Treasure Uncovered (Bellingwood #3) (7 page)

"Is it nice having Henry back in town, though?" Lydia asked Polly.

"It is. I did miss him. We went out on a great date Saturday night. I had tickets to a show at the Civic Center here in Des Moines and he took me to an Italian restaurant on the east side. He loves driving that car of his. I think it will be fun this summer when we can have the top down."

"You know you just used the “we” word, don't you."

Polly shrugged, "I know. I can't help it. We fit together nicely. I don't think I've ever felt so safe and comfortable around someone before. He treats me wonderfully; I can count on him to always be there. Today, when I couldn't think for myself, all I had to do was hear his voice and I settled down. And then, he came over and took care of everything so I could drive down with you two."

"Sounds like marriage," Lydia laughed.

"Please don't do that. I'm going to kick you out of the group if you do," Polly laughed. "Me and Andy. We want to enjoy the relationship, not plan our future, right Andy?"

"Umm, sure. Right.

"Wait, don't tell me you are planning the future." Polly demanded.

"What? Oh, for heaven's sake, no!" Andy protested. "There's no future. There's only right now. Isn't that good enough?"

"Yeah. Isn't that good enough?" Polly echoed.

Lydia looked back and forth at the two of them and said, "Fine. If you don't want a future with a man, I don't care. Maybe it's better that way for you. My life is pretty good with my man, but I don't suppose it works that way for everyone."

Polly said, "Sometimes I feel like I always have to make excuses for the fact that I enjoy being single. People always treat me weird, too. Women get all possessive around their husbands because the single girl threatens them. Single women are threatened by me because for some reason they think I must be attracted to the exact same person they’re hitting on. Single men are threatened by me if they aren't looking for a relationship and sometimes married men are lechers. They think they can leer at me and get away with it because they are safely married. It's not a fun world sometimes."

She chuckled, "I had a boss at the library who took me into his office one day and sat me down to tell me we couldn't have a relationship because we worked together. I must have looked a little surprised and he went on to inform me that he knew I had been paying extra attention to him and that since I was single, I was probably looking to find a husband. He assured me that he wasn't going to be able to be that person for me."

When Polly saw that both Andy and Lydia were looking at her with their mouths open, she laughed. "Yeah. You got married when you were young. You didn't have to face the world as a single person. It's a different world out there."

"What did you say to that man?" Lydia asked.

"Oh, I batted my eyes at him," and she demonstrated for them, "and then told him that I wasn't interested in a forty-five year old bald man since I had two hot Italians waiting for me every night."

"I also told my supervisor about his concern, she wrote it up and they moved him to a different department the next week. I think he ended up in the basement of one of the other satellites." Polly shuddered. "That was a weird conversation, though."

"If you girls wouldn't mind holding your bonding session in the hallway, I think I need a nurse to help me pee," Beryl muttered. "Have you seen a nurse? What in the hell did they give me? I think I'm going to explode!"

Andy pressed the call button and told the desk that Beryl needed to go to the bathroom.

"I could have done that," Beryl said.

"But, you didn't. You threatened to explode. I thought you might have had enough explosions for one day," Andy retorted.

"Funny. But, I'm not going to laugh or I will embarrass myself."

The nurse came in and smiled at the three of them. Polly hopped off the ledge and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Beryl asked. "Do I embarrass you too?"

"No, I'm just not interested in seeing your naked backside."

The nurse said, "She has a lot of bandages back there, not a whole lot of naked right now."

"See!" Beryl said, "That's not so embarrassing." She looked at the nurse. "I'm going to hurt when these drugs wear off, aren't I?"

"We're going to try to not let them wear off today. Maybe tomorrow, but not today."

"I'm in your debt. Now, I have to pee.  You girls should leave for a few minutes."

"Can I help?" Andy asked.

"No!" Beryl yelled. "No one helps today. You go away and come back in a minute."

The three of t
hem went into the hall to wait.

Andy touched Lydia's arm, "I don't want to go back home tonight. I'm going to ask if I can stay here with her. Will you come back tomorrow morning? If I give you my keys, will you bring me some clothes and things?"

"Are you sure?" Lydia asked. "She's in pretty good hands here."

