An Offering of Hope

by Greenwood Muir, Diane

  Tab tilted her head and rolled her eyes. "Do you think we'd have something like that so soon?"

  "Just a question. What was yours for me?"

  "Are you planning to see Lexi again today?"

  Polly nodded. "Yes. She's doing much better emotionally so I don't have to rush down, but I'm meeting Rebecca there again after school. Those two made a nice connection."

  "So, about three thirty?"

  "That's about right. Why?"

  "I want to stop in to talk to her, but I'd like you there."

  "Emotional wrecks throw you off your game, Deputy?" Polly asked with a smile.

  "I've seen more than you'd ever imagine, but you stabilize her, and I'd like to be able to talk to her without the poor girl falling apart on me."

  "I know and that makes sense. I'm only teasing you."

  Tab shook her head. "Sorry. I'm sorry he's dead, but I hate to admit that the main reason I’m frustrated is he could have led us to the people behind this." She gritted her teeth. "I'm a deputy in a small-town sheriff's department, but we handle some of the strangest things. And the murders always come to me because my friend finds bodies. I live a strange life."

  "Yes, you do," Polly said. "Can I buy you a cup of coffee one of these days?"

  "I owe you coffee for the investigative work. Right?"

  "Maybe we should do something more serious. Like lunch."

  "I'd like that," Tab said with a sigh. "But no work involved. Only lunch and jibber-jabber."

  "Jibber-jabber it is." Polly laughed. "Sometimes life gets too serious. We need more jibber-jabber. Have you called Jessie?"

  "Not yet. Why?"

  "I'm heading over to pick up clothes she has for Lexi. Hopefully, she's already gone for lunch."

  "If you see her, don't say anything, okay?"

  "Of course not." Polly nodded toward the room where techs and deputies were coming and going. "I should let you get back to it. Let me know if you find anything interesting."

  "We're nearly finished. It would have to jump out of the vents and bite us." Tab nodded. "I need to have them check the vents. Thanks for that. See you later."

  Polly headed for her car, thankful she had room to get out of the lot. Just as she started backing out of the parking space, her phone rang. She stopped and checked to see who it was. Sal. Huh. "Hey there," she said. "What's up?"

  "It sounds like they're sending Lexi home tomorrow."

  "Tomorrow? I hoped they would keep her over the weekend."

  "She's doing really well. I thought I should warn you."

  "Wait. Are you down there now?"

  "Yeah. I knew you worked at the hotel this morning, so I brought myself down with a few presents. I'll be here for a couple more hours."

  "You are amazing, Sal Kahane."

  "Ogden."

  Polly laughed. "I am never going to remember that. I keep trying. I keep failing. Have you said anything to Lexi about coming home with me?"

  "No, and she's worried about where she'll go. I figured you hadn't said anything to her yet. What should I do?"

  "I thought I had more time," Polly said with a sigh. "Doggone it. I hate to make you invite her to live at my house. I should have said something yesterday, but I didn't want to scare her. She’s had no control over her life for the last five months."

  "You are pretty frightening. Let me talk to her. When are you coming down?"

  Polly frowned as she tried to process on her afternoon. She'd really wanted to spend a few minutes by herself either eating lunch or having a cup of coffee. The week had spun so far out of control, she didn't know what she was doing. She needed to call Henry and make sure he was working on furniture for that room.

  "Polly?"

  "Sorry. I'm trying to think through things. I need to make some calls. Can you believe that my house, as big as it is, doesn't have guest rooms? I've relied on the hotel and Sycamore House's extra rooms. I just don't think about it. And now it's too late."

  "It's not too late. What can I do to help?"

  "Tell her whatever you want. I'm going to go pick up clothes from Jessie and then I have to call Henry to make sure we have a bed. I want her to come whenever she's ready, but I really need her to understand that I'm not some weirdo who wants to kidnap her. She's been through enough."

  Sal laughed out loud. "Remember, this is the girl who has clung to you for three days. I doubt she's too worried."

  "But I have this crazy house filled with lots of noisy kids and a ton of adults. I don't want her to be scared of us. I was going to take time to explain everything."

