Treasure Uncovered (Bellingwood #3) (25 page)

"I was up for a few minutes. I wouldn't have heard anything if I'd been asleep."

"Yes. We stayed up far too long talking. I need more than three hours of sleep a night to be able to function like a normal human. Either that, or I need a quart of coffee." She looked at him. "I’m bringing a coffee machine out here."

He chuckled and grimaced as he held his side.

"Should you be out here working?" she asked. "I can do this."

"This morning, it will probably take both of us to finish the job. Neither of us is in any shape to be doing it by ourselves."

"Why don't we do what's necessary and finish up tonight,” she offered. “I swear I'm taking a nap this afternoon."

"It's a bit chilly right now, but today is going to be a beautiful day. I think we can feed them and get them outside. It won't be too hard to clean up after them once they're gone. If we do it together, it will be finished and you can enjoy your evening. Besides, there's a pretty big wedding happening today."

"Oh, you're right. I wasn't thinking," she said.

Polly walked back to the feed room and saw that they were getting low on hay. There was enough for the day, but more needed to be dropped down out of the loft. She turned around and walked back into the alley as Eliseo was leaving Nan's stall.

She put her hands on her hips and said, "You listen to me. You are not going up in that loft today. I will be out here this afternoon and will climb up there to bring down more hay. If I see that you have done it, there will be a lot of trouble and you won't like it."

"If my ribs didn't hurt, I'd argue with you, but when I came down from there the other day, I knew I wasn't going back up for a while. I'm sorry to make you do this," he apologized.

"Don't you apologize to me, mister," she laughed. "These are my horses and my responsibility. That you are helping me out is one of the nicest things you can do for me, but it doesn't change the fact that I should be doing more than I am. I can't believe how much I've come to rely on you in such a short amount of time. If you're not careful, I'm going to be a lazy slug. It's good for me." She went back into the room and hauled out a bale. "See, I've still got it. Now, make sure I don't lose it."

He laughed and before long, they had the horses fed and outside. When they were finished mucking out the stalls, Polly sat down on one of the benches and Eliseo sat across the alley from her.

"This is no good," she laughed. "I could go back to sleep right here."

"It might get a little chilly."

"Well, you seemed to make it work," she said and then stopped herself. "I'm sorry."

"No, that's alright. I did make it work."

"Eliseo, is that why you didn't want to give us your information? Because you were sleeping in my barn and didn't have another address?"

"That's most of it. I figured by the time I had worked here for a month, I would have enough money to get a room for rent."

"What's the rest of it? I know a month hasn't passed, but a lot has happened in this last week. Can't you tell me yet what is going on?"

"I don't want to drag you into my troubles. They are either going to work themselves out or not. If they work out, then no one will have any trouble. If they don't, well, then, only the good Lord up above knows what is going to happen."

"I can't believe that after the time you have spent here, you don't get it that it's always better to have people on your side."

"Miss Giller … Polly … I've always taken care of myself. People don't spend a lot of time on my side. Now, you might think you're different and maybe you are, but it's not easy for a man like me to trust people. You've done some mighty nice things for me and I appreciate it. I appreciate it more than you know, but in my experience when the bad stuff shows up, most everybody finds somewhere else to be. They don't stand by your side."

"I wish I could convince you that things are different now, Eliseo, but I understand your hesitation. Just do me a favor. Before you get to that bad stuff, would you consider talking to me or Jeff? If we can't help, we might know someone who will."

He shook his head, "I can't make any promises. Sometimes things happen when they happen. You all have been nicer to me than anyone has in a lot of years. I'll try to remember that."

Polly stood up and reached her hand out to him. He shook it as she said, "That's all I can ask. Let's head back and get cleaned up for the day. You know you can use the showers upstairs, don't you? Since you clean them, you can definitely use them."

"Thanks, Polly. I'll be up in a while. I want to spend some time with the horses."

She walked out and turned around to watch. He walked over to Nan and touched her shoulder. She nudged him and Polly watched as he spoke to and touched each of the horses. She hoped he would figure it out soon.

