Diane Greenwood Muir - Bellingwood 06 - A Season of Change (5 page)

“It looks like he is as ready as Rhett,” Polly laughed. “I’ll talk to you after a while.”

“Are we still on for tonight?”

“We are, but we might make it an early evening. Henry hasn’t been sleeping well and things start up tomorrow at the winery.”

“We’ll talk,” Joss said. “Go ahead. You have a full schedule today.”

She had set aside a corner of a room for Obiwan and the children. It was quiet and they had a couple of large pillows where the kids could sit with the dog while they read to him. Some of the children were a bit leery of the big dog and chose to sit across from him, but others, like Rhett, wanted to curl up beside him on the pillow and pet him while they read. Obiwan had fallen into the role of reading therapy dog like a champion, never pushing kids to pay attention to him unless they wanted to. Polly usually took a book in with her and read in another comfortable chair Joss provided. She’d gotten to know several of the young moms who brought their kids in.

The project had been a huge success. Some children who hated reading were now confident in their skills. One little girl had barely spoken aloud when she first came to the library, but now she bounced in and hugged Polly before sitting beside Obiwan. Several of the children had needed quite a bit of help in the beginning, learning words and their meanings. Every once in a while, a new child would come in and Polly would spend time helping them push their way through books.

When one little boy proudly told her that he was reading to his cat at home now, she knew this had been a great idea. There was no better feeling than seeing a child learn to love reading. Obiwan was the perfect companion. He gave the kids a great level of confidence so they could then interact with Polly as she helped them learn. Joss had known what she was doing when she asked Polly to take this on. It worked for everyone.

Polly was always surprised when Joss came in at the end of the afternoon. It felt like it was much too early to close the library, but the last of the patrons had gone home and someone’s mother was waiting. She waited for Joss to shut off the computers and lights and they walked outside together.

“I’ll be glad for more light in the evening,” Joss said. “I’m considering asking the board if we can stay open a few evenings during the summer. I’d like to sponsor some events to keep kids reading when they aren’t in school.”

“If I can help, I will,” Polly said.

“Oh you have plenty to do. We’ll figure this out.” Joss followed Polly and Obiwan to the truck. “See you in a little bit?”

“I can’t wait to see what you’ve done with the nursery,” Polly responded. “Are you sure we can’t bring anything?”

“Nope. Nate’s grilling and everything else is ready.”

“See you later.” Polly opened the door and Obiwan jumped up into the truck. She drove back to Sycamore House and pulled into the garage, then opened the truck and let Obiwan run. He took off for the back tree line and she stood in the doorway of the garage and watched as he sniffed around the patches of snow still covering the grass.

Henry drove in and parked beside her.

“You’re here early,” she said when he got out of the truck.             

“I have a huge favor.”

“What’s up?”

“I need to cancel dinner tonight and then ask you to do something for me tomorrow morning.”

“Okay. What’s up? Let me call Joss first, though, so she doesn’t get any further on the food.”

Polly quickly called Joss, who assured her they would reschedule. When she hung up, she yelled for Obiwan and he ran back. “Do you have time to come upstairs?” she asked Henry.

“For a few minutes. I have to go to Omaha tonight.”

“What’s in Omaha?”

“Let’s go upstairs.”

Polly opened the door and followed the dog up the steps. Before he could get too far into the apartment, she grabbed his collar and stopped him. She pointed to the bed and said to Henry, “Sit there and tell me what’s going on while I dry him off.”

“It’s not a big deal. The architect for the lodge is flying in to Omaha and they want to have a breakfast meeting tomorrow at six thirty. He’s taking another flight back out at ten o’clock. J. J. says there are some changes I need to see and they want me to meet the guy.”

“Wow. Omaha. Tell me they’re putting you up somewhere nice.”

He chuckled. “Yeah. We’ll be downtown. I would love to take you with me, but I’m going to head over, crash, get up and do the meeting. I’ll be back in the afternoon.”

