Diane Greenwood Muir - Bellingwood 06 - A Season of Change (26 page)

Ken walked toward the door, then stopped. “We need to have you two and little Rebecca come down to the station and give us a statement. I guess the good thing about today is that Alexis Middlefield went from petty vandalism to kidnapping and attempted murder.”

“Why is that a good thing?” Polly asked.

“Because we can put her away and make sure she never hurts you again. There wasn’t going to be much we could do about the vandalism. She managed to step it up a notch and ensure your future safety.”

Henry shuddered beside Polly. “That’s one way to look at it.”

“I’m going back upstairs once I retrieve the knife,” Ken said. “Take your time and bring Rebecca up to the station as soon as you’re ready.”

Polly leaned in and kissed Henry. “I’m sorry we couldn’t get married today. I never expected anything like this to stop us.”

“It didn’t stop us. It just slowed us down. I’m not letting you off the hook.”

“I don’t want off the hook,” she laughed. “You asked and that changed everything. I want this now, more than ever.”

“Good, because I’ve gotten quite used to living with you.”

“Even when it means you have to deal with this kind of craziness? You do realize I’m known for this.”

He pulled her close and buried his face in her neck, “Polly, this is why I adore you. My life will never be boring with you around.” He sat back up. “I had great potential, you know.”

“For what?”

“For boring. We Sturtz men aren’t known for wild and crazy. We like our calm, quiet lives.”

“And you’re ready to give all of that up?”

“I did this today,” and he gestured toward the basement. “I’m actually a little proud of myself that I wasn’t off gallivanting around the countryside while you dealt with it.”

“I was very proud of you down here,” Polly said. “Rebecca couldn’t have had a better hero on her side.”

He stood and held his hand out, “Speaking of Rebecca. We should probably go upstairs and let her know that we’re okay.”

“What did you say to her, by the way?”

“I told her to ignore you and run upstairs. She’s a smart little cookie. She didn’t even look your way.”

“She’d already seen me and when I shook my head, she ignored me then, too.”

They went up the steps and into the office. Sarah and Rebecca were seated on the couch in Jeff’s office and when the little girl saw Polly and Henry, she ran out and leaped into Henry’s arms. “Thank you for saving me!” she cried.

“You’re welcome,” he said. “I’m just sorry I was the reason she scared you.”

He put her back on the ground and Polly bent over for a hug. “You were great down there, Rebecca. I was so proud of you.”

“Henry told me I had to ignore you. I wanted to come to you so bad.”

“I know. I wanted to hold you, too, but you did exactly the right thing. We had to make sure you were safe.”

Joss and Nate were in Jeff’s office and came out. “We got here just as you disappeared upstairs earlier,” Joss said to Polly. “Jeff made us go into Sarah’s room until things were safe. We were pretty worried.”

Rebecca pulled Henry’s hand, drawing him in to her mother. “Mom, Henry was awesome. He kept talking to Lexi and telling her to let me go.”

Sarah stood up, the strain of the day evident in her movements. “Thank you for everything.” She took his hand. “Thank you. Rebecca told us everything you did down there and you really are her hero, you know. You’re mine, too.”

Polly stepped in. “He’s mine too. I guess this is a good day for you, Henry Sturtz.”

“I’m glad this is all over. It isn’t quite what I expected for today, but I guess it turned out for the best.”
He turned to Nate, “Nate, buddy. Could I speak with you in the hallway?”

The two men left and Polly said, “We need to take Rebecca to the police station so she can tell them what happened today. Will you come with us, Sarah?”

Sarah slumped back on the sofa. “I want to come, but I don’t have a lot of energy left. Will she be okay without me?”

“Everyone is going to take good care of her,” Polly said. “If they need you to sign anything, I suspect that someone would be glad to drive over here. We’ll just get things started while you rest.”

“I feel as if everything drained out of me. I’m so sorry,” she said.

“Please don’t worry. This won’t be difficult and it shouldn’t be scary at all. I know everyone at the police station and they’re pretty nice people.”

“Thank you, Polly.”

Henry and Nate came back in and Henry took Polly’s arm. “Are you ready to get this over with?”

“Absolutely. Rebecca is coming with us.” Polly looked at Joss. “I’m sorry we can’t stay. Maybe we can meet up later for dinner. We owe you guys.”

“You owe us nothing. Go do your thing and we’ll see you later.”

