The River Rolls On (Bellingwood Book 10)

by Muir, Diane Greenwood

  Polly felt tears threaten. "You're kidding me, right?"

  "I'm not kidding you at all. Do you know how many families have had weddings here or have come to your parties or for meetings and groups? Nobody messes with us or our family and you're part of the family. And the Sturtzes have been in town a long time. Henry and his dad have worked on a lot of homes and businesses in town. You two have touched people."

  "I don't even know what to say to that. I'm a little blown away."

  "We'd do it for anyone, you know. But you're important to this town." Jean Gardner finished emptying the basket and folded up the grocery tote bags and stuffed them inside. "We should get out of your hair."

  "Won't you have pie with us?"

  Jean pointed to the brownies on the counter. "It looks like you just had dessert."

  "That's been hours ago. If the kids don't want pie, they can have a popsicle or another brownie. Please stay?"

  "Well..."

  "The knives are in that drawer," Polly pointed, "and the pie server is in the drawer right next to it. I'll get the men and we can eat here in the dining room. I'm sure Jon and Ray would love to have pie with us."

  Jon had walked in as she said the last and turned back to speak to the men in the living room. "It's okay. You're staying and we get to eat now."

  The other three men came in to the dining room. Henry went into the kitchen and took down plates while Polly went into the media room to talk to Andrew and Kayla.

  "You two can join us if you like," she said. "It looks like we're going to have a party."

  Andrew jumped up and ran to the dining room, slipping in to sit between Ray and Jon.

  "He's really nice," Kayla said.

  "Who is?" Polly asked.

  "Your friend, Jon. He doesn't talk to me like I'm a little girl."

  "He's a good guy."

  "I'm glad he's here to take care of you."

  "Me too."

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  "Doing okay?" Jeff asked when Polly walked into his office on Monday morning.

  "I'm fine," she said flatly.

  "You don't sound fine."

  She dropped into a chair in front of his desk. "No, I'm fine. Anything else and it just makes me sound like a whiner."

  He tapped his computer screen. "I see we have new guests out at the Inn. You checked them in last night?"

  "Yeah. More bodyguards for me. Aren't I lucky?"

  "More?"

  With all that had been going on, Polly realized he hadn't been around for the revelations that had occurred over the weekend, so she explained about Joey and the serial killer and that Jon and Ray were here to protect her. He took most of it in without reacting. Even the fact that she had a serial killer stalking her.

  Finally, she had to ask. "Why are you so calm about this?"

  He gave a shrug. "What am I supposed to do?"

  "Gasp? Clutch your chest? Threaten to leave or run away? I don't know. Something."

  "I can't fix it," he said. "I'm helpless to help you. And all of this information you're telling me is a couple of days old. I figure you and Henry are probably panicked enough for all of us. If you tell me what I can do to help, I'll drop everything and do it."

  She stuck her lower lip out. "You're getting used to my shenanigans, aren't you?"

  "No, I wouldn't say that. But I have to assume that everyone is doing all that they can to take care of this. If you tell me that we need to shut this place down to keep you safe, I'll do that right now. Do I need to be worried about any of our employees or guests?"

  "They tell me no," she said, shaking her head. "Joey and his partner are focused on me or girls who look like me. There isn't any history of attacking family or friends."

  "Then we're safe, right?"

  "I think so."

  Lisa Bradford, the mail carrier, poked her head in. "Hello, Polly," she said. "Are you doing okay this morning?"

  Polly turned. "Hi Lisa, I'm good."

  "We want you to know that if there's anything we can do, we will. Folks up town are talking about what they can do for you until this crazy man is caught. If you need anything, just let us know. Even if it's having some of our good old boys drive around in their trucks looking tough."

  "That's so nice."

  "It's no big thing. You live in a small town. Everybody's paying attention to everything."

  "I think for now, just keep an eye out. Has Aaron handed out pictures yet? He was going to do that."

  "I saw one at the post office before I left this morning."

  Polly smiled. "That's all I know to do now."