  "I'm pretty good at explaining. Maybe better because I love your family so much. Leave it to me. If I screw it up, you can fix it."

  "I'm sorry, Sal. Thank you."

  "No thanks necessary. If we had room at the Ogden Manse, I'd take her home with me, but I can't even fit another little baby in that place."

  "Have you talked to Henry?"

  "Mark and I are trying to find time to meet with him. That was such a good idea. I told Mark and he lit up. He likes the idea of living near you, that's for sure. The number of kids in the neighborhood is a big draw. If I didn't know you and Andrea, I’d be nervous about those rundown houses, but you guys like it there."

  "The neighborhood is getting better," Polly said. "And we're hoping to buy that lot with the run-down house and at least just get it to grass."

  "You know, the Foundation could renovate that into a park."

  "That's what I thought, but Jeff or Henry or someone said something about zoning and going to the City Council and it sounded like too much work."

  "That's what the Foundation does," Sal said. "We do the work, remember? We'll talk later about that. One thing at a time. You get your day together and I'll see you when you come to the hospital."

  "You'll still be there?"

  "I will. Don't hurry."

  "Do you need me to bring lunch? I'll be late, but I can bring something."

  Sal chuckled. "I've eaten. Just take care of yourself."

  "Thank you, Sal. I love you so much."

  "I love you, too. Remember that when you're tired of me coming over to your house every night for dinner. Bye."

  Polly smiled as she hung up. Weird, freakin' life. She dialed Henry's phone, put it on speaker, and set it on the seat beside her.

  "Hey, Polly Wolly Doodle Bug."

  "No," she said. "I thought we'd gotten past those odd terms of endearment."

  "I can always hope that I’ll come up with one that will stick. What's up?"

  "Where are you with getting a bed for Lexi's room? She's coming home tomorrow. I don't mind not having the room all put together, but she needs a bed."

  "In my truck as we speak. Heath and I will set it up this evening. She's coming tomorrow? Polly, you have a hell of a weekend ahead of you."

  "Should I tell you that I just found a dead body at the hotel?"

  "You what?" She heard his chuckle. "Why am I surprised? Why wouldn't you find a dead body this week? Do you know who it is?"

  "Austin Wheeler, the kid who dropped Lexi off at Sycamore House."

  "I see. And just how did you find him?"

  "He reached out to Jessie and she gave me his phone number. I called it when I was here at the hotel and heard it ringing in a room. Ringing and ringing. And ringing and ringing."

  "And you had to check the room to see why it was ringing?"

  "Barb Evering let me in."

  "How did that little escapade go over with her?"

  Polly let out a laugh. "She wasn't surprised. I'll leave it at that."

  "You have good people who work for you, Polly."

  "And I will never be anything but grateful. I'm hoping to be home for dinner tonight. Rebecca is meeting me at the hospital again. Maybe we can pick something up in Boone."

  "How about you just come home when you're ready. You have nine other people in that household. We can make dinner for this week. Have you thought about what we're doing with the Rena
ldis tomorrow night?"

  "I've thought about it and thought about it. Then I get distracted before I come up with a plan."

  "What about a pot roast or Mom's beef stew? She'd give me her recipe. Let me take care of that."

  Polly drove into the parking lot in front of his dad's shop and grinned. "You're here."

  "I'm where?"

  "At your dad's shop. I see your truck. I'm right outside. Coming in to get some clothes from Jessie. Hang up."

  "You hang up."

  "I love you." Polly ended the call, put her phone in her pocket and hurried inside. Bill and Henry were sitting at a work bench with two takeout containers from Smoking Hot Stuff, the new barbecue restaurant, in front of them.

  "You caught me," Henry said. He held up his fork. "Want some?"

  "That's fine. What are you doing here?" Polly walked over and snagged a small bite of brisket from the edge of his sandwich.

  He grinned. "See, Dad. This is what I'm talking about."

  "What?" she asked, taking a French fry out of his hand. "Don't you give me trouble. You're always stealing my food. Did you two decide to eat something fun since Marie and Jessie were gone?"

