Room at the Inn (Bellingwood #5.5) (6 page)

Your name comes from two amazing women. Your daddy's mother was named Jeanine and she was very old when he was born. He was her only child and though I didn't ever get to meet her, he loved her. My mother's name was Marian. We lived in England. I met your daddy when he was a handsome soldier in the war. We fell in love and when the war was over, he came back to find me. He made me very happy every day of our lives together. It was difficult to leave my home and family, but I knew that I could never be happy without your daddy by my side.

Each day, Mrs. Hogan brings you in so that I can see your shining face. I know she hopes that I will live because you need me and if I could, I would do just that, but the accident hurt me too much. You must know that your family would have done anything we could to be with you. She has promised to give you the few photographs I was able to save and to make sure this letter goes with them. There is nothing left but you and that is enough. You are special, you are unique, you are loved and when you think about the family who brought you into this world, I hope that you will always know that they were happy because you were part of their lives.

We will wait for you in heaven, but please don't hurry to see us. Live a wonderfully, full life. Be happy while you grow up, I pray you marry a good man and have a house full of children who make every day a joy for you, just as you did for us.

I love you more today than I did yesterday and not as much as I will tomorrow.

Mommy"

Polly sat back on her sofa and pulled the dog close to her, then sobbed into his soft neck. "That's the saddest thing I've ever read," she whispered. "It breaks my heart."

She finally wiped her eyes with the collar of her shirt and stood up, announcing. "I need to make dinner. Everybody likes pizza, don't they? Or sandwiches." It always made her chuckle when the animals watched as she talked to them. If they ever responded, she was certain she’d be found in a dead faint on the floor. "Don't ever learn to talk," she wagged her finger at them. "I don't want you to tell my secrets to anyone!" Just the thought of the stories those animals could tell made Polly clutch her chest dramatically.

Polly wondered what
Henry was doing for the evening, so she texted him.
"What's up for supper? How long will you be at Nate's?"

"I'm driving to your house right now. Do you want me to pick something up? What
about the Riveras?"

"Come on over. I was thinking pizza. I can feed Andrew and Jason and the Riveras and you and me with a couple of those."

"I'll be there in a minute."

Polly thought about it and sent one more text,
"Do you two want to come over for pizza in about a half hour?"

Doug Randall immediately responded with
"Yes! What should we bring?"

"No worries. I've got it,"
she sent back.

Life was much more fun with a people around and the more she fed this evening, the more varieties of pizza she could explain. She
called Pizzazz downtown and placed her order, then texted Jason to let him know there would be food for all of them, Eliseo included, when they were finished. There. That should do it.

She gathered up the photos, card and letter and set them on the bookshelf in a corner so they would be out of the way, and went to the kitchen to rummage around for paper plates and cups. Once everything was on the peninsula, she ran across the hall to the room where the Riveras were staying and softly knocked.

Jose opened the door and stepped outside.

"I'm having a
little party in my apartment tonight. We're eating pizza. Would you and Maria please come over? I'd like you to meet Eliseo Aquila. He works here and sometimes I feel badly that I don't speak Spanish. Eliseo does and it might make things a little easier for you two while you're here."

"We're okay," he protested. "You've done too much. As soon as the car is fixed, we'll go away."

"Please come over," Polly repeated. "I want you to meet Eliseo. Please?" She knew it sounded as if she were begging, but she didn't care. There was no way she could have a family living under her roof and not make sure they were well taken care of.

"Maria is sleeping." He looked at the watch on his hand.

"I'll send Andrew over in about forty-five minutes. If she's still sleeping, maybe you could come for a while." Polly wasn't letting him get out of this evening if she could help it.

He finally nodded. "Forty-five minutes," he said.

"Good. I'm glad." Polly went back to her apartment and found Henry sitting on the chair by her bookshelves reading the letter.

When he looked up at her, his eyes were glistening. "Do you think she ever got this?"

"I don't know," Polly said. "I was going to ask what you thought."

"Had it been opened before you got to it?"

"I don't think so. How do we even start looking for her?"

He shrugged. "I suppose we go back to see Simon on Monday and find out where he got the dresser. Then we begin asking questions. I have to think that people would remember an accident which killed a family and left a little girl alone."

"Marian would probably be about Lydia's age. Maybe she knows something." Polly leaned against the bookshelf. "We're going to have an apartment full of people tonight. I've invited Doug and Billy, told Jason and Andrew to come up and bring Eliseo and I just invited the Riveras. Let's put this away until tomorrow."

Henry folded up the letter and put everything back together and slipped it into the envelope. "That's so sad. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could tell someone how much she was loved?"

"Yes, it really would be," Polly leaned over and kissed his forehead. "Being loved is a pretty amazing thing."

CHAPTER SIX

"Come on, let’s go!" Obiwan was sleeping in a sunbeam and Polly was ready to head outside. He stood up and stretched, then waited while she put the leash on. They walked to the corner garden where a group of people were gathered. The churches in town were working together this afternoon to build the structure for the Living Nativity. She found Lydia standing off to one side, watching as hay bales were stacked around the wooden walls to add insulation as well as stability.

