Beryl's car was smaller than Cat's, so it couldn't be all that bad.
"You didn't have to do this so quickly."
"I certainly did. Once something is in my head, if I don't deal with it right away, my poor little noggin will toss it around until I've driven myself positively nutty. I knew I was going to do nothing but think about what rugs to give you and I just don't have enough cerebral depth to add more trouble."
"Cerebral depth?"
"Suffice it to say, I drive myself crazy and I don't have the time or energy to chase my brain down and tell it to stop playing games."
Polly grabbed her jacket. "This is pretty wonderful of you."
"When I'm done with you, I'm meeting the lovely Mrs. Specek for coffee. She was quite surprised to hear from me, but she's been awake for hours. Would you like to join us?"
"Not this morning. Too much going on, but, thanks." Polly held the glass doors for Beryl as they walked out into the brisk morning.
Beryl skipped down the sidewalk. She'd parked on the other side of Jason's car. "Come on, you slowpoke. We're wastin' morning. Things to do, places to go, people to see."
"I don't skip."
"You're missing out." Beryl put her hand on the hood of her car, took a hop off the curb, then curtsied at Polly. "You need to have more fun."
"I have plenty of fun."
"Look at you in these dull colors." Beryl flipped Polly's blue jacket. "Blue and black. You're a bruise on the face of the earth today, Ms. Giller."
"You'd best be careful, Ms. Watson. I haven't had much sleep and not nearly enough coffee."
"Then you should come up to Sweet Beans and have coffee with two of your favorite people in the world."
"You are my favorite people." Polly yawned and slapped her hand over her mouth. "I don't know where that came from. I'm sorry."
Beryl pranced to the trunk of her car. "It isn't like I'm boring you. I'm confident of that." She held her hand over her mouth as she yawned. "What did you do to me? Stop that."
"We must need oxygen."
"Maybe this will make you gasp for air." Beryl opened her trunk and gestured grandly. "Voilà. Bright and colorful, just like Miss Rebecca ordered."
Bright and colorful definitely described the explosion of colors Polly saw. Two red, pink, and orange striped shaggy rugs, a bright red, blue, and yellow woven rug, and two small deep reddish oriental style rugs.
"Wow," Polly said. "That's a lot of color."
"Layer these things for the best effect. Rebecca knows what to do. It will brighten anyone's day. Now, come around to the back seat."
Polly followed the woman while continuing to glance at the rugs. She would never have thought to combine those colors, but it was kind of beautiful. Beryl opened the door and took out a small lampshade. Splatters of the same colors as the rugs, though muted, covered the shade. She handed Polly a burnished brass lamp. "You have bulbs, right?"
"I expect so," Polly said.
Next came a plastic blanket bag in which two red and gray fuzzy blankets had been shoved. "I hope this girl likes red," Beryl said. "If not, I'm in trouble."
"I'll never tell you if she doesn't."
Beryl patted Polly's arm. "Aren't you the good girl." She bent into the car and came back out, dragging a small table across the seat. "This was a bear to get in the car." She glanced at the trunk. "Poor planning on my part. The rugs would have fit back here, and this could have had all the room it needed."
"Beryl, that's gorgeous."
"This old thing?"
"Tell me you painted it."
"You painted it."
"Come on. Did you do this?" Polly set the blanket bag on the ground and ran her fingers across the top of the table.
"A long time ago," Beryl said. She hip-checked Polly to push her out of the way. "Move it, girl. I got this stupid thing into the car; I can get it out."
"Don't hurt it."
"Honey, there's enough polyurethane on this thing that a bomb could go off and the table would still be standing. I can't hurt it."
The painting on the top of the table was another woodland scene. A small meadow surrounded by trees was home to three playful deer, a pair of raccoons, and a family of squirrels who were darting around the other animals.
"This is so wonderful."
