Diane Greenwood Muir - Bellingwood 06 - A Season of Change (12 page)

“Where did you find the body?” Andrew asked.

Polly gave a general nod toward the pile of brush.

“Can we go look.”

“No!” she said sharply, then said more gently, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I don’t think either of your mothers would want you to be focused on where a man was found dead.”

“But it’s cool!” Andrew said.

Polly gave him her best firm-mommy look. “It’s not cool.”

“It’s kind of cool,” Rebecca smiled and said softly. “You’re pretty cool.”

“Come on. Let’s see what’s going on here.”

“Can’t we at least go over and look? What if we saw something the police missed?” Andrew pleaded.

It wasn’t as if the police would have left any clues lying around and it wasn’t as if the kids could mess anything up. Polly nodded. “Don’t go into the trees and if I stick my head out of the trailer and don’t see you, you’ll be in trouble. Got it?”

“Thanks!” They ran over to the brush pile and began lifting branches off and setting them to the side.

Polly knocked on the door to the trailer and then whipped around when she heard tires screeching down the street. A red sports car spun into the lot and pulled to a stop beside her truck. Annalise Stephens got out and ran to the driver’s side to wait for a young man to emerge. She was laughing and flirty and Polly wondered who in the world she was with.

Henry came out of the trailer, followed by J. J., Ryan, and Patrick. Henry’s father came down the steps and one more man that Polly didn’t recognize also came out. She tried to ignore the images
she had of a clown car erupting.

“Hi Polly, what’s up?”

“I wanted to come over and see what you were doing here today. I didn’t expect to interrupt a big meeting.”

“We were just going over last minute changes before Monday morning. Have you met Wayne Phillips?” Henry nodded toward the stranger from the trailer.

She put her hand out and the stocky blond man shook it. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.”

Patrick had gone over to greet his wife, who ignored him, dancing around the young man who had been driving the car.

“Who’s that?” she asked quietly.

Wayne Phillips answered in a low whisper, “
Her brother, Simon. He’s decided to be part of this little enterprise.” He shook his head. “There isn’t enough money to support so many people, especially when no one is willing to work.”

“When did he come into town?” Polly asked.

“It’s been a week or so. They were here looking over the vines and making plans. I think he read a few websites and went to a couple of other Iowa wineries and decided that he was an expert. Bruce and I had to kick them out of the laboratory.” Wayne sounded frustrated.

The building which housed the heart of the winery was a simple structure, tucked behind the trees. It had been erected several years ago, far enough from the site of the lodge to be out of sight. She glanced down the dirt road leading to that building. One of these days she was going to have to spend more time interrogating Sheriff Merritt. This was driving her crazy.

Andrew and Rebecca had come up behind them. “There isn’t anything there,” Andrew said. “Not even any blood. I thought there would be a lot of blood.”

Wayne looked down at the kids. J. J. and Ryan were standing by the front of the trailer and they had heard the comments as well. Both of them smiled at Polly and then turned back to the entertainment provided by Annalise and her brother.

“But we want to see the plans for the lodge,” she whined. “Simon has ideas on how to make it better. I told him what you were thinking and he said that there needs to be more than one tasting room. If he’s going to be part of this, he gets a say in it.”

Polly looked up at Henry with a grin. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “Come on,” he said. “Let them deal with this. All I have to do is build what they tell me to build.” He led her to the back of the trailer. When they were out of sight of most of the group, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her.

“I missed that,” he said.

“Me too!”

“Somebody dumped trash all over Polly’s back yard,” Andrew came running around the corner, pulling Rebecca by the hand.

Henry squeezed her close and said, “They did what?”

“The vandal struck again, but this time they didn’t tell me first. I got the email this morning and I think it’s something you and I need to talk about.”

“What do you mean?”

“Because I think it’s someone from your life, not mine.”

Henry’s face lost all of its color and he leaned against the trailer. “Someone I know is doing this? How is that possible?”

Polly opened her phone and showed him the message. “They want you to know that I’m trash.”

“Polly, I
promise you, I have no idea who this could be.”

“I know that. But it kind of changes how we look at this.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Stop it, Henry. That’s not why I showed this to you. I want you to start thinking about it from a different perspective.”

“That just makes me sick. I don’t know anyone who’d want to hurt you.”

