Unexpected Riches (Bellingwood Book 13) (9 page)

Polly laughed. "Then I hope he's not that bold."

"Me too." He jumped up. "I'd better get going so I can make sure everyone has plenty to do just in case lunch goes long."

"Call when you're done, will you?"

He nodded. "I'll try." Henry walked back over to the table and tipped her head up so he could kiss her lips. "And remember I love you. We've talked about Rebecca and the phone and you made the right decision. You're the mama. She's the daughter. You're the boss."

"That's what she keeps saying," Polly said. "In derogatory tones."

"Whether she likes it or not, it's her reality. Be strong. You've taken down stronger men than her."

Polly shook her head. "I'm not sure about that. I do believe this is going to be a battle of wills for the rest of our lives."

"I'm putting my money on you." He smiled. "I'll talk to you later."

Polly watched him walk through his office and took another drink of coffee. She was absolutely going to treat herself to something fancy to drink at Sweet Beans before heading over to the other house this morning. She deserved it.

That made her laugh. She didn't deserve anything. Oh well.

"Come on, Rebecca," she called out. "It's time for you to go to school now. Do you want to walk or would you like me to drop you off on my way over to Bell House?"

Polly waited a few minutes and decided to go look for her daughter. She had no memory of this much drama when she was Rebecca's age, but wondered if it would have been different had her mother still been alive. Her dad wouldn't put up with it and Polly never felt comfortable talking back to Mary since she wasn't really family. If her father had ever heard her do something like that, he would have had her head.

"Rebecca? It's time to get moving." Polly walked through the living room to the closed door on the other side. She knocked twice. "Rebecca?"

There was no answer and Polly knocked again. "Rebecca, I'm coming in." She opened the door and looked into the room. Rebecca was huddled in a corner, her arms wrapped around her knees and her head down.

"Honey, it's time to go to school. You need to go wash your face."

"I'm sorry," Rebecca said.

"Thank you. It's going to be fine." Polly stood in the doorway and waited.

Rebecca looked up at her with a tear-streaked face. "I'm a terrible daughter. I'm so sorry. Please don't hate me."

"Honey, I will never hate you. I promise. Now stand up and pull yourself together. We'll talk about this tonight."

"But I was so mean." Rebecca burst into another round of sobbing.

Between the drama and the little rebellions, Polly wasn't sure Rebecca would make it through her junior high and high school years. She wanted to roll her eyes, but thought that might escalate things further.

"Yes you were," Polly responded.

Those words brought Rebecca's head up and she looked at Polly in shock. "You agree?"

"I do. It's time to get past this, though. Stand up and get moving."

"You don't hate me?"

"Honey, I've told you over and over again that I can never hate you. I love you no matter how you behave. Now I'm not going to say it again. Stand up. Right now."

Rebecca finally stood up. She stopped in front of the mirror on her dresser and looked at herself. "I'm a mess. Can I skip first period?"

"No. You can go wash your face with some cool water," Polly said. "You'll be fine."

"Okay." Rebecca heaved a big sigh, picked her backpack up and carried it out of the bedroom, then dropped it on the sofa before going into the bathroom.

Polly flipped off the bedroom light and sat on the back of the same sofa to wait for the girl to re-emerge. How in the world did parents live through these years? Everything could be going along just wonderfully and then out of the blue, the entire world fell apart. She chuckled, wishing there was a safe word she could use to just tap out of the situation.

"I'm ready." Rebecca came out of the bathroom, her head down and her hair pulled in front of her face.

"I'll drive you. Get your coat," Polly said. "I have your backpack."

When they got into the truck, Rebecca buckled in and then looked over at Polly. "What's my punishment this time?"

Polly laughed. "Your bedroom is a terrible mess and your bathroom needs some attention."

"I was afraid of that. When will I ever learn?"

This was the normal Rebecca. Polly felt relief. At least she'd be able to have a good day in school. "I'm not sure," Polly said. "Part of me hopes this is the last time it ever happens, but another part of me appreciates that your bathroom will get scrubbed down on a regular basis."

"Polly!" Rebecca protested.

She chuckled. "You're the one who asked." Polly reached over and lightly squeezed Rebecca's leg. "I love you and it's all going to work out. You're growing up just fine and I'm proud of who you are."

"Even when I sulk?"

"Even then."

"I'm not getting a phone this year, am I?"

Polly shook her head. "No, but like I said, we'll talk about it tonight." She pulled up in front of the school. "Now let this go and have a good day. Remember that I love you, okay?"

"Okay. I love you, too."

CHAPTER NINE

"Yes, I'm addicted to coffee," Polly muttered as she drove away from the elementary school. "I might have a problem." Her phone rang and she chuckled at herself.

"Hello, Grey. How are you this morning?"

"Fine, thank you, but I'm afraid that I am in need of your assistance. Are you too busy to spend time at the inn today?"

Polly made a quick turn. "Of course not. What's wrong?"