"Hi, dear," Lydia said. "What do you think?"

"This is so cool. It will be beautiful!"

"We've been advertising
in the area. Hopefully that will bring traffic." Lydia nodded back toward Sycamore House. "And with your Christmas lights and decorations, this corner will be lovely."

"
We have an event every night this week, so it will be nice for people to make this part of their celebrations."

"Office parties?" Lydia asked.

"Some of those and some different groups are hosting parties. There's a wedding on Friday night and another on Saturday."

"I'm sorry you aren't having your big Christmas party this year. That was quite a celebration."

"Jeff filled the calendar and I have plenty of opportunities for parties throughout the year. After Halloween, we needed a break."

"That's smart. So, what do you think about Jason and the donkeys? We are creating a little home for them right here. They can come and go as they please and Jason can be in the shelter.

"I wouldn't be surprised if both boys will be here. You aren't expecting them every night, are you?"

"No.
Our church is here tonight and the kids know everyone. We'll be here again next Sunday, so they can do it again."

" Oh, Lydia, those donkeys are adorable! I'm in love with them already.
They were so happy to see me this morning."

"How are the horses getting along with them?"

"Nan isn't sure about it yet, but the others seem to be taking it in stride. I'll take Obiwan down sometime when we don't have so much work to do. I want him to be comfortable with them, too."

"It will all come in time. Excuse me, just a minute," Lydia stepped into a cluster of people and pointed to the back of the structure, speaking quietly to them. Then she returned to Polly's side. "I should get busy."

Polly stopped her by touching her arm, "I found something yesterday in an old dresser that I bought down at the Antique Shoppe. It's a Christmas card with pictures and a letter that a mother wrote to her daughter. The family died and this daughter ... I don't know. Would you come upstairs when you're finished to look at it and tell me if you have any idea who it might be? I don't think the letter ever made it to the person who was meant to have it and I'd love to find her."

Lydia scrunched her eyes in thought and said, "Of course I'll come up. It will be good to get warm. Do you have coffee?"

"I’ll make it! Come on up whenever. I'm taking Obiwan for a walk right now. We both need the exercise. It's supposed to get cold tomorrow and he likes being out in that more than I do.."

"I'll see you in a bit," Lydia said.

Polly crossed the road into the parking lot by the swimming pool and then ducked onto the trail that followed the wooded area behind it. There was snow beside the trail and Obiwan took his time sniffing it, looking for something interesting to mark. When they returned to Sycamore House, lights were being strung up on the outside of the nativity structure and two men were unloading the manger. Old horse blankets were covering hay bales and she laughed as she saw women holding heating pads. She wondered if they planned to heat the manger with those.

She and Obiwan ran back upstairs and she quickly put a pot of coffee on, then straightened up the living room. The pizza party had gone longer than she expected last night, with everyone having a good time. Jose and Maria finally relaxed when they realized that there was someone else who could understand them and help them integrate into the group. Eliseo talked more than she'd ever seen, trying to draw the two newcomers out. Rachel came upstairs when she was finished in the kitchen and not long after, Sylvie joined them before taking the boys home.

Sylvie had checked the baby and smiled when she saw that Salvador was sleeping and quiet. After they left, the party continued. When Jose and Maria finally took their baby back to their room and Eliseo hadn't made a move to leave, Doug mentioned watching a movie. Before she knew it, they were watching
Christmas Vacation
with everyone reciting lines.

Billy went to get his dog, Big Jac
k, for a last run that evening and Doug had offered to take Obiwan along, leaving her and Henry and Eliseo to clean up. They'd worked quickly and Henry took the pizza boxes and a bag of trash downstairs for her. Eliseo finally seemed to be part of the family. He'd sacrificed his Sunday morning to play with them. Since she knew he'd be in the auditorium cleaning this morning, Polly had helped get the horses and donkeys ready for the day, then followed him in and insisted he let her help clean up. They'd worked steadily, gathering trash and the few leftover plates and silverware off the tables, then wiped everything down. While Eliseo put the majority of the tables away, Polly had vacuumed.

Jose Rivera had come down while they were working and helped Eliseo rearrange the tables for the evening’s holiday party. Polly couldn't imagine being stuck in a single room all the time and was glad he felt he could move around freely. He took over the vacuuming and Eliseo had given her a nod to let him, so she
’d gone into the kitchen to see if Sylvie had leftovers for lunch.

Not only were there leftovers, but on one of the containers, Sylvie had written a note:
"Polly. Serve this for lunch."

She opened it and found sliced roast beef and ham. She loved that woman. A bag on the prep table also had Polly's name on it and
in it was a package of buns and two bags of potato chips.

Polly went back into the auditorium and said, "Sylvie has lunch for us. It's just sandwiches and chips. Jose, you and Maria can eat wherever you'd like, but please help yourself."