“Henry. Maybe it’s someone who
is trying to get to you. We’ll talk about it later. I’m not worried. So far it’s only been minor damage. It makes me mad, but it hasn’t hurt me. And who knows, maybe he’ll go away again. The last time he pulled a couple of stunts and then was quiet for several months. Don’t panic, okay?”

“It’s not okay. It’s not okay at all. Have you told Ken?”

“He’s going to call me later. Please calm down about this. We’ll work it out. That’s what we do, right?” Polly thought it was ironic that now things were on the other foot, she was the one taking care of Henry. He was usually her rock.

“Yes. That’s what we do,” he said.

She looked down at the two kids who were watching them closely. “You two go get in the truck. We’re going to leave pretty soon.”

“You want to kiss him again, don’t you,” Andrew said.

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. Now scoot.” Polly waved them away and waited until they rounded the trailer. Then she leaned in and kissed Henry. “It’s going to be okay. I promise.”

“I just got really angry,” he said.

“I understand that. I’ve been really angry about this several times. But you have things to do today and anger isn’t very productive.”

“Can I be really angry later?” He gave her a weak grin.

“Sure. We’ll deal with it later.”

“What are you three up to today?” Henry took her arm and they walked back around the trailer.

Polly was about to say something when she looked up and saw Annalise Stephens throwing a tantrum. Her face was red and she was stamping her feet while Patrick tried to placate her. Simon was standing with his arms crossed, looking furious, while J. J. had an immense grin on his face. Ryan Williams had settled down on one of the steps of the trailer with his head in his hands and Wayne Phillips was pacing.

“What happened?” Henry asked his dad, who was still standing by the trailer watching the action.

“The little vixen couldn’t talk her husband into changing the plans. That brother of hers is madder than a wet hen that he doesn’t get to play with the big boys and these other two are waiting for things to get back to normal. They act like this is nothing new.”

“Well, this is going to make for an exciting job site.”

“Don’t you worry, son. As soon as she gets her mind set on something else, you’ll never see her again. And that young man is going to take whatever money he can get his hands on and run off to something more exciting. You won’t see much of them after this weekend. I guarantee it.”

“I hope you’re right. If you’re wrong, you get to come out and manage this thing.”

“I’m never wrong about people.”

Henry patted his dad on the shoulder. “That’s true,” he laughed.

He took Polly’s hand and walked with her to the truck. “What are you doing this morning?”

“We’re going to see Rebecca’s mother. Then after I take the kids to the bookstore, we’ll find some lunch. Call me later?”

“You bet. Drive safely.” He gave her a quick kiss and held the door as she got into the truck.

Polly drove around the parked cars and the trailer and then away from the job site.

“She was really mad,” Andrew said. “She screams a lot.”

“Yes she does. We all need to take some deep breaths and not think about it anymore. Okay?”

CHAPTER TWELVE

Henry hadn’t said much when Polly rushed the kids into her truck. She’d intended to spend a little more time at the job site, but Annalise’s tantrum had caused Polly to focus on only one thing - escape. They drove into Boone and she headed for the hospital, hoping that Sarah Heater would be alert enough to see her daughter. She parked the truck and led the children inside. Sarah had been moved to a room and Polly took Rebecca’s hand.

“Your mom is going to probably be hooked up to machines that put medicine and fluids in her body. It might be a little frightening, but all of this is going to make her better, okay?”

Rebecca nodded and clutched Polly’s hand tightly.

“What about me, Polly? Where should I go?” Andrew asked.

“Do you have your book?”

“Right here!” He brandished a well-worn book. “I never go anywhere without one.”

“Why don’t you sit here in the waiting room and read. We’re going to be right around the corner.”

Andrew sat down on one chair and then moved to another. “This is more comfortable,” he announced.

“Good. Let’s go find your mom, Rebecca.”

Polly pushed the door open to the hospital room and led the little girl in. Sarah’s eyes were closed and she looked just as awful as Polly imagined. There were bags of clear liquid hanging and dripping into a line leading to the woman’s arm and other machines were beeping and whistling.

“Sarah?” Polly asked quietly.

The woman lifted her eyes and tried to smile when she saw her daughter. “You came. Thank you.”

Rebecca hung back until Polly stepped behind her and gave her a gentle push.

“Rebecca, come here. I want to hold your hand.”

“Mom!” The girl let out a cry and rushed forward, then dropped her head onto her mother’s stomach. She lurched back up, “I’m sorry. Did I hurt you?”