“Are you taking your computer?”

“Sure.”

“Then we’ll video chat tonight after you get settled. No worries.”

“That would be great. But now comes my next question. If I give you keys to the trailer, could you open it tomorrow morning before seven? Ben and Leroy are going to start setting it up, but I haven’t gotten keys for them yet. Would you mind?”

“Of course not. Do I have to wait for them or just unlock it?”

“Just unlock it. I’ll call Leroy and tell him that it will be open.” He handed her a key. “Thank you. I feel terrible asking you to do this.”

“Don’t you dare. Of course I will. Are you leaving now?”

“Yep. I won’t get in until after nine as it is, and I’m exhausted. I’d better get on the road.”

“Did you talk to your dad?” Polly followed him back down the steps.

When he got to the bottom, he turned around and reached up to her, then pulled her in for a kiss. “He’s flying to Des Moines on Friday. He was so excited. He’ll go back next Friday and drive Mom north.”

“I’m glad. Andy said Len would love to work with your Dad if you want him.”

Henry took a deep breath. “It’s really going to be okay, isn’t it.”

“I think so. Okay. You go. Call if you get tired on the road. I’ll talk you in.”

He kissed her again. “I love you so much. Thank you for taking care of me.”

“You take care of me every day. Be safe and call me.”

She followed him out to his truck and watched as he drove away.

CHAPTER
FIVE

“Right on time! Good morning,” Polly said when she answered her phone. She stretched her legs under the blankets, pushing the cats away. “Are you ready for the meeting?”

“I don’t plan on having to do anything except nod and smile, but yes, I’m ready.”

“Did you sleep well?”

Henry laughed. “I suppose I did. The boys paid for a very nice hotel room. After we hung up last night, my head hit the pillow and I crashed. How about you?”

“I slept well enough that I don’t want to get out of bed. These animals like it when I can’t move.”

“Do I need to call you back in ten minutes? I can be your human snooze button.”

“No, that’s fine. You have a meeting and I’m just whining. I’m glad you called, though. I prefer your voice to an alarm any day.”

“Thanks for opening the trailer for me. I’ll let you know when I’m on the road.”

“I’ll be out at the hotel. I’m going to finish emptying that basement as soon as I can. I’m tired of looking at it.”

“I love you, pretty girl. Talk to you later.”

Polly pulled her legs out from under the blankets and sat up in the bed. “Obiwan, do you want to take a ride?”

His entire body came alert when he heard his name. He jumped to the floor and headed for the back steps.

“Just a second, bud. I need to put some clothes on.” She got dressed and pulled a pair of boots on. The latest warm up created muddy puddles from melting snow and ice. “Come on. I’m ready.”

Obiwan followed, jumping into the truck when she opened the passenger door. Polly shut the door and went back inside to grab a leash. The vineyards were new territory and she didn’t feel like chasing him this morning. Dawn crept over the horizon when Polly turned to go south past the hotel. Lights were turning on in homes as people got ready for the day.

She stopped in front of the trailer. “You stay here. I’m just going to be a minute,” she said to the dog. He wagged his tail and tried to crawl over her to get to the door.

Polly pushed him back into his seat. “No. I meant, ‘you stay here.’ Not there.” She laughed and slipped out of the door and shut it before he could follow her. His pitiful face at the window made her laugh even more.

After unlocking the trailer, Polly looked around. The ground had been cleared last fall in preparation for building. There were a few piles of trees and brush that needed to be taken out, but it was ready. She had seen the original plans for the building and tried to imagine it in place … warm light coming from its windows, people sitting on the large porches enjoying wine and music in a cool autumn evening. This was a perfect spot and the boys had a great idea. She hoped it would be successful and that they would stick around long enough to see it through. Lydia’s words worried her. Bellingwood was waking up again and this could become a wonderful draw for people around the area.

She glanced back at Obiwan. He was
still standing in her seat, wagging his tail, ever hopeful.