  "Darn tootin'," Bill said. "That woman always forces healthy food down my gullet. Every once in a while a man just has to let loose."

  "I think Mom knows, Dad."

  "We don't talk about it. That way everyone is happy."

  "Is the office unlocked?" Polly asked.

  Bill nodded toward the office door. "Jess said she left two tote bags for you. Takin' in another rescue, eh?"

  "I hope so." Polly went over to the office, pushed the door open and smiled at two large grocery tote bags filled to the brim with clothing. This would be a good start for Lexi.

  "I wasn't kidding about letting me take care of dinner tomorrow night," Henry called out. "Mom would be glad to help. I can get bread from Sweet Beans. I know it's cold out, but we could make ice cream. Oh, I could pick up cupcakes from Sweet Beans, too." He grinned and covered his dish as she came back toward them. "I'll call Josie and she'll help me figure it out."

  "I'm not useless," Polly said.

  "But I never get to do this for you."

  She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "Then I would love to let you. If you need me to pick anything up, just tell me."

  "Found a dead 'un, eh?" Bill asked. "Bloody or smelly?"

  Polly burst out laughing. "Neither."

  "You don't have to bring in a cleanup crew to make the hotel room habitable again?"

  "We'll see. Barb will do whatever is right."

  "Henry says it was the boy who messed up that girl. Austin something or other?"

  "Yeah, but don't say anything to Jessie, okay?"

  Bill frowned. "Our Jessie?"

  "She knows him from that little trip she took with the band when she first got here. He's the one who helped her get back to me. Apparently, he's called her a few times over the years and he called her again last night. She gave me the phone number, I called it and found him in the room because it was ringing. Deputy Hudson wants to talk to her."

  "Jessie wouldn't have had anything to do with a murder or with kidnapping those girls."

  "Oh," Polly exclaimed. "We know that. Nobody thinks anything like that. Please let Tab talk to her, though."

  "Dad?" Henry asked.

  "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll keep my mouth shut. It will be hard, though. Whenever I have a secret, it's written all over my face. That's why your mother will know that I've had barbecue for lunch. She'll ask. I'll tell. There will be disappointment. I'll apologize."

  Polly laughed. "You two are wonderful. But Henry, you shouldn't enable your father."

  "What's a boy to do? He called the order in. I'm only here to trade vehicles with him so I'm not driving that mattress all over the county."

  "It's called bribery," Bill said.

  "You two be good. I'm running to Sweet Beans for coffee and a sandwich. Do you want me to place the order for bread and cupcakes?"

  Henry scowled at her. "I told you I'd take care of it. You do your thing. Dinner is on me tomorrow night."