“No, Rebecca. You didn’t hurt me. I’m just sick.”

“Are you going to get better?”

Sarah Heater took a deep breath and looked at Polly, tears filling her eyes. Polly felt her knees get weak. This wasn’t a simple flu. Something was desperately wrong with the woman.

“Mom? What’s wrong?” Rebecca looked at her mother and then back at Polly. “What’s wrong?”

“Would you like me to step out?” Polly asked quietly.

“No. Right now you are the only person I know who has shown us any compassion. This isn’t easy.”

“Mom!” Rebecca cried out. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

“Sit here on the bed beside me,” Sarah said. “I need to talk to you and I need you to be strong and listen to everything I have to say. Can you do that?”

Sarah moved a little to the side, making room for her daughter. Rebecca hopped up on the bed beside her and then took her hand again and put it in her lap.

“Polly, would you sit here, please?” Sarah asked, pointing at the chair beside the bed.

Polly took a seat and began to wring her hands. She barely knew this woman and was terrified of what she was about to hear. She suddenly had flashbacks to the night her parents told her that her mother was dying. It was one of her most awful memories.

“Rebecca, I have cancer. We don’t know how far along it is, but I’m going to have surgery. They will test everything and then we will make decisions on what to do from there.”

Rebecca’s eyes filled as she listened to her mother. “Are you going to die?”

“I hope not, sweetheart, but the doctor was pretty scared when he came in to see me. They did a lot of tests last night.”

“What if they’re wrong?”

“If they’re wrong, then I go home and live a long and happy life with you and we’ll forget that today ever happened.”

“Oh, Mom,” she cried again and fell into her mother’s arms, sobbing.

“What can I do?” Polly asked.

“I hate to ask so much of you,” Sarah said. “You barely know us. But I know who you are and I trust you. Rebecca loves Andrew like a brother. Everyone in Bellingwood knows what a good person you are.”

“Sarah, I’ll do anything I can.”

“Will you take care of Rebecca while I’m
here? We have no one else.”

“You don’t have any other family?”

Sarah shook her head. “That’s a story for another day, but no, there isn’t anyone. Would you do this?”

“Of course I will. She can stay with me as long as necessary.”

“Thank you. I don’t know what else to do.”

“This is exactly what you should do. How else can I help?”

“If I know that Rebecca is safe, that makes everything much easier.”

“You shouldn’t be here alone, making all of these decisions.”

“Doctor Mason brought in a wonderful young oncologist. They will help me make the best decisions I can.”

“Sarah, I know plenty of people who would be more than willing to help. For heaven’s sake, they would be hurt if you didn’t let them do something.”

“I will take care of this. Don’t worry.”

Rebecca continued to cry quietly in her mother’s arms.

“I’ll leave the two of you alone for a few minutes,” Polly said. “I think Rebecca could use some mom-time.”

Sarah smiled at her as she left. Polly stood outside the door to the room and caught her breath. The poor woman. She was all alone and facing something as awful as this.

Andrew looked up when Polly joined him. “Is she going to be okay? Rebecca was really scared.”

“Rebecca is going to be scared for a while, Andrew. Her mom has cancer.”

“What?” He slammed his book shut. “If she dies, is Rebecca going to have to move away?”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“Last year Ethan Denton’s mom died and he had to move back to Denver to live with his grandma.”

“I don’t know that Sarah Heater is going to die. We can’t assume the worst, Andrew.”

“But if she does, Rebecca can’t leave. She’s my best friend and I’m hers.”

“I get that, Andrew. I get that. Let’s just pray that everything works out.”

“So that she’ll get better or so that Rebecca will stay if her mom dies.”

“Let’s start
by praying that Sarah gets better and we can finish by praying for Rebecca to have the best life possible with or without her mom. How’s that?”

“Okay. I’ll do it.” He looked down at his book. “Should I do it right now?”

“It wouldn’t hurt.”

Rebecca came out into the hall. “She wants to see you, Polly. I’m supposed to stay out here.”

“I told Andrew,” Polly said. She ruffled the hair on his head. “He thinks you are a pretty good friend.”

The girl just stared at them and then sat beside Andrew. Polly and went back into the room and sat down.

“Polly, this is bad. Doctor Mason and Doctor Edom were pretty grim when we talked this morning. I don’t know what to do.” She burst into tears and Polly reached forward and took her hand.

