Diane Greenwood Muir - Bellingwood 05 - Life Between the Lines

by Diane Greenwood Muir

  There was something on the window. That was strange.

  “Come on, Obiwan. Let’s check this out.” He followed her back through the office to the front door.

  She pulled the door open and was shocked to see yellow paint splattered all over it.

  “What in the hell?”

  A quick glance to her left and right told her there was paint splattered everywhere. They’d hit the door with yellow and then splashed other colors up the walls and across the windows.

  “What’s going on?” she asked and dropped to her haunches. She held Obiwan as she crouched and looked up at the horrible mess. “Who would do this and how do I fix it?”

  Eliseo, Jason and Rachel weren’t due to be at the barn until six thirty and she didn’t want to wake Aaron up. The last thing she needed was for him to think she’d found another body, but this was more than she knew how to handle. She was damned tired of dealing with these things by herself.

  Well, he had told her to call when she woke up. She pulled the phone out of her back pocket and dialed Henry.

  “Good morning!” he said. “You called. I didn’t think you would.”

  “Henry?” was all she could get out before she began to cry.

  “Polly, what’s wrong?”

  “Henry, someone threw paint all over the front of Sycamore House. It’s a horrible mess and I don’t know what to do.”

  “They did what? Is it spray paint or paint paint?”

  “It’s like they flung buckets of the stuff. They got the door, it’s on the windows and the bricks. It’s all over the sidewalk.”

  “Is it still wet?”

  “What?”

  “Is it still wet?” he repeated.

  “I don’t know.”

  Very patiently, he said, “Would you mind touching it? Has it been on the building all night or did it just happen?”

  “Oh!” She walked back to the front door and swiped her index finger through the paint. “Still wet.”

  “If there is one time of the night when they might get away with this, it would be between three and four thirty.”

  “Maybe that’s what woke me up,” she said to herself.

  “What?”

  “Well, I was surprised when I woke up so early, but I assumed it was because I’d had plenty of sleep.” She tried to avoid it, but couldn’t get past the catch in her throat.

  “I can’t believe this.” Henry sounded furious.

  “I can’t either.” She cried again.

  “I also can’t believe I’m not there to help you. I’m cancelling my plans with Lonnie and I’ll be home later today.”

  “No. Don’t do that. I have plenty of people here to help me.”

  “You need to call Ken Wallers.”

  “I’m not going to wake him up.”

  “Call the police station. They’ll send someone. Do that first and then we’ll start dealing with the next steps.”

  “I will in a minute. Obiwan needs to go.”

  “I’ll get the phone number while you walk with him. Don’t hang up on me.”

  “I won’t. Henry, this looks awful. My beautiful home!”

  She heard him clicking away in the background as she walked toward the north side of the building. Obiwan followed, bouncing into the grass. When they got near the row of Sycamore trees, he dashed off to make sure they’d all been properly marked. She followed him to the creek and waited while he pranced in and out of the trees.

  “Polly?” Henry said.

  “Yes?”

  “I have the number. Call the station and tell them what’s happened. After you hang up, go back around front and take pictures. I want to see what has happened, so email those to me.”

  “Okay.” They ended the call and she quickly dialed the number he gave her before it was forgotten. A woman’s voice on the other end asked what she could do to help.

  “This is Polly Giller over at Sycamore House,” Polly said. “Someone has flung paint all over the front of my building and I need to file a report.”

  “Yes, Miss Giller. I’ll call Ken. He’ll be over in a little bit.”

  “I didn’t mean to wake him up,” Polly protested.

  “That’s fine, Miss Giller. He’s on call this morning and I think he’ll be relieved to hear that you don’t have a body for him.”

  Polly couldn’t help it. She laughed out loud. “Oh, thank you. That made me feel better. I’m glad I don’t have one for him, too.”

  “He’ll be over soon and I’m sorry this has happened to you.”

  “Thank you.” Polly hung up and said, “Come on, Obiwan. It’s time to head back inside.”

  She called Henry. “I’m sorry I messed with your morning.”

  “Don’t be sorry. I feel terrible that I’m not there.”

  “I’ve called the police. Ken Wallers is coming over. I’ll take Obiwan upstairs and feed him before I take pictures for you.”

  “When Eliseo gets there, ask him to call me. I have some ideas on how to clean it up. Don’t worry, okay?”

  “I won’t. I’ll send the pictures over and talk to you a little later.”

  “I love you, Polly. Does that help?”

  She smiled. “It does right now and I love you too.”

  “Talk to you later.”

  “Bye, Henry.”

  She opened the garage door and went inside to the back stairs. Obiwan followed her up the steps and into the apartment. The cats were already moving toward the kitchen for breakfast. Polly filled their dishes and made sure water was available. She took her hat off and put it on the table in the entry way, saying “I’m not going to need you today, am I?”

  When she got back outside, her heart sank at the mess. She walked far enough out into the parking lot to take an all-encompassing photo, then moved closer and took more pictures, emailing each to Henry. She turned around as she heard a car pull onto the gravel in the parking lot. She was expecting Ken Wallers and was surprised to see Lila Fletcher get out of the passenger side of the car that pulled up in front of the building.