"It's nothing. I was trying something for a friend and …" Beryl gave Polly a sad smile. "Well, it never made it to its new home, so if your new rescue would like it, I'd love to share it with her."
"Beryl, who was this for?"
"It was a long time ago." Beryl swatted at Polly's arm. "Don't worry. It isn't like she died or anything. She just stopped being interested in the things that were important to me."
"Not Andy or Lydia."
"Oh, good heavens, no. Those two women are my stalwart companions. Do you think you'd like to have this in your home?"
"I'm going to have a hard time letting it live in someone's room other than mine." Polly wrapped her arms around Beryl, doing her best not to conk her with the lamp and shade. "Thank you. This is the sweetest gift."
"If she hates all the red, will you tell me? Let me fix it? Please?"
"We'll see what happens. Rebecca is meeting me at the hospital this afternoon. She'll get a feel for what Lexi prefers." Polly thought about confronting Beryl with what she knew about the wigs and the fun she and Rebecca had together. Then she thought better of it. It was their thing and she didn’t need to be involved. Though she would ask Rebecca to tell her about their adventures more often.
"I'm so glad you let me help. I have a house filled with pretties and sometimes it's fun to share them. Lydia's going to be sad that she missed this today, but she'll find a way to make it up to you."
"She doesn't need to do anything of the sort."
"You know that. I know that, but poor Lydia is going to hear from her husband about your rescue and then she'll get to hear from me about my part in it and she's going to feel as if she abandoned you in your hour of need."
"But I have you."
"I know. Isn't that amazing?" Beryl picked up the table. "Shall we fill your car with the pretties?"
CHAPTER ELEVEN
No one was more generous than Polly’s friends. Sometimes they astonished her. Beryl had no concept of how much that little table was worth. She didn't care. It was something pretty for a girl who had nothing, and she was glad to give it away. Chuckling to herself, she thought about the request last year for two new large screen televisions for the youth room at the church. Henry overheard a couple discussing the fact that they could give the church their old television and upgrade to a new one. It had infuriated him so much, he and his father had gone out and purchased two new televisions. They delivered and installed them before anything else could show up. Why would someone give their leftovers to their church? They were still trying to deal with two awful upright pianos that had been dumped on the church when former members wanted to be rid of them before moving out of town.
Kristen was sitting in front of Polly's desk when she got back to her office. "It's peaceful in here."
"Yes, it is." Polly followed Kristen's gaze as the girl watched the horses cavorting through the pasture. "Beautiful day out there."
"I should watch them play more often. It isn't like I have to go very far to do that, but I get caught up in my work and forget that they're right outside the door."
"Did you find anything for me?"
"Not what you were hoping." Kristen handed her a piece of paper. "The only person that we have on record for that weekend is the guy, Troy Kandle."
"With a 'k,'" Polly said. "I remember that now. I'll give this to Deputy Hudson. Maybe she can find him and get more information on Austin Wheeler."
"He's the one who dumped that poor girl?"
"I think so."
"What a creep."
"No kidding."
"Polly, do you ever get tired of taking care of everyone?"
Polly had walked around to the other side of
her desk and was sitting down when the words came out of Kristen's mouth. "What do you mean?"
"I don't know. It just seems so tiring. You're always doing things for others. Stephanie and I were talking about it yesterday. I know most people don't tell you thank you. And sometimes they have no idea that you were even involved in the good things that happen for them. Like this girl. You were there late last night because she needed you. It hasn't occurred to her that you missed out on your sleep or that you didn't get to spend the evening with your family or have a normal supper."
"How do you even know about that? I haven't told anyone."
Kristen smiled. "I have a cousin who's a nurse at the hospital. She asked if I knew you because she remembered that I worked here. Everybody was talking about you."
"About me?"
"Yeah. They're pretty impressed that a stranger would spend so much time with a person they didn't know. How do you do it?"
"It helps that so many people help me out when I need them. Henry made sure the family took care of itself last night. Probably better than I do. This morning, Mrs. Watson was here to give me some beautiful things to dress up a bedroom. I never do anything by myself."