"I'm sure. I won’t sleep tonight and if I'm not going to sleep at home, I might as well not sleep here where I can keep an eye on her."

"She's going to be pretty well out of it and I suspect she'll need you even more in days to come," Polly said.

"Then, she'll have me even more in days to come," Andy responded. "If she'll let me, I'm staying here tonight."

The nurse opened the door and said, "She's back in bed, you can come back in."

"If she'll let me, can I stay with her tonight?" Andy asked.

"Sure. We can bring you a blanket and a pillow. It won't be extremely comfortable, but she might rest better if you're here. Let's ask her and we'll get you set up."

They walked back in and Andy went over to sit down beside Beryl again, who was looking a little more alert.

"Beryl, I'm going to stay here tonight with you. Is that alright?"

"Won't your new sweetie be jealous?"

"I don't spend nights with him. Stop it."

Beryl put her hand out and Andy took it, then Beryl said, "If you don't mind staying, I would love
for you to be here. Thank you."

Lydia said, "That's settled then." She nodded to the nurse, who left and pulled the door shut behind her.

Andy dug around in her purse and came up with an envelope and a pencil and wrote out a list of things to bring the next day. When Lydia asked her about supper, Andy waved her off. "I'm not at all hungry and if I need something, I'll raid a vending machine. But, you might bring me breakfast in the morning."

Lydia bent over and kissed Beryl's battered cheek and said, "I love you sweet thing. Be good to Andy tonight, alright?"

"I can't make any promises, but I'm glad she's staying."

Polly smiled at Beryl. "Maybe you've broken my dead body jinx. You're alive and I'm glad."

"As long as Andy doesn't kill me tonight, I think we're safe. Get home safely, okay?"

"I love you, Beryl Watson and I'm sorry you got hurt today."

"Love you, too. Now go before it gets emotional in here."

Lydia and Polly both hugged Andy, and when they got into the hallway, pulled the door softly shut behind them.

"Well, it's late, but I'm sure we can find supper before we leave town. Where shall we go?" Lydia asked.

Polly pulled the keys to Lydia's Jeep out of her pocket. "Are you good to drive or do you want me to be in charge of these?"

"Oh, I'm good now. Thank you for taking care of us today." Lydia took the keys back and said, "So. Supper?"

"Well, if I admit that there is one more restaurant I haven't eaten at since I got back, would you take me there?"

"Sure. Where do you want to go?"

"I saw a Maid-Rite before we got to the interstate. Can I get a loose meat sandwich and some fried cheese balls?"

"Oh, you are a girl after my heart. Let's go. I know exactly where this place is located."

Instead of returning to Des Moines with Lydia, Polly headed over to look at the damage in Beryl's studio. She was meeting Henry and Sheriff Merritt there to see what they could do to begin cleaning up the mess and restoring the building to a usable studio.

Lydia had arrived in Des Moines and texted back that Beryl and Andy had lived through the night and were both glad for some McDonald's breakfast. Andy was going to learn how to care for Beryl's wounds and everyone was hopeful the hospital stay would be over by the end of the week.

When Polly and Henry walked around the outside of the house to the studio, Polly took a deep breath. The large windows had blown out and the back of the studio had obvious damage from the explosion. She walked in the front door and felt her knees go weak.

Grabbing Henry's arm, she said, "I can't believe she's going to be alright." The door to the bathroom was hanging loose, the toilet and sink were no longer attached to the wall, and tubes of paint and canvases were scattered everywhere. The ceiling above the separating wall was still dripping water and Polly looked at the floor where Beryl must have fallen the first time. Brown stains marred the wood floor, showing Beryl’s path as she escaped her artistic haven.

"What do you think, Henry?" Aaron Merritt asked as he entered the room.

"I need to spend more time evaluating the damage, but I can definitely make something good come out of this. We'll clean it up while she's recovering, then begin reconstruction."

"She has her insurance with Conyers downtown. I called him yesterday and he's got someone coming out this afternoon."

"Do you want me here for that, Aaron?" Henry asked.

"That isn't necessary. Everyone knows the insurance company will do whatever they want to do."