  “What happened?” the woman asked.

  “I don’t know,” Polly said. “It’s been a crazy weekend here.”

  “It has? I was gone. What was the excitement?”

  “Well, this,” Polly pointed to the front of Sycamore House, “and there was an incident Saturday morning with Thomas Zeller.”

  The woman stopped in her tracks and demanded, “What happened?”

  Polly explained that he had been killed and that the Sheriff wished to speak with her. Lila said nothing more and went inside.

  “Well, that was odd,” Polly muttered to herself.

  Ken Wallers drove in next. He got out of his car and came over to stand beside her, looking up at the front of the building. “What in the hell?” he asked.

  “Those were my words,” she commented. “Hi there.”

  “Do you have any idea who might be angry enough to do this?”

  Polly thought about it. “Angry with me? I don’t have a clue.”

  “Have you had any other vandalism around here lately?”

  “Other than the murder the other night?”

  “Yes. Other than that.”

  “No, I haven’t.”

  “You’re going to want to make sure things are locked up tight and put away for a few days. This isn’t an accident and if someone has gotten it in their head to hurt you, they might try other things.

  “Do you want to come inside?” she asked. “I can turn on the coffee pot in the office.”

  “That would be great. I need to start a report and then I’ll be out later with my camera. Are you cleaning this up today?”

  “As soon as I can. I hate the idea that everyone will see this.”

  “You could always put a ‘Pardon the Mess’ sign out front,” he chuckled.

  “Aren’t you helpful,” she grinned. “I talked to Henry and he and Eliseo will come up with a plan for cleanup.” She flipped the coffee pot on in the
outer office and followed him into her office.

  “You’re up awfully early this morning.” He pulled a notepad out of his jacket pocket.

  “I slept so badly the other night that I went to bed early.”

  Ken scratched notes and asked about her insurance.

  Polly heard the coffee pot end its cycle and said, “Excuse me,” then left the room. She poured two cups and brought them back into her office, setting one in front of him. He was pondering something he’d written and automatically picked the cup up, blowing on it as he thought.

  “What are you thinking about?” she asked.

  “We haven’t had any vandalism in town for quite a while. I’m just thinking about who my regular offenders are.”

  “Do you think this was done by a regular offender?”

  “It won’t hurt to check them out.”

  “Polly?” Eliseo came in the door to the office. “Oh, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to interrupt.”

  “That’s all right,” Ken said. “I need to get the report finished and come back with a camera. Come on in.”

  “You two have met, haven’t you?” Polly asked. “Oh, sure,” she said. “What was I thinking?”

  Earlier that spring, Eliseo had been living in her barn as he looked for a former army mate who had stolen a priceless vase and large amount of cash when they were stationed in Iraq. Two others from their unit were also looking for the vase and money and had killed Harry Bern, who had just begun working as the custodian at Sycamore House. When Polly discovered the vase in the hay loft, Eliseo had come to her rescue when the two former soldiers tried to steal it from her. Just as she and Eliseo were getting the two men under control, Ken Wallers and his team arrived on the scene and ensured everyone was safely dealt with.

  The two men shook hands and Ken asked, “How is that old place coming along? Are you getting it fixed up?”

  “I’m nearly finished,” Eliseo said. “Henry asked his friend, Len Specek, to help me with the cupboards in the kitchen. Once those go in, that room will be done.”

  Eliseo was living in the house Harry Bern had been renting. The landlord had agreed to let him live there rent free for a year. In return, Eliseo provided the labor to renovate the home which had been torn to pieces by the two men who were searching for the vase and cash. To Polly, the mess seemed daunting, but Eliseo had dug in and was creating a nice home for himself.

  “It’s good to see you,” Ken said and left the office.

  Eliseo took the vacated seat and turned worried eyes toward Polly. “What’s going on?”

  “I don’t know. I found it when I came down this morning.” She shook her head. “You haven’t seen any other signs of vandalism around here, have you?”

  “No.” He thought for a moment and then repeated himself, “No. I haven’t seen anything. When can I clean it up?”

  “Ken is returning with a camera and then we can do whatever we want. I’ve already talked to Henry. He wants you to call him before you start.”

  “The kids are going to be here in a little bit. Do you still want to go out riding?”

  “I hate to take that away from them and I’d hate for Demi to be left home because I’m feeling sorry for myself.” She looked down at the desk and then back up at him. “The vandals won’t come back during the day, will they?”

  “Polly, anyone who does something like this relies on the cover of darkness. They’re cowards. If you want to go riding with us, you should. Let Demi carry you for a while. This has been a tough couple of days for you.”

  “I didn’t get to the barn yesterday.”

  “That’s okay, but those beasts have a lot to give you when things are falling apart. Come on. Let’s head down.”

  “You’re right. Ken doesn’t need me.” She stood up and took a deep breath, releasing it through her nose. “I’m ready.”

  They walked through the building and out the side door into the covered walkway. There were only two guests in this addition, but it felt good to have the rooms used. Polly couldn’t believe she was really an innkeeper. All of those years she’d spent in college and working as a librarian in Boston had prepared her for quite a bit, but not for this.