"You don't even know how cool you are." Kristen pushed herself up out of the chair. "The rest of us do. If you need me to look for anything else, just let me know."
"Thanks," Polly said. "I'm not sure how much longer I'll be here today, but I'll buzz you before I leave."
The thing was, Polly wasn't terribly excited about spending the day at the hospital. It was the right thing to do and there was no doubt that Lexi needed her. It was hard to imagine how many people were out there all alone with no one they could count on. Polly had always had people in her life who would take care of her. She'd never worried about being homeless. Even if everything in her personal life fell apart, someone would take her in and make sure she was safe.
But for girls like Lexi, no one knew that she was missing, that she'd been pregnant, that she was in trouble, that she was stuck in the middle of Iowa.
Her phone rang and she swiped the call open. "Hey, Deputy Tab," Polly said.
"Hey yourself. Are you going to the hospital today?"
"Yeah. As soon as I make sure things are taken care of in town. I have some information for you."
"I have information for you, too, though mine isn't necessarily very good."
"What's up?"
"First, no one reported Lexi as missing."
"Damn it. I hoped her mother was looking for her."
"Can you find out today what her stepfather's name is?"
"I'll ask, but does it matter?"
"Maybe not. How could they not know that she was gone?"
"Sounds like they didn't talk at all once she left for college."
Tab gave her a wry chuckle. "Doesn't it seem odd that someone so bright had to do everything on their own? That there was no support from her family? How does a young woman overcome that kind of roadblock?"
"If she overcame that, she'll get through this," Polly said. "That's encouraging, right? Look at you, Tab. You told me you didn't have a lot of support from your family."
"But when something big happened for me, someone was there. We aren't close, but we are family."
"Have you found anything on that adoption website?"
"It's long since been taken down. Wizard Anita found an old copy of the site and she's looking into phone numbers, but so far, they're all dead numbers. What do you have for me?"
"Austin Wheeler."
'You have a last name? Where did that come from?"
"Jessie Locke knew him. He showed up in Bellingwood again a few years ago trying to see her. Something to do with his family. He might have family property in Iowa. Since he stayed here at Sycamore House, we dug into old files looking for any information we might have."
"And?"
"It was five years ago."
"It would be a lead, though."
"He didn't register; his buddy did. The guy's name was Troy Kandle. That's with a K. I have a phone number for him, but who knows if he still has it."
"Give it to me, I'll check. How long have you had your phone number?"
"Since I moved back to Iowa," Polly said. "And let me tell you, it was hard for me to give up my Boston phone number. I had that one for years. Okay, maybe you'll get lucky with Troy. I don't think he and Austin have seen much of each other lately, though."
"That's okay. Anything we can get from him will be helpful."
"He's a real treat, that one. Your luck, he'll still be in jail somewhere."
"Great. All I can do is try. Until we find a few more links in the chain, we have nothing to help us find her baby."
"Or the other girls who were taken."
"Speaking of them," Tab said. "Would you let me know if Lexi would feel like looking at some missing person reports?"
"I'll encourage her to do so and give you a call. Anything else?"
"Not from my end. I owe you another coffee."
Polly chuckled and then yawned. "I'm going to need more before this week is over."
"You know, if Lexi will let someone else stay with her, the hospital has resources. So do we, for that matter."
"Thank you. Rebecca is coming to the hospital this afternoon."
"Really!"
"Yeah. She wants to be part of this, and she's been through more trauma than most. This might be a new one, but she handles things well."
"She's an amazing girl. You and Henry have done a great job with her."
"Rebecca was pretty well put together before she came to us. You didn't know her mother, but Sarah Heater was a great woman and she loved her daughter with everything she had. Okay, I need to make more calls before I head to Boone. Maybe I'll see you later?"
"Let's hope it works out."