  Lisa put her hand on Polly's shoulder. "You do a lot for us. Even for my daughter. Melissa isn't too happy that today is her last day here."

  "That's right," Polly said. "This is the last week of school. Isn't she having a party for the kids?"

  "She sure is. I'll be back to help out." She patted Polly and said, "So I'd better get going if I'm going to be finished in time. Remember, let us know. That's not an empty offer. Okay?"

  "Thank you," Polly said.

  "They're good people," Jeff said after Lisa had left.

  "I don't know if that guy and Joey know what they've gotten themselves into. They thrive on secrecy and fear, but get a bunch of Iowa small town boys involved? They don't have a chance."

  He grinned. "Especially if their pictures are out there. These boys ... and girls … will be on the lookout."

  "I hope they find something soon. There's a girl out there who is being held by them and another one who has been killed. No one is able to find them. Or my truck." Polly knew she sounded frustrated. She was frustrated. "You'd think it would be hard to hide a truck, but Aaron doesn't even know where to look. It's like they've disappeared. And they aren't sticking to one area. One of the pictures sent to me was taken down by Luther, one of the girls was kidnapped from Des Moines, and the postmark on the letter was from Boone. Who knows where they're hiding."

  Jeff nodded. "There are plenty of places they can hide, that's for sure. We have everything from river valleys to abandoned farmsteads to city anonymity."

  "They just need these guys to make one mistake."

  "At least they made their first mistake by not tying you down," Jeff said.

  "You're right," she agreed. "One more mistake."

  Jeff looked around and said, "So, where are your bodyguards this morning?"

  "Who knows," Polly said with a snarl, then she took a breath. "I'm sorry. I'm just in a bad mood. I'm tired of having people in my space who aren't my family. I love Jon and Ray, but they're only here because I'm in trouble. And I don't know how long they'll be able to stay. They brought in two more people that I don't know and now they'll be all up in my face. I can't just go hang out with my friends when I want to. I haven't seen Joss's babies for a week. I can't drop in at Henry's work to see Jessie and Molly." She frowned at him. "And I didn't get to have pizza with the girls last night. That just sucks."

  He laughed. "That's what this is all about, isn't it? You do that every Sunday night."

  "Yes we do and they went without me last night."

  "Those horrible girls," he said mockingly. "They didn't!"

  "They didn't want to, but I told them they should anyway. Sal offered to bring me pizza, but it's not about the food. I like getting out of the house. But what? I was going to take two bodyguards along with me to girl's night?"

  "I'm guessing the girls wouldn't mind so much," Jeff said with a chuckle.

  Polly draped herself over the front of his desk. "I'm so tired of this. I'm up again and down again. My emotions are all over the place. Sometimes I'm totally fine with being safe here and the next minute I'm all depressed because I'm cooped up. You should probably just send me back up to the apartment so I'll quit complaining on you."

  "It is tedious," he said.

  Polly looked at his face, trying to decide whether he was serious or not. When she couldn't get a read on him, she said, "I'm sorry! I'm pathetic."

&
nbsp; He laughed. "I was kidding. Stop worrying. Just do what you do and quit beating yourself up. This will end, Polly."

  "I don't know," she said, slumping back in her chair.

  "It's been one week. One..." He held up his index finger. "Week. How many weeks have passed since the beginning of the year?"

  "I don't know," she grumped. She knew where he was going with this.

  "How many weeks did it take to finish Sycamore House?"

  "I don't know."

  "How many weeks..."

  "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I get it. Time passes, I'm being ridiculous." She stood up and brushed a stack of papers he had on the corner of his desk toward him. "There. I feel better. I'm going to my office to sulk by myself."

  Jeff stood up and grabbed his coffee mug. "I'm going to the kitchen for Sylvie's good stuff. You want I should bring you some?"

  "Yes," she said with a pout, ignoring his awful grammar. "Caffeine will help."

  He gave her a push into her office and asked Stephanie if she wanted anything from the kitchen. The girl pushed her chair back and followed him out.

