I know is that Heath and Libby went out to the trails when they aren't supposed to be together. And oh, by the way, her mother has made it quite clear that you aren't to see her again. That was a big mistake in your relationship with her. You couldn't obey the rules and now you'll have to face the consequences."
"Consequences?" Heath asked.
"Yes. You are no longer allowed to spend time with her outside of school. You screwed up. I can't punish you any more than that for making that mistake. That is, if she's someone you wanted to be with."
Heath nodded and looked down at the floor.
"That's a lesson you'll want to learn right away," Polly said. "If a girl's mother sets out rules, you follow them. Because when you don't, she will make it impossible for you to see her daughter. And oh, by the way, I'm fine with that."
He looked at her. "I thought you liked Libby."
"I like her, but you two disrespected her mother and I will support her decision." Polly wasn't about to tell him the rest of what Libby's mother had said. The woman was scared for her daughter and furious that they'd been sneaking around behind her back.
She took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. "So what's the rest of the story."
Hayden glared at his brother and then turned to Polly. "He thinks you'll kick him out."
"What?" The word exploded out of her mouth, startling everyone in the room. Han jumped down from where he'd been sitting beside her, Luke leaped off the back of the sofa, Leia sat up, and Obiwan turned to look at her. The two boys were startled as well.
"Sorry," she said in a normal tone of voice, but then she stepped it up again. "How in the world could you believe something like that about us? Why would you even think that?" Polly stood up and then sat down on the coffee table in front of Heath. She was beside herself. She grabbed his knee. "After what you went through last summer, why would you think that there is anything you could do that would make us let you go? We are committed to you, for as long as you want to be part of our family." She sat back. "No, that's not right. It's not up to you. We're committed to you. That's all there is to it. There's not a damned thing you can do to change that."
Polly turned to Hayden. "And you, too. We might not have signed papers declaring that you're part of our family, but you are. Henry and I love you two. Both of you. And Heath..." She reached over and touched his face, forcing him to look at her. "You can't make us stop loving you."
Tears streamed from his eyes. Polly pointed at a side table on the other side of the room. "Tissues."
Hayden's eyes were full as he stood and went to get the box. He put it on the table beside her and she pulled out a handful and put them in Heath's hand. "I keep this nearby for just such occasions as this. I'm always crying."
He nodded.
"Is that a 'yes, you're always crying' nod?" she asked.
He smiled through the tears and nodded again.
"Have I cleared up your biggest fear about this conversation?"
Heath blew his nose and nodded one more time.
"I'm going to need a few more words," she said. "We are going to finish this today. And maybe it won't take quite as long as I worried it would. Are you ready to talk yet?"
He put his head in his hand. "I screwed up so bad. It's just so bad."
"There's nothing so bad that you can't recover from it," Polly said. "That's one of the great things about having a family. We act as a buffer between the really bad stuff and you. But we have to know what we're dealing with. You need to talk to me."
"It was Ladd," Heath said.
"I'm sorry, Ladd Berant?" she asked. "He's in prison."
Heath nodded. "Yeah. He is, but his crew isn't and they blame me."
"And they waited six months to retaliate?"
"I've been at work, home or school most of the time," he said. "I should have known something was up, but I thought maybe they'd finally forgotten about me."
"How did they know where to find you?"
"Libby is friends with one of their girlfriends and she was bragging about how we were going to sneak out of school and go for a walk."
"Yeah," Polly said. "I forgot about that. We'll need to deal with the whole sneaking out of school thing, too." She grinned at him. "I'm not too happy that you're laid up. It would have been a perfect time to get your shower scrubbed down."
"I'll do it when I'm better," he said.
"You're right," she agreed. "You w
ill. Now, tell me what really happened Friday afternoon."
"I didn't think anything about it. Libby and I skipped last hour and went down to the trails. And they jumped us. They told Libby that if she didn't do anything, she wouldn't be hurt. I told her to just let it happen to me. All I could think was that I had to get her home in one piece. I'd just take the beating and it would be over before school let out and then she could get on the bus and no one would ever know."
He stopped.
"And then?" Polly pressed.
"And then it got worse. They wouldn't stop hitting me and then…" He touched his cheek. "He cut me and told me that was what was happening to Ladd in jail and that I needed to feel it because it was my fault he was there."
Polly took another deep breath and looked first at Hayden and then at his brother. "I'm sorry," she said. "I'm sorry that you are still dealing with this. We're talking to the sheriff."
"No," Heath said. "That will just make it worse."
"No way. I'm not letting these bullies hurt you like this and get away with it."
"But I can't go through any more with them. There's always another one who wants to prove that he's part of the crew. I'm a target."
"Not today you aren't. Not this week, in fact. We aren't finished talking about how to handle this, but the last thing you want to do is let a bully think he has won. This is assault with a weapon. Heath, we're calling the sheriff."
He slumped back on the couch and Hayden reached out to him. "She's right."
"I know," he said. "It just sucks."
"Today looks really bad," Polly said. She put her hand on Heath's knee. "That bit about your family being a buffer is true. We will discuss all of the options you have before you have to face any of those boys again. I promise."
"Like what?" he asked.
"Like I don't know yet," she said with a smile. "This will require more research. Now, is there anything else you need to tell me?"
The two boys looked at each other and grinned.
"What?"
"We had a bet," Hayden said. "I bet him that you wouldn't kick him out and he took it. He owes me ten bucks."
Unexpected Riches (Bellingwood Book 13) Page 22