Henry’s truck was still parked out front and he held the front door open for Polly and Rebecca to climb in, then went around and got in the driver’s seat.

“Are you nervous?” Rebecca asked him after Polly made sure she was belted into the seat between them.

“No. I’m just going to tell them what happened today. There’s nothing to be nervous about.”

“Officer Bradford is a nice man. I hope they let him ask me questions.”

Polly grinned. “If you want him, I’ll bet they’ll be glad to let you talk to him. We’ll ask when we get there.”

It took time to get through all of the paperwork, but when they were finished, Rebecca skipped over to Polly and took her hand. “I wasn’t nervous at all. Bert told me that I did a good job. He says that maybe I can tell people in a courtroom what happened. Andrew will be so jealous.”

Polly chuckled. What a little ham. She didn’t look forward to a trial, but if Rebecca wasn’t frightened, she’d be right there beside her.

“We’re going to get something to eat,” Henry said. “None of us has had any lunch and I’m starving.”

Rebecca took his hand and with her other, took Polly’s hand. “Where shall we go?”

“I have just the place,” he said, winking at Polly over Rebecca’s head. “You won’t believe it.”

“What?” Polly said.

“Wait and see.”

They got back into the truck and Henry backed out, then drove toward the old hotel. He pulled in beside the caretaker’s house and parked.

“What are we doing here?” Polly asked.

“Come with me. Both of you.”

They followed him inside and Polly gasped. Joss and Nate were standing with a man Polly didn’t recognize.

“Polly, this is my friend, Dan Morrissey.” Henry went down on his knee again. “I know that this has been a crazy day, but will you still marry me?”

“Oh, get up, you wonderful man. Of course I will!”

Joss stepped forward and pressed a bouquet of colorful carnations wrapped with a blue ribbon into Polly’s hands. “Something new and blue,” she said. “I thought your mother’s engagement ring would work as your something old.”

“I guess I need something borrowed,” Polly grinned.

“What about this?” Rebecca took a brightly colored, woven rubber bracelet off her wrist and handed it to Polly.

“That’s perfect, sweetie. Thank you.” Polly bent over and gave her a hug, trying not to completely break down into tears.

Rebecca clapped her hands. “You’re getting married!”

“You can’t tell anyone,” Henry said. “Not until Polly has told her friends, but since you’ve been through so much today, too, I thought you might want to be here.”

Polly leaned in and whispered in his ear, “You wonderful man, you. I love you more than ever.”

“Then let’s get married
.”

CHAPTER
TWENTY-SIX

“Love you, sweet wife of mine.” Henry nuzzled the back of Polly’s neck. She drew the blankets up over their shoulders and scooted back so that she was tucked completely into him.

“Mmmm, good morning. That sounds nice.”

“We don’t have to get up. No one will be here until much later and I told Eliseo you weren’t coming down this morning. We have no commitments. I want to stay right here with you,” he said.

Polly turned her head so she could kiss him. “That sounds nice. It seems like it’s been forever since I got to sleep in.”

“I wasn’t thinking about sleeping.” He trailed his fingers down her side.

“Then I can sleep later.” She giggled and turned around to face him, then kissed him again. “You will let me sleep later, won’t you?”

“Mmm, hmmm.” Henry nibbled at her neck and kissed her jawline until he reached her lips. “Anything you want.”

His phone rang. “Ignore it,” he said, but both of them paused to wait for it to stop ringing. After four rings, it stopped and he kissed her lips.

His phone rang again. “What!” he snapped. “Who is calling me at seven o’clock on Saturday morning? This is ridiculous.”

“Answer it. We’re married. Remember? Lifetime of this coming up.”

“But it’s still my wedding night. They don’t bother me any other day of the year, but today someone has to call me.”

The phone stopped ringing again and he kissed her, only to have it start once more.

“Damn it.” Henry turned over and grabbed his phone. “Weird. It’s Ryan.”

“Hello?” Polly chuckled at his pleasant tone of voice, then wormed her way under his arm and leaned on his chest. He listened and said, “I don’t know anything about that, Ryan. None of my guys would be down there.” He tightened his grip around Polly and pulled her closer. “Sure. I can come over. Have you called the police?”

Polly heard Ryan’s voice, but couldn’t make out what he was saying. Henry responded, “I’ll be right over. No, it’s no bother.”

He put the phone down on the bedside table. “No bother, my ass. He has no idea what he interrupted.”