  Polly sat down and looked at the stack of mail that Stephanie had put in the middle of her desk. She didn't want to look through it, just in case there was another letter from Joey. Steeling herself, Polly did a quick flip through the stack and when nothing jumped out at her, breathed a sigh of relief and finished sorting.

  Jeff put a cup of coffee down on her desk. "Everything okay?"

  "I think so." Polly reached over and pulled the coffee close, breathing in its scent. "I have to get out of here today. I'm becoming paranoid. All of my sensibilities have lost their mind."

  "That would probably make them happy, you know," Jeff said. "I mean, I'm no expert in psychology, but if this is all about power, you can't give it to them."

  Polly glowered at him. "Stop being so smart."

  "Hey," he said. "This place should be hopping this afternoon. The kids are coming over and I think Melissa has a big afternoon planned. She's done great this semester."

  Melissa Bradford had been successful with the Monday afterschool program they'd started at Sycamore House for kids to wait for their working parents. It had taken a while for it to catch on, but thirty-five elementary age kids showed up every week.

  Joss had assured Polly and Jeff that the library had never had that many kids on Mondays, but the allure of horses and donkeys and Sylvie's snacks had been too much. As far as Polly was concerned, every single child attending elementary school in Bellingwood was welcome. If she could figure out a way to open the place up every afternoon, she'd do it.

  Jeff didn't think that was a good idea. He wasn't prepared to be responsible for the problems that came with daily interaction with kids. She knew he was right, but it didn't stop her from dreaming.

  A large truck pulled up outside the front door and Jeff jumped up. "I've got this," he said.

  "What's going on?" Polly followed him out of the office.

  "Don't you dare give me any trouble." He wagged a finger at her.

  "Why would I..." When Jeff opened the door, she read the company name on the side of the truck.

  "You're having a carnival," she said, accusingly. "You like hosting these kids."

  "It's just a couple of bounce houses and games. Melissa did all the work and got donations to cover prizes and eighty-five percent of the activities. She's the one who rounded up volunteers and talked parents into being here this afternoon to help set up."

  Polly was surprised. "She really dug in for this."

  "Yes she did," Jeff said. "Now go back into your office so I can deal with these young men."

  She sighed and turned, then wondered where her trusty bodyguards were. It wasn't like them to leave her alone this long. It had felt like she'd had someone in her face every hour she wasn't asleep this weekend. Whenever she came out of her bedroom, either Jon or Ray was watching television or reading.

  Last night they'd introduced her to the new team members before getting them settled at Sycamore Inn. The two women were as different as they could be. Tonya was black, tall and slender, while Gerry - short for Geraldine, she said - was a stocky redhead.

  Since most of Bellingwood knew Polly needed protection, they hadn't bothered coming up with a cover story for the newcomers. They would drop into Polly's life and stay until this was finished.

  Last night after the new team had been safely ensconced in their rooms at the hotel, Polly finally pulled Ray off to the side to talk to him about the cost of this protection. She knew it had to be expensive. It was one thing to lean on a couple of old friends, but bringing in a specialized team was entirely different.

  Ray had been offended. Polly had been insistent. Ray tried to blow her off. Polly wasn't going anywhere until he talked to her.

  He finally told her that having his team come in wasn't cheap, but she wasn't to worry about it. The company made more than enough money, that when a friend needed help, no one would even flinch.

  When Ray told Polly he believed this would be over within the week, she realized that didn't surprise her. One way or another, this was going to come to a head. Joey didn't have the wherewithal to do anything long term. She knew deep down that killing wasn't part of his personality and if Marcus Allendar was forcing Joey to do the actual dirty work, the man she knew would break.

  "Miss Giller?" Polly turned to see Tonya standing in her doorway.

  "Hi," she said. "Anything I can do for you?"

  "I was just wondering what was good in town for lunch," Tonya asked. "Or do you usually eat here?"

  "Joe's Diner is great," Polly said. "Or Davey's if you want to stay in town. There's a new Mexican place. Comida Mexicana, if you like that. I can find something here."