  She put her hand on Eliseo’s back. “I don’t tell you thank you enough for all you do here. I really appreciate you.”

  “I appreciate the work, Polly.”

  She stopped him and pulled him into a hug. “No, really. I’m so glad you are here.”

  He stiffened and then hugged her back. “I am too. You’ve given me a pretty wonderful life.”

  She released him and they left the covered walkway and headed for the barn. “I’ve given you a job. You’ve made a life here. I don’t know how you get everything done. Lydia told me a couple of weeks ago that Mrs. Mulberry said you cleaned out her pond and then you promised to clean her gutters before winter.”

  “She’s a nice lady. She feeds me pie. Each time I see her, she has pie for me. I have to work like this or I wouldn’t be able to walk!”

  They were laughing as they opened the doors to the barn.

  “Good morning, everyone,” Polly called. She heard movement and watched as the horses came to life. Nan’s head was first out of the stall and Eliseo strode over to greet her. He murmured at her and stroked her head, then moved to Nat, who shook himself before putting his head out.

  “Polly!” Jason and Rachel both ran into the barn and pulled up short when they saw Polly and Eliseo.

  “Did you see it?” Rachel asked.

  “Yes, and the police have already been here,” Polly said.

  Rachel was moving toward Daisy’s stall and Jason stepped up to Nat. Both of these young people had bonded with the four horses, but had chosen their own favorite to care for. When they all rode together, they knew who was most comfortable on which horse.

  “Come on, guys. Let’s feed them breakfast and we’ll saddle up after cleaning out the stalls. No time to waste!” Eliseo said and hefted a bucket to Jason. He tossed a second at Rachel and Polly caught up to him before he tossed another.

  The horses were soon eating and the humans made quick work of clean up. Jason hauled the last of the waste out to be dumped while Rachel and Polly followed Eliseo into the tack room. There wasn’t a day that went by when Polly wasn’t grateful for the months she’d put in hauling hay bales and cleaning these stalls by herself. She was in better shape than she’d ever been and the thought of lifting a saddle up on to Demi’s back no longer frightened her. She could tell he looked forward to their rides together and this morning she could hardly wait to feel his muscles move underneath her. She was still in awe that she got to be part of their lives.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Demi’s strength and calm demeanor was the perfect remedy. Eliseo was right. Other than a few words of guidance as they rode, these early morning rides were quiet. Rachel and Jason were still trying to wake up, Eliseo never had much to say, and this morning Polly was fine with silence. She had a lot to think about.

  When they returned to the barn, they brushed down their horses and Eliseo stepped out to take a phone call. “Henry thinks that pressure washers will clean up most of the paint,” he said, walking back in. “He’s a little worried about the front doors, but told me that we should do as much as we can and he will look at it when he gets back.”

  “Okay, so we need to line up pressure washers and ladders,” Polly said. “Did he say anything about where to get that stuff?”

  “No, but he told me that you should call him when you’re free.”

  “Thanks. I’ll finish in here and head up to the office.”

  “You go. The kids and I can do this. I’ll stop in to find out what’s next.”

  “I’m sorry about this, Eliseo. I know today is usually your day off.”

  “Don’t even think about it. I’d rather be outside cleaning than stuck in my kitchen working on tile. That job will be there this winter when it’s cold and miserable.”

  She smiled at him. “Thank
you. I’ll make it up to you.”

  “You already have, several times over. Don’t worry about it.”

  Polly dialed her phone as she left the barn.

  “Henry? Hi,” she said.

  “Hi there, pretty girl. How are you doing? Did the ride help bring you back to normal?”

  “It did, but now I’m stressing about how to get my hands on the equipment to clean this up.”

  “I’m already on it. Jimmy Rio knows where mine is in the shop and he said his dad has one he could borrow. I called Doug and Billy and Doug is pretty sure his dad has one, too. They’ll be coming downstairs any minute to talk to you.”

  Polly listened as he gave her instructions and then said, “Where are you? What am I hearing in the background?”

  “I’m on the other side of Kalamazoo, heading your way.”

  “I thought you were going to some lecture this afternoon with your sister. It was some guy she wanted you to meet.”

  “I’ll meet him later. I woke her up and told her what happened and she asked why I was still in her house. She kicked me out and I let her.”

  “Henry,” Polly whined, “I didn’t want you to do this. I could have handled it.” Then she stopped and chuckled. “Well, at least with you on the other end of the phone. You seem to be handling it for me even long distance.”

  “I’m coming home. I’ll be there late this afternoon and you better have some good food to feed me because the only stops I’m making are for gas. Snacks are gonna get me to you.”

  “I’ll cook whatever you’d like. I promise. I can’t believe you’re doing this for me. You’re a nut.”

  “I have to tell you, Polly, I can’t take any more of this.”

  “Any more of what?”

  “Any more of you having terrible things happen when I’m nowhere near.”

  “You can’t hover around me all the time.”

  “I can give it my best shot. But, I promise you this, I’m not leaving town for an extended period of time unless you’re with me. And that’s all I have to say about that!”