“Why do you have to go to the winery?”

“You aren’t going to believe this, but every single bottle of wine is gone. Someone has stolen it all.”

She sat up, gathering the blankets around her chest. “Stolen? Why would someone steal their wine? And why do you have to go over there?”

“You’re coming with me.”

“I wanted to sleep in.” Polly faked the whine; she really didn’t want to get out of bed. The day was supposed to be chilly and she wasn’t looking forward to being outside at all.

“I think the boys need moral support and we’re it. They called Aaron and they’re so upset that none of them are making any sense.” He got out of bed and pulled on a pair of jeans.

Polly scooted over and hooked her finger in his back belt loop, pulling him back onto the bed. “I’m not happy about this.”

“Neither am I, but you have your rescues and it looks like I have mine. Get up. We’re married now. It’s your job.” He bent over and kissed her on the forehead.

“If you loved me, you’d let me stay here and you’d come back with breakfast.”

“I love you very much and you’re coming with me. We’ll take the dog and then we’ll figure out breakfast.”

Polly could see that she wasn’t going to win. She didn’t really want to. If there was excitement happening at the winery, she wanted to know what was going on.

“Fine. But I want a sleep-in morning with you.” She slid out of bed and lifted her feet over a pile of clothes. “We really need to get into that bigger space.”

“We can’t move over there until I get the front walls up. What would you do with animals running loose?”

“Oh, that’s right. I hadn’t even thought about that.” Polly pulled jeans on and opened a dresser drawer. There had to be at least one more clean sweatshirt available. She found a flannel shirt and buttoned that up, then, grinning, picked up the Drake sweatshirt Henry had worn the day before.

He watched her slip it over her head and smiled. “That makes me happy. I like you in my shirt.”

“It smells like you.” She pulled the front of it to her nose and breathed in. “I should have stolen your shirts a long time ago.”

Obiwan waited at the back steps for them and Polly stopped. “You take him out while I feed the cats. I’ll be right there.” She ran into the kitchen, quickly filled their dishes and made sure there was plenty of water. On the way out, she snagged an old blanket from a pile in the bottom of her closet and went down the back steps to Henry’s truck. He was waiting for Obiwan in the back yard, so she called the dog.

Obiwan’s feet were wet and Polly made him sit on the blanket she’d laid across the seat.

“They’re leather seats,” Henry said. “They clean up easily.”

“I know. But we aren’t going to start being messy just because we’re married and I’m guessing he’ll get even dirtier at the winery.”

Henry handed her the leash and backed up to turn around and drive out.

“How much wine do you suppose is gone?” she asked.

“Everything that had been bottled the last couple of years. It’s their entire inventory. They have to find it or they’ll never be able to open this fall.”

“Wasn’t this Bruce’s job? Making wine?”

He nodded. “Everything he has done for the last four years. This could destroy them before they even begin.”

Henry drove past the hotel and down the street leading to the vineyard. There were two sheriff’s vehicles and several other cars parked in front of the construction trailer. When they got out of the truck, J. J. trotted over and shook Henry’s hand.

“We’re glad you’re here.”

“I’m not sure why you need me,” Henry protested.

“Because you’re about our only friend in town and you know the Sheriff.” J. J. put his hand on Henry’s arm, stopping him. “Look. I know you don’t get it, but none of us want to involve our parents. They all thought we were crazy to open this place and when Bruce was killed, each of us heard from our parents that we should cash it in and go back to programming. Nobody believes we’re in this for the long haul, but you’ve never treated us like that.”

He dropped his voice. “I know you’re only a few years older than we are, but just hang out. Okay?”

Polly thought this was probably the first time J. J. had acted like a real human being in years. She was impressed with his honesty and wondered what Henry’s reaction was going to be.

“Alright, J. J., I’m here and I’ll do whatever you need me to do. Let’s figure out what happened.”

The three of them walked down the road to the warehouse and wine cellar. Aaron Merritt and Stu Decker were inside talking to Ryan Williams, Patrick Stephens and Wayne Phillips. Fortunately, Patrick’s wife and her brother were nowhere in sight.

“Good morning, Henry,” Aaron said and reached out to shake Henry’s hand.

“What do you know?” Henry asked.

“Come on, I’ll show you.” Ryan led the way to a door that opened to steps leading to a cellar. Polly stayed back, holding Obiwan’s leash.