Polly bent over and picked up a canvas that was upside down on the floor. She turned it over. There were swipes of yellows and greens across the top and browns, golds, and reds along the bottom. She walked across the floor to a stack of canvas panels. It looked as if they had fallen off a table top. They were damaged by water and as she stacked them on the table, she flipped through them. She recognized a couple of different scenes from around town, and there were attempts at sketching people. Polly chuckled when she saw the sketch Beryl had done of Andy. It was recognizable, but water had blotched the image.

"I feel like I'm walking through a crime scene," she said, then laughed at Aaron, "Not that I've ever done that, but this feels eerie and creepy."

"I suppose it does," mused Aaron. "Do you want to see the storage room?"

They walked back and Polly gasped. The destruction that one water heater did was enormous. "I'm so glad she's alright," Polly said.

She began taking pictures with her phone so she could look at them later. It was going to take her time to figure out what the process would be to ensure that as much of Beryl's work as possible could be salvaged. It looked as if some things were a complete loss, but even as Polly shot pictures, she could see the potential for reconstruction.

"I'm glad you're here, Henry," she said.

"I am too, but what do you mean?"

"Don't you see it? There is so much potential in this space with someone like you doing the work. All of these metal shelving units can be replaced with enclosed cabinetry and she can design drawers that are exactly the right size for her tools. We can build tall, slotted spaces for her blank canvases and over here she can have a small display area. If we put a secretary against this wall, she can have her computer out here."

Polly continued to walk around the room, talking out loud to herself as she considered more possibilities.

Henry turned to Aaron, "This one is going to keep me busy for the rest of my life."

Aaron chuckled. "She has great ideas. I think you've taught her that anything is possible, so you can't complain. It's your own fault."

"Stop talking about me, I can still hear you. I'm right here, remember?" Polly said.

Her phone rang. She looked and it was a local number, but she didn't recognize it. "Hello?"

"Hi Polly. This is Ken Wallers again. Would you have some time this afternoon?"

"Sure," she replied. "What's up? Tell me you still don't think I had anything to do with Harry's death."

"Oh. No," he laughed. "That's not it at all. We aren't finding anyone in town who knew him. This is more of a personal conversation than anything professional. Could I stop by about two?"

"I'll be in the office. Come on in."

"Thanks. I'll see you then.

Both Henry and Aaron were looking at her expectantly.

"That was Ken Wallers. He wants to come over to Sycamore House this afternoon and talk to me. But don't worry, he isn't going to accuse me of murder this time."

"That's good," Henry said. "I'm not ready to start visiting you in jail. I don't know how I'd ever explain that to people here in town."

She continued around the room using the phone on her camera but stopped when she heard Len Specek's name. "Do not tell me the two of you are gossiping. I'm so ashamed of you!"

They had the grace to look embarrassed. "We're not gossiping, are we?" Henry asked Aaron.

"I wasn't. I wanted to know if you had ever worked with him. He's a pretty good woodworker."

"That's all?" Polly asked.

"Uh huh." Aaron said and both of them bobbed their heads up and down.

"And you accuse women of being terrible gossips. You're the worst because you refuse to admit it for what it is."

She headed for the front door. "I'm finished here. Is there anything else we need to do?"

Aaron chuckled, "I think we're done. I'll let you know when the insurance investigator is through and then we can get started cleaning this place up."

"Thanks," Polly said. "Anybody up for lunch?"

"You two go on ahead. I've got plenty to do today," Aaron replied.

She looked at Henry. "Sure. Where are we going? Joe's Diner?" he asked.

"That sounds fine. I'll meet you there."

Polly pulled into a parking space in front of the grocery store and was reaching back in to get her phone out of the drink well, when she heard Sylvie's voice.

"Polly!" Sylvie called as she exited the grocery store.

"Hi there, what are you doing in town?"

"They needed some help here today and I ducked out of class early. What happened to Beryl? Is she alright?"

Polly's face flushed red. It had crossed her mind yesterday to call Sylvie, but in the chaos that followed, she'd completely forgotten.

"Oh, Sylvie, I'm sorry I didn't call you. She's going to be fine. Burns on the back of her legs and quite a few cuts on her head and back, and then her face looks awful. She must have fallen into something. It's pretty bruised up. She's so pathetic. But, I'm so sorry I didn't call."

Sylvie let out a sigh of relief. "I suppose I could have called, too, but I didn't want to bother you. Henry talked to me yesterday when he asked Jason to help out with the horses, so I knew something had happened. But I had to talk to you."