After a quick shower and two cups of coffee, Polly felt a little better about being awake. She was sitting at her table with her hand wrapped around a third cup of coffee when there was a knock at her door and Sal poked her head in the entry way.

"You're alive!" Sal said. "I was so afraid you wouldn'
t get up on time this morning."

"I'm barely alive. You look
a whole lot better than I do."

"That's what healthy living gets ya!" Sal laughed. "Now, d
o you have some coffee for me?"

"Sure, I can make breakfast. I haven't had anything yet this morning, just
started sucking down caffeine."

"Toast would be great. Don't you have some of your famo
us homemade bread around here?"

Polly laughed. Even when she was living in Boston, people knew that she preferred baking her own bread. She kept thinking that one day she would experiment with artisan breads, but every time she opened her bread machine, the same favorite ingredients fell in and the same favorite bread ended up in the oven.

"I do. Sit down and I'll hook you up."

"This has been a great break for me, Polly. I love your home and all the people you've added to your life."

"It's a good place to be," Polly responded. "When I sit back and think about it, I can't believe that I waltzed into town and expected my life to come together, but it did!"

"You would have made anything work out. I remember the day I met you. Before I'd even unpacked my first box, you were settled in and ready to go. Before I knew what had happened, you had me traveling all over the city. Do you remember the first time my mother had you over for brunch?"

Polly laughed. "Uh. Yeah. Did I do something strange?"

"No! My mother loved you! She couldn't believe you had grown up on a farm in Iowa. She thought you were the most well-mannered, proper young girl she'd ever met. You figured out how to adapt and fit into that environment so rapidly, I was stunned."

"It was just brunch," Polly protested.

"You're right. It was. But you fit in with all of those ladies, telling the right stories so they would laugh with you, but never make fun of your background. You knew instincti
vely what they wanted to hear."

"Oh. Well, I pay attention, I guess."

"You guess. Girl, you are so comfortable in your own skin that you make everyone around you comfortable."

Polly blushed as she set plates with toasted bread on the table. She returned to the refrigerator for a couple of jars of jelly and poured more coffee for both her and Sal.

"I've enjoyed having you here, Sal. It's been a lot of fun to show off my world."

"It's a really good world. I might come back again this fall if you have time for me."

“I'd love that!" Polly gave her friend an evil grin, "But, will you stay with me or will you be offered lodging elsewhere?"

"We'll see!" Sal laughed.

Another knock on Polly's door and Henry stuck his head in. "I hear there's coffee."

"Where did
you hear that?" Polly demanded.

"Eliseo said you were in rough shape, so we both assumed you had made a pot. Are you sharing?" He looked at Sal, "Good morning, bright-eyes. Did you have a good evening after you left us?"

"I did," Sal said demurely.

Polly got up to get another cup and drained her coffee pot into it. Filling it with water, she replenished the filter and coffee and re-started it.

"She didn't get back until nearly three. They went dancing in Des Moines."

Henry sat back in his chair, surprised. "Des Moines! That boy is looking to impress!"

"I think he did exactly that," Polly laughed. She winked at Sal and went back into the kitchen. "Would you like some toast, Henry? I'm cooking!"

"Thanks. That would be great," he said. "What time does your flight leave today, Sal?"

"Not until three thirty. I scheduled it so I wouldn't have to get up early this morning."

"What are you doing here this morning, Henry?" Polly asked.

"I told Jeff I wouldn't get in the way, but the weather is going to get bad this next week so I wanted to start working on the walls of the garage today. I want that to be finished before winter sets in again, you know."

Polly chuckled. The toast popped up and she slathered some butter on, put it on a plate and brought it over to the table. "Anything else?"

They both shook their heads and she sat down again.

"Polly, what does your bedroom look like?" Henry asked.

Sal laughed. "Her bedroom? That's the worst come on line I've heard in my life."

Polly smacked her friend's arm and said, "Why?"

"I might be doing some demolition in there this next week."

"I like my bedroom! I know that I don't keep it very clean, but it doesn't need to be demolished!"