  She leaned in and he turned to kiss her lips. "Thank you," she whispered.

  ~~~

  Polly pulled into a parking space beside Lydia's Jeep. She glanced across the street at Pizzazz just to make sure her friends weren't there. It didn't look like it. They were known to change it up every once in a while, but they did like eating together at Sweet Beans. She opened the door, stopped for the moment to embrace the smells and sounds, then walked forward and looked around.

  "Polly Giller!"

  She'd know Beryl's voice anywhere. Polly turned and waved to the three women across the room. Lydia jumped out of her seat and practically ran toward her. "Dear girl, how are you? I’m sorry I was out of town when your world got busy on Tuesday. I should have been here to take care of you. And now, even more has happened. Are you okay?"

  Lydia took her hand and squeezed it as they walked to the front counter.

  "I'm okay. People everywhere are helping me. How was your family?"

  "Oh, you know those babies. They're as cute as can be and make this grandma feel like a queen. We had a wonderful time. I wish they lived in Bellingwood so I could see them every day, but it's only forty-five minutes away. I’d probably drive Marilyn crazy if they lived in town. It's better this way. What are you doing here? Are you running down to the hospital? Do you have a few minutes to sit with three little old ladies?"

  "I have time," Polly said.

  "Beryl told me that she brought over some goodies for this girl's room. What was her name? Alexis?"

  "Lexi."

  Josie Riddle smiled when the small group in front of them moved off. "Coffee, Polly? Or are you here for lunch, too?"

  "I need food. It's been a busy morning."

  "Heard about the excitement at the hotel. You never get a break, do you?"

  "Not very often. It keeps me on my toes. Hey, Henry is going to call you about bread and dessert for tomorrow night. I need to add to that order. Whatever he wants is fine, but I need to add three, no, make it four more loaves of bread, a dozen croissants, and let's do a dozen mixed muffins. That should get me through the weekend."

  Josie scratched the order down on a note. "What would you like for lunch?"

  Polly placed her order and waited to be handed the coffee, then she and Lydia went back to the table. Andy stood to hug her and when she was finished, Beryl stayed seated, but held out her arms.

  "I'm supposed to come around and hug you?" Polly said.

  "Yes, please. I've been lamed." She held up a cane.

  "What happened? You were fine yesterday."

  "Miss Kitty tripped me on the way to the bathroom last night. Got a little sprain, but I kinda like using this for all the attention I get."

  Polly gave her a hug.

  "Word is, you're bringing another girl into your house," Andy said. She put up her hand and glared at Beryl. "I'm not judging. Just starting a conversation."

  "I hope so. She's had a rough time of it."

  "That sounds like an understatement," Lydia said.

  "Right," Polly said. "Her mother didn't even file a missing person report. Whether she didn't know or didn't care, how do you not touch base with your daughter for six months?"

  "I talk to my kids at least twice a week," Lydia said. "It drives them crazy, but they're my heart and soul. If they’re too busy to talk, we send messages back and forth."

  Andy shook her head. "I probably talk to mine every other week. Unless of course we have an event coming up. Then we talk every day leading up to it." She smiled. "That's always fun."

  "I don't talk to my kids at all," Beryl waggled her eyebrows. "It would be weird if I did, wouldn't it? When will this girl be sprung from the hospital?"

  "Tomorrow," Polly replied. "I hope we'll be ready. Henry has the bed in his truck. I have clothes from Jessie Locke in the car and Sal bought clothes for her. It's a start. I wond
er where all of her other stuff is. I'm hoping it's in storage somewhere."

  "I hope it's with friends," Lydia said. "Those storage sites will get rid of it if she hasn't kept up with the payments."

  Polly sagged. "Thanks for saying that out loud. I need to ask more questions."

  Josie put a plate down in front of Polly. "Just heard from Henry. He's fast."

  "He was serious about taking care of dinner tomorrow night. I offered to place the order with you, but he wanted to do it. Gotta love that man."

  "I do," Josie said, patting Polly's shoulder. "He gave Gavin a nice raise this month. We're going to be able to start thinking about a house soon. The only problem they have is finding time to build it."

  "Congratulations," Lydia said. "I'm glad you’re settling in Bellingwood."

  "We like it here and it's close to Gavin's family in Jefferson. They're happy that we're closer. Gavin says he's happy that we don't live there. This is close enough."

  Lydia smiled. "That's funny. I was just telling them that my daughter who lives in Dayton is probably glad there's a forty-five-minute drive between me and her."

  "I can't imagine that's true," Josie said. She glanced at the counter. "I'd better get back to work. Tell Henry I'll have it ready on time for him. Your stuff, too."

  "Thanks, Josie." Polly smiled and opened the bag of chips on her plate. "I'm starving."

  "Is there anything we can do to help you?" Andy asked. "Sometimes I look up at your house when I'm wandering around my little home in my robe and slippers and feel bad."

  "Why?"

  "Because I know how hard you're working with that big family and I'm just being a slug. I should offer my help more often."

  "You raised your kids," Polly said. "And you do so much. Joss wouldn't know what to do without you at the library."

  Andy checked her watch. "Speaking of that. I need to get going. Thursdays are always busy. Call if you need anything, though. Even if you want me to sit beside this girl's bed and make sure she feels safe when you're busy with your family. I'm glad to help."

  "Thank you." Polly took her hand. "Thank you."

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Even a few moments with her friends was something to be thankful for. With all that had been erupting this week, it was nice to be with people who didn't need anything from her. She loved those ladies.