“Okay,
okay, you silly dog. You can play. We’re not in a hurry.” She went back to the truck, snapped the leash on his collar and let him out. Polly wanted to walk around the ground before everything changed. The long rows of the vineyard stretched out to the south of the lodge. She was standing on one of the higher hills, so it all lay out in front of her. She could see for miles. Iowa’s open fields felt like they went on forever, only broken up by a few silos and barns, trees and creeks. The sun rose and lit the empty fields beyond the vineyard. Green would soon become the predominant color once again.

Obiwan pulled her along as he sniffed the ground. He marked a branch or two and continued to pull forward. They circled behind the construction trailer and he headed for one of the piles of branches, picking up speed.

“I know, I know,” she said. “You need to get into the woods so you don’t make a mess people will walk in. I’m coming.”

Obiwan approached a pile of branches very carefully, then surged forward, his nose skittering across the ground. Polly didn’t think anything of it until she saw color - blue to be exact. Blue jeans.

“What did you find, Obiwan? Why would someone leave their jeans here?”

He nosed a branch out of the way and Polly realized that she was also seeing a boot. She yanked him back, then took another step back with him firmly in hand.

“I really want to curse out loud,” she said to the dog. “Every foul word I know wants to come out of my mouth right now. Why in the hell does this keep happening?”

Obiwan tried to reach the pile of branches and she pulled him away again. “Sit. Stay.” she said and waited until he obeyed. “I mean it, Obiwan. Stay.” He looked up at her and stayed where he was while she went back to the pile and got closer to the boot and jeans. Sure enough, there was the body of a man. He had been covered with branches and brush and when she touched his hand, it was cold. He wasn’t alive.

“More curse words,” she told the dog, leading him back to the truck. “I could scream them all, but they won’t do me any good. I don’t want to make this phone call.”

She made it anyway.

“Polly Giller, there can be only one reason you are calling me at six thirty in the morning.”

“
Don’t you dare start with me, Aaron. I swear to you that if you give me any trouble about this, I’m going to program a cell phone with “Bad Boys,” hide it in your house and call it fifteen times a day.”

She heard him chuckling on the other end of the phone and then he said, “Where are you and what did you find?”

“I’m out at the vineyard with Obiwan. I found a man’s body in a pile of brush. I didn’t dig him out or anything, so I don’t know who it is. I’m sorry, but Obiwan and I were there before we knew what it was. I hope we didn’t mess anything up for you.”

“That’s okay. Can you stay until I get there? Don’t let anyone else go near it. Is Henry planning on a crew today?”

“Leroy and Ben were going to set up the trailer.”

“Would you mind driving your truck out and stop them from coming in? I don’t need any more people in there.”

“I’m on it. I’m sorry, Aaron.”             

“You didn’t do anything wrong and I haven’t left town yet. I’ll be right over.”

“Thanks.”                           

Polly tossed an old blanket onto the passenger seat to protect it from Obiwan’s muddy feet and then let him jump in. She went back to the driver’s side and got in, backed down the lane and stopped at a cross street. Hopefully Aaron would arrive before anyone else.

Eliseo was expecting her back at the barn, so she called him, “Good morning, Polly. Is everything okay?”

“I’m not going to make it this morning,” she said. “I am out at the vineyard and you aren’t going to believe what Obiwan and I found.”

“A dead body,” he deadpanned.

“Yep.”

“Oh, you’re not joking? I’m sorry. I wasn’t serious.”

“No, it’s okay. I have to wait for Aaron to show up.”

“Do you know who it is?”             

“I don’t. I didn’t want to disturb things too much before Aaron got here and the person was covered with brush and branches.”

“Don’t worry about the animals here at the barn. I’ve got it.”

“Thanks. Will I see you at the hotel later today?”

“You will. Take care of yourself, Polly.”

“Thanks.”