"It's gotten bad again, hasn't it," he said.

"Maybe,” she said, hanging her head. “I was going to do laundry today. That will help. So why do you want to wreck my perfectly good bedroom?"

"You aren't going to believe it, but I think there is a flight of stairs back by your closet."

"I assumed that was blocked up ductwork or something."

"So did I, but I've been thinking about this being a school and there couldn't have been only one set of stairs in and out of here. I asked Sylvie about it the other day and she didn’t know, so I called Andy. She said there were stairs in that classroom when she was in high school here in the seventies. She doesn't remember when they were boarded up, but I thought maybe you might like a private exit down to your garage."

"Henry! That would be so cool! When do you think you're going to want to tear this place up?"

"I can wait until Monday if you want to clean things up first. I'll start down in the supply room. If it's not what I think it is, we can replace the wall. But that will give us something to do when it's raining outside."

Polly shook Sal's arm. "I'm going to have my own entrance! I can sneak in and out of here and no one will know!

Sal chuckled. "You're fifteen again! You'd better keep him around so he can keep finding new ways to make you happy." She winked at Polly and then said, "I should probably finish packing. Mark will be here in a little bit."

She stood up and Polly followed her to the door. Polly hugged her and said, "Don't leave without saying goodbye, alright?"

"I wouldn't dream of it."

When Polly turned around, Henry said, "Mark? You're
not taking her to Des Moines?"

Polly ran back to the table and sat down beside him. "Can you believe it? They were making out in the back parking lot last night before she came upstairs. It was only supposed to be a fun time with my friends and t
hey're making something of it."

Henry heaved a sigh, "Well, at least I don't have to worry ab
out him stealing my girl, now."

"You never had to worry about that," Polly said.

Her friend waved good-bye as Mark's truck pulled away from Sycamore House. Polly leaned against the door frame and watched them leave. Sal had been a part of her life for many years while she lived in Boston. From college roommate to best friends, they had lived through each other's ups and downs. There might have been a little guilt at uprooting her life so quickly and leaving her friends behind, but this week with Sal had been a good reminder that friends didn't necessarily rely on geographic area. All that it took was common memories and a lot of love. Polly smiled. Her life was all filled up with love some days. It was almost more than she could fathom.

She was still standing there when Ken Wallers pulled up in his squad car.

"Good morning!" she called when he got out of the car.

"Good morning, Polly. How are things today?"

"Oh, they're fine. I've decided I have too many other important things to think about than losing some stuff out of the barn. What do you know today?"

"I turned everything over to the Sheriff, since he's running this case. I wanted to talk to you about Harry Bern, though."

"Do you want to come inside? Sylvie came in this morning and started the coffee maker. I'm sure she has made something sweet back there as well."

"No, this won't take a minute, but thank you."

"What do you need?"

He had come up to the stoop and was standing there with her and said, "I need to hire someone to clean his stuff out of the house. I hate to leave it to poor Dave Steery to clean that place up, but hopefully his insurance will cover the damage that has been done to the house."

"You haven't found any of Harry’s family?"

"No, there's no one that we can find. The military doesn't have anything more on him and I hate to say it, but we're going to have to stop looking."

"You aren't going to stop looking for whoever killed him, are you?"

"Oh no. That's still an open case."

"Well, then let me clean his things out of there. I can put personal things in storage in the basement here, we can give the rest to Goodwill or the Salvation Army and if you give me Dave Steery's phone number, I can talk to him about what he owns and what needs to go."

"I know he didn't work for you very long, Polly. That's a lot of effort you're putting into this."

"It's the right thing to do, Ken. I'd hate to think that anyone's life meant nothing to the world. Even though the man drove me out of my mind, Jeff and I were the last people he worked for and I think we can extend a little effort. I'll make some calls today and try to get over there tomorrow afternoon."

"Let me know if you need anything and thank you."