“I know, Sarah. This has to be the scariest thing you’ve ever faced. I wouldn’t know what to do either.”

“I hate the idea of leaving my daughter.”

“Surely you aren’t at that point yet, Sarah,” Polly protested. “
Medicine is an amazing thing these days. Cancer doesn’t always mean death.”

“I can’t afford all of that medication. I don’t have any insurance and I have no money. We’re barely staying in the house. If I’m going to die, there is no sense in dragging this out and investing a lot of money in me.”

“Sarah, no. You can’t look at it that way. We aren’t going to make any decisions until we know better what is happening. There have to be different avenues to help pay for this.”

“I don’t want to be a burden.”

“Well, opting for death over treatment is not something you should be willing to do. Your daughter needs you here and she needs you to be more than a memory. She needs to know that you are planning to fight for every moment you have with her.”

The woman sank back into her pillow. “You’re right. I’m so frightened.”

“Oh, Sarah. Of course you are. I’m not going anywhere.”

The woman gave a wan smile. “I’ve heard about your family over there at Sycamore House. Did we just become distant relatives?”

Polly grinned, “Absolutely. And when it comes to family, there’s nothing we won’t do for each other, including annoying you with other family members. I have an awful lot of women friends who will want to help you get through this. You aren’t going to be able to hide away any longer.”

Sarah smiled, then she shuddered. “Oh no. Gary.”

“Gary?”

“My sometimes boyfriend. He’s out on a run this week and should be back tomorrow. Wait, tonight. I need to call him.”

“Sarah, I have to ask you a question about Gary.”

“What’s that?”

“Has he ever hurt you?”

Tears sprang back into the woman’s eyes. “Rebecca knew about that, didn’t she.”

“She didn’t say anything to me, just to Andrew. She said he was mean.”

“He is mean when he drinks. I know he isn’t good for me, but sometimes I just get so lonely. He’s never hurt Rebecca, though.”

“Sarah, he shouldn’t be hurting you.”

“I know, but it’s not the worst thing that’s ever happened to me. He’s better than most.”

“Oh Sarah,” Polly sighed. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. I take care of myself. But, I’m sure he’ll be gone when he finds out I have cancer.”

“Do you know his phone number?”

Sarah nodded.

“Would you like to use my phone?” Polly swiped it open and handed it to the woman. “I’ll just go outside and let you talk to him.” She stood up to leave. “I’ll be right outside the door. Say my name and I’ll come back in.”

Polly stood in the door and nodded at a nurse. Nurses were always so efficient. Everything in that room was in turmoil and Polly could only imagine it felt that way in a lot of the rooms on the floor and yet the nurses continued to do their job, sometimes with a smile and sometimes with tears they shared with patients. She was glad she didn’t have to face that trauma every day.

“Polly?” Sarah called.

“Yes,” Polly went back into the room. “Did you reach him?”

“I did,” she said matter-of-factly. “At least that’s over. He did exactly what I expected him to do. Told me that he couldn’t handle it. He doesn’t have anything at the house, so he’ll just keep on driving.”

“I’m sorry, Sarah.” What a hard life this woman had lived so far and yet she’d given her daughter such zest for life. Polly hoped this didn’t crush the girl.
“If you’d like to spend more time with Rebecca, I was going to take Andrew up to the used book store. We could come back in a while to get her.”

“No, take her with you. She needs to live a little today and I’m worn out. I will probably sleep until the next time a nurse comes in to poke at me.”

“I’ll send her back in to say goodbye, then I will bring her back tomorrow and every evening until you come home.”

Sarah nodded. “You make friends really fast, don’t you, Polly.”

“It’s not difficult when it’s someone I like,” Polly replied. “I’ll send Rebecca in. Take your time. We’re not in any hurry.”

“Thank you.”

Polly went back to the waiting area and told Rebecca that her mother wanted to see her. She dropped into a chair across from Andrew and took her phone back out. She entered contact information into the phone number Sarah had called and saved it, then dialed Henry. As the phone rang, she stood up and walked away from the waiting area.

“Hello there, sweet thing. How are you doing?”

“Is sweet thing your replacement for pretty girl?”

“It is until I can come up with something better. What’s up?”

“I’m at the hospital with Rebecca and Sarah Heater. It looks as if I’m going to be involved with them for a while.”

“Did you just rescue another family, Polly?”

“You be good. What else was I supposed to do?”