In a few minutes, they returned. “How did they get everything out?” Henry asked.

Wayne stepped forward. “No one has been in there since Bruce died. Whoever did this could have had two weeks to empty the cellar.”

“Then who has keys?” Polly asked.

J. J. was standing closest to her and held his up. “We all do. We’re a team. It didn’t occur to anyone that one of us might steal our own livelihood.” He looked around the room at the others. “It still doesn’t seem like something we’d do.”

“Then who would want to hurt you like this?” Polly asked. “And what are they going to do with all of that wine?”

Patrick ran his right hand through his hair and let out a breath.

“You think Simon did it, don’t you,” J. J. said. “And you’re worried that Annalise is involved.”

“No. She wouldn’t do something like this. She wouldn’t deliberately hurt me.” He didn’t speak with any confidence, though.

“Come on, Patrick. She hasn’t wanted to live in Iowa since you dragged her here. She’d do anything to get out. I’m willing to wager that she’d dump every ounce of wine into the creek, given a chance.”

“She would not. Just because you hate her, doesn’t mean that she’s the person you keep accusing her of being. Annalise loves me and has worked really hard to live here.”

“Like hell she has.” J. J.‘s voice rose as he spoke. “You saw how she was at the Sheriff’s house. What a bitch. People were trying to get to know her and she sulked all night. I don’t know why you keep coddling her. Make the little twit grow up and act like a human being.”

Patrick rushed at J. J. and Stu Decker stepped in and stopped them from colliding.

“Boys, this isn’t helping,” Aaron Merritt said. “You’ve been in business long enough to know that type of behavior solves nothing.”

“Can the wine be relabeled and sold?” Polly asked.

Wayne nodded. “Yes. Some of the bottles weren’t labeled yet anyway. We marked the cases.”

“Would another winery buy it?”

“Sure,” Patrick said. “A lot of small wineries don’t actually make their own wine. They find a supplier and label it using both the name of the winery and the supplier. It’s done all the time.”

“But they might label it as their own if they got their hands on a shipment like this, right?” she asked.

“None of the Iowa wineries would do that. The people we’ve met are really aboveboard and they’re trying to build an industry here in the state,” he responded. “I’ve spent time with nearly every one of them and no one would hurt us like that.”

“What if they took the wine out of state, though?” Polly looked at Aaron. “Like, say, to Missouri?”

Patrick threw his arms up in the air. “She can’t have been involved. I keep telling you people, she wouldn’t do this.”

“Do any of you know a Barry Manush?” Aaron asked. He took Patrick’s arm and gently drew him back and away from J. J. and Polly.

The men in the room looked at him, perplexed. “Who’s that?” Ryan asked.

“It’s not a name that’s familiar to any of you?” Aaron looked at each of them. “None of you recognize that name? Patrick?”

The young man shook his head. “No. It’s not familiar. Why are you asking?”

“How well did you know Lori Victor before you met Annalise?” Polly asked. Aaron just shook his head and grinned at her.

“She was Lori Seltin back then,” he said. “We were dating, so I guess as well as you know someone like that. She’s the one who introduced me and Annalise. They’d known each other in high school.”

Polly turned to Aaron again and gave him a look. “Six million people?” she asked.

“So how did you meet Bruce Victor?” Polly asked.

“I don’t remember,” Patrick responded. “It was like he was always there. Ryan, do you remember?”

“It was at some party at your house. We had just started talking about opening a winery and Annalise invited Lori and her boyfriend. It was maybe six years ago.”

“Wait. Annalise and Lori were still friends?” Polly was confused. None of this made sense. Lori had acted as if Annalise had stolen Patrick and she hated her, but if that were true, why would they come to a party at the Stephens’ house?

“Yeah,” Patrick said nonchalantly. “Lori and I were never going to be long-term. I don’t think she really liked me all that much. That’s why she passed me off to Annalise, even though I don’t think she expected us to hit it off quite so fast. But, Lori was dating some other guy before I asked Annalise out again. What does that have to do with anything?”

Polly turned to J. J. “I thought you told me Annalise was the reason Lori and Patrick broke up?”

He shrugged, “That’s what I thought. One minute it was Lori and then all of a sudden blondie showed up and Lori was gone. I thought Lori hated her. That party you are all talking about - when you met Bruce Victor - was the night those two women were screaming at each other.”

“It wasn’t about me,” Patrick said.