Polly watched him drive away and shook her head at herself as she walked back inside. Sure it was the right thing to do and there wasn't anyone else who would do it, but what was she thinking? It was time to see if she could round up some help to dig through his stuff tomorrow. She pulled out her phone and dialed Doug Randall.

"Hey Polly! What's up?" he asked when he answered the phone.

"I need a favor," she said. "I told Ken Wallers I would clean out Harry Bern’s home and I need some help. Is it too late for me to call on some of your gaming friends to meet me there about one o'clock tomorrow? I'd even feed you all pizza when we're done."

"Just a sec," he responded and she heard him say in the background, "Hey, Billy. Polly wants to know if we're free tomorrow at one to help her clean out some dude's house. Yeah?"

He came back, "Sure, we'll make some calls. They will always show up for pizza."

"Thanks, Doug. I knew I could count on you."

"Hey, we all owe you. But, maybe you could let us use the computer room next Friday night?"

"You know you can, Doug. I'll put it on the calendar. Thank you!"

She hung up and dialed Andy Saner.

"Hello?"

"Hi Andy, it's Polly."

"What's up? Aren't you driving your friend down to the airport?"

"Would you believe that Mark Ogden is doing that? I might have created a little somethin'-somethin' there."

"I don't believe it. That's terrific. So, what can I do for you today?"

"Ken Wallers asked me to clean out Harry Bern's house and I have a bunch of kids helping me tomorrow at one, but I think I'd like another normal person there to help me keep things organized. Are you available?"

"Well, I, umm. Sure. I can be available."

"Andy, if you have something else going on, I can do it without you."

"No, that's not it. Beryl made a big deal out of me bringing Len over for lunch tomorrow, but I can make sure we're done before one o'clock."

"I didn't even think about you having a date. I'm sorry. Don't hurry on my account."

"I'm glad to help you out. Don’t worry if I'm late though, I'll be there."

"That sounds fair. Thank you!"

They hung up and Polly wandered through the auditorium to the storage room where Henry was supposed to be working.

When she opened the back door, she saw four men, including Henry, lifting the side frame of the garage. She stood and watched while they anchored it into place, attaching it to the concrete and another wall. The garage was actually going to happen! Polly waved at Henry when he looked up and caught her eye, then pulled the door shut and went back in. She peered at the walled up space in this room and wondered at the stairway that might be there, giving her immediate access to the laundry room and the garage. She grinned. Henry was her hero and she might not have to make too many more embarrassing treks down the main stairs with baskets full of her underwear again.

That thought made her laugh aloud. Her relationship with Doug Randall had been cemented in stone the day he startled her into pouring her basket full of laundry down the main steps of Sycamore House. One look at her bright purple undies had embarrassed both of them and allowed an entire community of women to get to know her because of that humiliating moment. It was something she and Doug never talked about, but that communal embarrassment was a joke they shared with each other.

A glance at the washing machine had her running for the stairs up to her apartment. She needed to get started on that now. She could not let her bedroom get so far out of control again that people weren't allowed in the apartment. The rest of the place always looked pretty good, but for some reason, Polly hated managing her clothes. They ended up in piles all over her room until she finally broke down and washed things before putting them away. She had to admit to herself that the bathroom counter wasn't much better. She didn't have an issue scrubbing down the shower or washing the toilet, but putting things away she used every day didn't make sense, until there was a worry that someone might show up and see her slovenly behavior.

She stripped the bed, piled all of her clothes in the baskets, grabbed the dirty towels and dragged things to the hallway. While she was at it, she figured she would also strip Sal's bed and check the bathrooms for dirty towels. Piling the towels on top, she opened the room where Sal had been staying. The bed was already stripped and the sheets and a couple of towels were in a pile on the floor beside the door. Everything had been put back in order and there was a note under the flowers by Sal's table. Polly walked over, picked it up and sat down on the bed to read it.

"Polly, I can't tell you how much I've missed you this last year. I don't suppose I even knew myself until I spent these last few days with you. You are a lightning rod and I mean that in the very best way. Things happen around you and you find ways to make them work out for good. I've always known that but never appreciated it. Your heart has led you home and you followed it, listening because you trust it. I hope you always trust your heart ... it's smarter than most people's heads. Thank you for your friendship and for allowing me to be part of your world for a short time. I can't wait to do it again. I love you, Sal."