  "No," said Tanya. "Let's go. You and me and Gerry. Ray says you've been stuck inside and that's ridiculous."

  "Really?" Polly jumped up and pushed her chair in under the desk. "I'd love to go out."

  "Do you want to walk your dogs first? As long as you don't leave the property, I'm all for that."

  "Are you teasing me?" Polly wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry.

  Tanya chuckled. "There are four of us here to protect you now. I think we can give you a little freedom. As long as one of us is with you and you don't run off on your own, this will be easy."

  "I want to hug you," Polly said. "All of you. I'll be good. I won't run away. I'll stick close. I'll do whatever you tell me to do, as long as you let me live a normal life."

  "Normal it is," Tanya said. "What do you want to do first?"

  "I want to take my dogs for a walk." Polly looked at the time. "This is perfect. Then I want to call my friend Sal and ask her to meet us at the diner for lunch. And then I want to go over to where my husband is working and see what they're doing."

  "Gerry will meet us at the diner in, say, twenty minutes?" Tonya said. "Will that be enough time?"

  "Seriously. Hugging you," Polly said and grinned when Tanya backed up. "Okay, hugging you from afar. You made my day!"

  She stopped at Stephanie's desk and the girl looked up at her with a big smile. "You're leaving us for a while?"

  "It's the best thing ever!" Polly said. "I don't know when I'll be back."

  "Have fun."

  "Come on," Polly said to Tanya. "I'll introduce you to my animals."

  While she stood outside in her back yard watching Han and Obiwan chase each other and play, Polly drew in a huge, deep breath, savoring the smell of freshly cut grass. Then she took out her phone and swiped a call to Sal.

  "How're ya doing?" Sal asked. "Are those gorgeous boys still hanging out in your space?"

  "They are and they brought in reinforcements. But Sal, they're letting me escape today. Can you meet me for lunch in fifteen minutes at the diner? I get to go out!"

  "Well..." Sal hesitated.

  "No," Polly said. "I don't care if you've already eaten. I don't care if you're in the middle of the best paragraph you've ever written. I don't even care if
you haven't taken a shower. You have to come have lunch with me. Please!"

  "I can do a shower in five minutes," Sal said. "How did you know?"

  "Because I know you. Please?"

  "Fine. I might be a few minutes late. Order an iced tea for me and I just want a cheeseburger with fries. I need to put the dogs outside and then I'll be on my way."

  "I'm outside with my dogs right now," Polly said. "It's the best day ever. I can't wait to see you."

  "Honey, it hasn't been that long."

  "Stop talking to me and go take your shower. I will not be denied!"

  "You are bossy."

  Polly ended the call and looked up, wondering where the rest of the team was hiding. She assumed they had to be close. She still wondered where Jon and Ray had gone. Maybe they were tired of her, too. She'd been awfully whiny lately. Anybody could be tired of that.

  "Come on, boys," she called out to Obiwan and Han. "Do your thing and let's go in."

  Obiwan trotted over to stand beside her and she whistled for Han. He looked up from the tree he'd been sniffing, gave it a quick soaking and ran to join them.

  Tanya was driving a silver Taurus and she pulled around to the garage to pick Polly up. Even though it was just a few blocks to the diner, she insisted they take the car. She parked and they walked across the street to the diner. Polly nearly fainted with joy at the familiar scents and sounds when she opened the door. It had only been a week, but she was beginning to wonder if she would ever get out of Sycamore House again.

  Lucy smiled and bumped her as she walked past with a large tray filled with plates. She nodded her head toward the side where Gerry was already seated at a table. She and Tanya joined the young woman.

  "This is great," Gerry said. "I love small-town diners." She turned to her teammate. "We need to take more jobs in small towns. I could get used to this."

  "There's no gym. You'd beef up and be no good to us."

  Gerry gave her friend a look. "You're a horrid person, saying that to me."

  "Hey. You're the one who's always complaining about every little ounce."