Eliseo and Jose spoke to each other in rapid Spanish and she sighed, then walked away. Pretty soon Eliseo showed up at the kitchen window. "We'll eat here, if that's okay, Polly. He's going to get Maria and Salvador."

"Are they going to be all right
with this?" she asked.

"It's difficult for him to accept your hospitality. He's a proud man and has had some trouble. They were living in Chicago with his family, but are heading to southern California where her family lives. I don't know if they have enough money to make it across the country. But I told him that you were generous and a good person and that if I could learn to accept it, he could, especially when there was a baby involved."

"I don't want him to feel bad," Polly said. "What can I do?"

"We could use the help this week. Let him work with me."

Polly breathed a huge sigh of relief, "Yes! That's perfect. You figure out what you need from him and please, let me find a way to give him some cash at the end of this to help them keep going. I don't want him to be working here simply for room and board."

"I'll do that and I will speak with Sylvie. Her Christmas break has started, so she won't be in school, but I suspect she might be able to use Maria in the kitchen, too."

He stepped back, his face blushing.

"Can I leave you to this?" she asked, pointing at the food on the counter. Eliseo nodded and Polly went upstairs.

The last day and a half had been
busy and Polly was ready to settle in. Henry was coming that evening and she wanted to beg him to help her go through the stacks of boxes in her garage to look for her family’s Christmas decorations. The Santa Claus Polly had picked up at the Antique Shoppe was in the middle of the dining room table, but that was it.

There was a knock at her front door and Polly waited a heartbeat. Lydia opened the door and called out, "Can I come in?"

"I'm here!" Polly said. "Come on in. I have fresh coffee."

"It was getting chilly out there. I'm glad they have some heaters for those poor folk who will be sitting outside tonight."

Polly poured two cups of coffee and handed one to Lydia. "It's over here. Let's get comfortable."

After they sat down in the living room, Po
lly handed the envelope to Lydia, who looked at the pictures, read the card and then, the letter. Lydia's eyes were swimming with tears and Polly pushed a box of tissues toward her. "I know. It destroyed me, too. Henry even got teary-eyed last night when he read it."

"He didn't have any idea who this might be? His family has lived in the area for a long time."

"He didn't say anything. He thought maybe Simon at the Antique Shoppe might remember where he got the dresser, but I figured if anyone might know something, it would be you."

"
I don't remember this, but it probably happened before I was born. I can ask some of the older ladies that I know. Someone is going to remember an accident that killed four people. Especially when two of them were little boys and there was a baby girl who lived through it. We have to find out what happened to her."

"I'll ask Henry to call his mom. Maybe she'll remember something, too," Polly said.

"You should bring all of this to the women's meeting Tuesday morning. It's our Christmas party." Lydia laughed at the horrified look on Polly's face. "It's not that bad. Okay, maybe you wouldn't have quite as much fun as we do, but still, you might be able to get some good information. These women have been around a long time and they know everyone's history in all the surrounding counties. Trust me, they're better than the CIA and the FBI together when it comes to holding on to secrets."

"That doesn't make me feel any better about showing up, you know," Polly chuckled.

"You already know some of them. I always invite Beryl, but she knows better than to come. I dragged her to something years ago and she had one of the meanest old biddies in the group backed into a corner in the kitchen after the woman had torn into some poor young woman for using the wrong dishtowels to dry dishes. It was the young woman's first time in the kitchen and the rest of us should have paid more attention. Old Mabel was a terrorist and we generally kept her occupied, but somehow she escaped us and before anyone knew what had happened, Beryl was on the offense. Looking back, it was pretty hilarious, but I thought I was going to have to call for the cavalry to separate them."

"Still not helping."

"Oh, after Mabel died, there were a few more ladies who wanted to run the kitchen with an iron fist, but that's calmed down a lot over the years. However, they would be one of your best resources for tracking this Marian Jeanine down."

"If I don't get inform
ation from nearly anyone else, I'll call."

"There is a program at ten and then luncheon begins at eleven. If you give a presentation, they'll mull it over during the meal and I can guarantee you'll have an answer before
we leave."

"I'll think about it. You aren't giving up on this, are you?"

"If you tell me you'll come, I'll invite Beryl."

"You are really sick and twisted, aren't you!" Polly laughed.

"Aaron says it's my best attribute. Being dull, boring and sugary sweet all the time isn't much fun."

"Well, I love you this way. You always surprise me."

"That's what my sweet baboo says and I like being able to surprise him after thirty years of marriage." Lydia looked through the photos once more. "So, you'll come on Tuesday?"

Polly grimaced, "I'm not going to get out of it, am I."

"Not if I can help it."

"You're kind of mean."

"And manipulative. Don't forget manipulative. Whenever Beryl thinks I've backed her into a corner, that's what she calls me. Just because I'm always thinking and planning and involving and organizing, she gets huffy."

"You're one of the smartest people I know," Polly reached over and hugged her friend, "and I'll bet that brain of yours never turns off when it's looking for the best way to make something happen."