Polly stepped in and hugged her friend. "I am sorry. I was planning to call you and then there was so much going on, I completely forgot."

"Don't worry about it. You'd have let me know if something awful had happened."

Polly wasn't sure if she would have remembered even then, but was glad she hadn't been put to the test. Henry walked across the street and joined them.

"Your boy did well in the barn last night, Sylvie. I appreciated his help."

She smiled and said, "I think he loves those horses as much as you do, Polly. He talks about getting one of his own someday, but for now, I'm glad I don't have to support that habit!"

Sylvie glanced at a woman walking into the store and said, "I'd better get back in. I'll be over later this afternoon. Jeff has two weddings this weekend and I need to make sure everything is in place." She turned and walked away, "See you later!" she said.

Polly and Henry walked down the street to the diner. "I forgot to call her yesterday, I feel horrible!" Polly said.

"She didn't seem too upset with you, I'd let it go," he replied.

"Well, that was a rotten thing to do to a friend. I'm not going to say anything to Lydia, it will break her heart and right now, she doesn't have much left to break."

"Hey, Henry! Welcome back!" Lucy called out as she carried three plates of food to a booth in front of the window. He waved and guided Polly to another booth along the back wall.

"I think I've even missed Joe's food," he remarked as they sat down. "Are you having your regular today?"

Polly looked at the menu. "I had one the other day, I'm going to have to get creative. I wonder what the special is. Did you look at the board?"

He stepped out of the booth and said, "Meat Loaf plate or baked spaghetti. Oh, and the soup of the day is ham and bean."

"Maybe I'll do a tuna melt," she remarked and put her menu down in front of her.

Lucy brought water and silverware and said, "How long you been back, Henry?"

"I got in Friday night. It's good to be back."

"Did you hear about your girlfriend's latest find?" she laughed, nodding her head sideways at Polly.

Polly audibly sighed, "It's not like I killed the man."

"No, this is much better," Henry said. "We can laugh with you and not feel guilty that you've done anything terrible."

"How is Miz Watson?" Lucy asked Polly.

"I think she'll be fine. It will take her a while to get back to normal, but she was lucky."

"There certainly have been a lot of things going on around here," Lucy said. "Did you hear that Don Roberts lost about a thousand dollars of equipment? They stole it right out of his barn!"

Henry looked up at her, his brow creased in concern. "I didn't hear that. When did it happen?"

"I think it was Sunday night. Can you imagine?"

Henry huffed and said, "Who would do that? People can't work for themselves any longer, they have to steal from other folks. Drives me nuts."

"Make sure you lock up your workshop," Lucy said, took their orders, and walked back to the kitchen to hang them on the order carousel.

Polly said, "What kind of equipment would they be able to easily haul?"

"Oh, it could be anything," Henry said. “Everyone has tools and small equipment they store in their barns."

"I don't," she laughed.

"Not yet, but after you've been here for a few more years, that stuff will start building up."

After lunch Henry followed Polly back to Sycamore House. As she approached, she saw that there were several people working in the corner lot. She recognized Nancy Burroughs and Deb Waters, who waved as she drove in. She pulled into the driveway and instead of turning into the parking lot, stopped to say hello.

Henry drove on in and parked, but Polly jumped out of her truck and headed toward Deb, who was working with two men putting stakes in the ground.

"Hello there," Polly called, as she walked across the lawn.

"Hi, Polly!" Deb said and stood up to greet her. "We thought we'd get started, what with Lydia and Andy taking care of Beryl Watson."

"I'm sure they'll be glad to know things are moving along even if they aren't involved," Polly said. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Henry walked up beside her and said, "This group of people will cause nothing but trouble. You're probably going to need a lot of help managing them."

A short, stout man with a red face and blondish, red hair that encircled a bald pate, stood up and said, "You old dog. Did you finally catch a woman here?"

Henry shook his head and chuckled. "Polly, this erudite man is Deb's husband, Louis. He's better with wood than he is with words, but he'll always find a way to embarrass me."

Deb visibly gulped, "Oh, I should have introduced you, Polly. Sometimes I get so used to having him around, I forget that not everyone knows him."