Polly was still trying to compose the text to Henry when Ben’s truck pulled in behind her. She got out and walked back to him, “You’re not working here today,” she said after he rolled his window down.

“What’s up?”

“The Sheriff is coming over. He’ll be here in a few minutes.”

“Don’t tell me.” He grinned at her.

“I won’t, but if you could call Leroy and head him off, that would be great.”

“Do you know who it is?”

“Nope. I didn’t want to move things to figure it out.”

“Do you suppose it’s one of the boys?”

“I don’t think so. They should be in Omaha with Henry.” She glanced back toward the vineyard. “It could be anyone, I guess.”

“Henry’s got his hands full with you.” Ben took his phone out. “I’ll let Leroy know. We’ll work at the hotel today.”

“I’ll see you later,” she said and walked back to her truck. When she got back inside, she said, “They aren’t even surprised anymore, Obiwan. If anyone is going to die in three counties around here, I’m going to find them.” She slumped down in the seat and laid her head against the back rest. “I don’t want to tell Henry about this. He’s never going to leave town again.”

But she started entering characters into her phone.

I had to call Aaron. You aren’t going to be able to start at the construction site today. Leroy and Ben are working at the hotel. Call when you’re free.

“There,” she said. “That ought to stir him up.”

Aaron’s SUV pulled in to the cross street behind her and he got out, coming over to her truck.

“I’ve called everyone in. Can you tell me where you found him?”

Polly explained where it was located and said, “I think I should blame Lydia for this one,” Polly said.

Aaron looked at her in surprise. “What do you mean?”

“She’s the one who had a party about a murder at the winery. This is on her!”

“I’ll let her know,” Aaron said. “I’m sure that will make her very happy.” He glanced around. “I guess we’re going to get to know those three boys a little better than we thought.”

“Did you know them when they were in high school?”

He grinned at her. “Of course I did. J. J. Roberts was always in trouble. He never did anything that could be considered criminal, but he put his parents through hell.”

“Were you working in Boone back then?”

“I wasn’t the Sheriff, but yes I was a young deputy in those days. Bellingwood police handled most of the trouble those boys got into, but every once in a while, they’d try their hand in the big city and my boss thought it would be good experience for me to deal with them.”

“What do you mean?”

“I suppose you haven’t met any of their parents yet.” Aaron took a deep breath. “The Roberts’ family are good folk. J. J.‘s dad is a farmer north of town. But the boy hated farming and his mama didn’t have the wherewithal to make him do something he didn’t want to do. His daddy finally gave up on him and just let him do what he wanted. Ryan Williamson. Well, his family is another story. That boy had to work hard to come out of that family with any sanity. I’ll give him credit. He did more with his life than any of us expected. You probably know Millie and Van Stephens, don’t you?”

Polly shook her head.

“Well, Van is a good man. He’s a farmer and a professor down at Iowa State. His wife brought money into the family. Let’s just say that Patrick married his mother all over again. She’s always held that family out to be more than they are and has a tendency to look down her nose at anyone who works for a living. Patrick was a bit spoiled. He has a younger brother and an older sister. They’re not much better.”

She’d never heard Aaron gossip like this and didn’t know what to make of it, so she kept her mouth shut and waited, but couldn’t contain the grin on her lips.

“Oh stop laughing at me,” he said. “I pay attention to what’s going on around here, even if it’s Lydia who talks to everyone.”

“I’m not saying a word.”

“Don’t tell my wife, she’ll yell at me. She tells me that gossip isn’t very nice.”

“She doesn’t let us do it either, but Beryl never really listens to her.”

“Beryl’s awful. I think the only person she ever listens to is Lydia.”

“And you, Aaron.” Polly said. “She listens to you. If she didn’t have you and Lydia in her life, she’d be miserable.”

“She’s a good woman, even if she does make life entertaining.”

“Do you need me to stick around?” Polly asked.

“Would you mind staying until more of the team arrives?” he asked. “I’d hate for someone else to get onto the property before we can process it.”