Polly smiled and folded the note so it would fit in her back pocket. She was going to miss having Sal around, but it was time to get on with her day. She took the first basket down the steps, left it in front of the stairs and ran back up for the second. It occurred to her that maybe Henry could install a laundry chute so at least one end of the trip would be easier.

Sylvie had arrived and was working in the kitchen, preparing for the evening's meal, so Polly stopped in to say hello.

"How was the date last night?" Sylvie asked.

"Other than the interruption with happy little thieves stealing my tack, it was a great evening. Did you hear that Mark took Sal down to Des Moines to go dancing? I think he made her fall a little in love with him."

"No way!" Sylvie replied. "Well, you don't have to worry about whether or not we have a thing for each other."

"Oh, Sylvie, if I even thought that you did, I would have never set this up. I know better than to tempt fate."

"Well, I'm glad they had fun. What did you and Henry do?"

"We went over to his place and watched a movie. So, did Jason say anything to you last night?"

"No, why?"

"Well, when we were down at the barn and were talking about who might have been stealing things, he got a look of horror, like he might know who did it. But then he quit talking to me and avoided the subject completely. That's so not like him and it was odd."

"He didn't say anything to me, but I was so tired I didn't pay any attention to what his mood was."

"If he says anything, let me know. But, you don't have to make a big deal out of it. Are the boys coming over today?"

"If you don't mind. I was going to go back and get them about three o'clock. I hate making them stay cooped up in that little apartment all the time."

"I don't mind at all! You know I love having them here."

"Thanks. Someday I'll be able to afford a nice, big home for them, but for now, I appreciate that they have a safe place like this to hang out."

"What are you doing tomorrow afternoon?" Polly asked.

"I have two papers to write this week along with all the rest of the classwork, so I'm going to hide in my room with the laptop."

"Ken Wallers asked if I could round up some people to clean out Harry's house. Would you want me to pick up the boys a little before one o'clock? I've asked Doug Randall if he could get some of the gamer kids to help us and Andy is going to be there."

The look of relief on Sylvie's face was Polly's answer.

"Sunday afternoons are the worst with those boys. That's when I know I should be out doing things with them, but with everything that is going on, all I do is make them hang out at the apartment."

"Then I'll pick them up and we'll work for a while. When we finished I planned to bring everyone back here and serve pizza. I will text you and let you know when the boys are coming home."

"Thank you, Polly. I couldn't do all of this without you. Well, I couldn't do any of it well without you, that's for sure. I'll tell them to bring any homework over tonight so they can make sure it is finished and won't have to worry about it tomorrow night."

"Cool. So, do you have any boxes back here that I can use tomorrow?"

"I'll empty the boxes I have and you can take those. There are probably five or six there. Let me call the grocery store. They always have a few that can be picked up."

"Thanks. I'll be around. Gotta do laundry and get things cleaned up, you know!"

Polly headed for the barn. While the washing machine was doing its thing, she could be busy pulling down hay. It was always best to get the difficult tasks completed as quickly as possible so she could move on to something else. She climbed up into the hayloft and breathed deeply. She loved this smell. Hefting the first bale, she slid it down the ramp Henry had built for her after listening to her complain. She sent three more down before following them and stacking them in the feed room. Back up she went over and over again. Polly hefted a final bale and something glinted and caught her eye. She tossed the bale down and went back to look more closely.

Tucked behind one more bale of hay, which she pulled out of the way, was a large, ornate vase. Polly took a deep breath and peered at it, wondering where it had come from. Did Eliseo put it up here? She pulled the vase out and looked at it. It looked to be ancient, with intricate painted details and lettering Polly couldn't identify. There was a mark on the bottom of the vase and it felt very heavy. She looked inside and was astonished to see that there was paper stuffed into its base. She reached in and pulled out a handful of hundred dollar bills.