Polly put her phone back on the desk and dropped her head into her arms. She was tired and there was no nap in sight.
The phone buzzed with another call and Polly looked at the number. Crap. Why was the elementary school calling?"
"Polly?"
"Hi, Sharon. What's up?"
"Your youngest is in our nurse's office. She's complaining of a headache and a tummy ache."
Not today.
"Cassidy?"
"Yes. I'm sorry. I should have been more specific."
"Is something going around the school again?" Polly got so tired of the bugs that were passed from student to student. Once they started through her family, everyone caught at least some part of the sickness. She had no time for this.
"It isn't as virulent as some have been, but yes, she could have caught something."
"I'll be right there."
"Thank you. I'll let her know you're coming."
Polly heaved a deep sigh after she put the phone back on her desk, then buzzed Kristen on the intercom. "I'm heading out. Don't know if I'll be back today. If you need me, you know how to find me."
"We'll be fine, Polly. Take care of yourself," Kristen said.
"Thanks." She grabbed her phone and made one more call.
"I'm a busy lady. Ain't got no time for murder and mayhem, but what'cha got for me?"
"How healthy are you?" Polly asked Agnes Hill.
"As a horse."
"Have you had your flu shot?"
"Every year like clockwork. I'm no dummy."
"Cassidy has something. I'm going to school to pick her up."
"Oh, that poor little girl. Pick me up first and I'll take care of her today. She just needs some old-fashioned loving. Right?"
"That might be. Here's my thing. I have stuff in my car. I'm going to come get you and take you to the house, then go get Cassidy. Is that okay?"
"I'll gather my things and be ready for you any time."
"I couldn't do this life without you, Agnes. I'm so grateful."
"Who wouldn't be, given the opportunity to spend time with me?"
"I'm calling Henry, then I’ll be right there. Thank you."
/> Polly ended the call and swiped through to her husband's cell phone.
"How are you?" he asked.
"Stressed. Cassidy is sick at school. I'm picking Agnes up and bringing her to the house. I have a car full of stuff from Beryl for Lexi's bedroom to empty before I can put Cassidy in the back seat and …"
He interrupted. "Take a breath. The boys are still here. I'll send Heath after Agnes. My truck has a car seat in the back. I'll get Cassidy. You do whatever you need to do to stay sane. Would you like to bring Beryl's treasures to the house now or later?"
"I don't know who I’ll have to haul around. Rebecca is coming to the hospital this afternoon."
"Like mother, like daughter. I'll tell Hayden you're coming to the house and he'll help you empty your car. Then you can go."
"What if Cassidy needs a hug from her mommy?"
"She'll get a hug from her daddy. It might not be exactly the same, but we'll make it work."
"I love you, Henry. Thank you. If you go get Cassidy, I can pick Agnes up on my way to the house."
"Then both boys will be downstairs waiting to help you unload the car. We've nearly finished emptying the craft room."
"No kidding."
"We do not waste time around here. Who knows what you'll come up with next? Now, get moving. I love you and I'll see you tonight. Won't I?"
"I hope so."
She gathered up the notes she'd scribbled this morning, snagged a pen from her desk drawer and jammed everything into her jacket pocket.
Polly glanced in her rear-view mirror as she backed out of the parking space. She was a mess. How many times had she run her fingers through her hair this morning? She patted at the top of her head and dragged her fingers through the length, trying to even out the mess she'd made. Makeup hadn't been on her mind, even though she would spend the day talking to strangers. That wasn't how she usually did things, but today was going to be what it was.
When she pulled into Agnes's drive, she leaned back and closed her eyes. There had to be a million things she hadn't dealt with these last two days. Hopefully none of them would come back to bite her in the behind. That was the worst part of these crazy weeks — no time to think through the processes. As much as she was grateful for the people in her life who jumped in to take care of things when she was caught up in a crisis, she hated not knowing what was coming next.
An Offering of Hope Page 11