"It would appear that our young man fell into something he shouldn't have and was transported to the hospital last night," Grey said. "I must see him and find out what has happened."

"Our young man?"

"Young Denis. I thought he was achieving a great many goals, but my ecstasy over his progress dimmed my sight. He overdosed last night."

"Oh no!" Polly cried. "Will he be okay?"

"I fear this will set him back, but to hold out hope is to stand against the gods."

Polly felt like she was in a foreign film and needed subtitles. She tried again. "Will he live?"

"Why yes," Grey said. "Of course he will. And they will release him from the hospital just as soon as his mother and I discuss his options."

She took a deep breath. "What was that about hope and the gods?"

Grey chuckled. "When we hope, we stand and shake our fists at the gods. The tales of the ancient Greek gods were told so humanity understood who tormented them. They released evil upon evil into the world when Pandora opened her box. One of the gods - likely Zeus - placed hope inside that box and it remains there so we can continue in the face of tragedy. We must remember that we have survived and the Greek gods have long since surrendered to the erosion of time."

"I'm parking right now," Polly said. "I'll be right in." She closed her phone and looked down at what she was wearing. She'd dressed to work at the Bell House. Her jeans and sweatshirt were clean, but not professional.

Grey came out from behind the counter. "Thank you so much for doing this. I won't be gone all day."

"Take the time that you need," she said. "I'll see if someone can bring better clothes for me to wear. I'm not dressed for this."

"You look fine, but we do have Sycamore House t-shirts behind the counter," Grey said.

"What happened last night?"

He shook his head. "I don't know yet. His mother called in a state of great distress this morning. She'd been at the hospital with him all night. The other tenants of his home returned after an evening out and found him on the inside stoop. When they couldn't rouse him, they called 9-1-1. I will get the rest of the story today, I'm certain." Grey took Polly's hand. "I'm grateful for the freedom to help this family. Today, his mother needs me as much as does Denis. A child's problems are never solely his."

"What about her other children?" Polly asked.

Grey turned as he walked to the front door. "I believe that she also called Evelyn Morrow. Poor Leslie doesn't have enough friends in her life, so she relies on the help she has used in the past." He opened the door. "I will call you later to let you know how things are progressing."

"Give them my best," Polly said. She puffed air out of her lips, buzzing them as she did so. There went her morning coffee. At least the hotel’s coffee would be fresh. Grey always made sure of that. She poured a cup and went behind the counter, scrounging through the cupboards for the shirts Grey mentioned. One of those would certainly look better than the sloppy thing she had on now.

After changing into a light grey t-shirt, Polly woke the computer and looked at the guest list. Two were scheduled to leave today, but had already paid for their rooms and she didn't expect to see them. She saw three reservations scheduled and five other rooms were occupied. Polly scrolled through the names, recognizing two as belonging to families in Bellingwood. It was nice to be part of their lives, offering a place for guests to stay so they didn't have the stress of extra people in their homes.

The front lobby of Sycamore Inn was clean and neat, leaving nothing for Polly to do. This was going to get old in a hurry. A game show was playing on the television, but that didn't interest her. She didn't spend time watching television during the day. Once she got started on that, she'd never get anything done.

Her research on Bellingwood's history was still sitting on the dining room table at home. A lot of good that was. But when all else failed, at least she could read. Polly chuckled. All of those books on shelves in her home and she was thankful to have access to the world's library on her cell phone.

Her dad would have loved this. He adored gadgets of all kinds, but was so frugal that they were usually three or four generations old by the time he finally gave in and bought one. He had jumped right into Macintosh computers, though. When she emptied his house, she found an old one in the attic. People told her that it would make a great fish aquarium, but she didn't have time for that and it had been taken to Goodwill.

He'd made sure she had what she needed for school. That was probably to justify his need for the newest and best thing. He'd gotten a Palm Pilot when people were moving away from them and was frustrated at its limitations, even though it was more powerful than anything he'd ever carried. He would have been on the forefront of GPS planting had he stayed on the farm.

Yes, he would have loved being able to access any book he desired. Polly smiled at memories of him sitting in his chair in the living room, the light on over his shoulder and a book in his hands. Sometimes it fell into his lap as he took a short nap - resting his eyes before moving on to the next chapter. He'd never admit to falling asleep. Whatever book he was reading in the living room stayed in the living room. He had another stack of books beside his bed. He told Polly that those were there to put him to sleep. She wondered if he ever finished War and Peace. It had been in that stack as long as she could remember.

Polly looked up at the sound of the front door opening. "Hello. Welcome to Bellingwood. How can I help you?"

"Do you have a room available this morning?" the young woman asked. "I drove all night and I'm dead tired."

"We sure do," Polly said.

They worked through the process of securing a room and Polly didn't think anything of the woman's name until she offered her home address in Taos, New Mexico.

"Carter?" Polly asked.

The young woman nodded, her eyes weary and red. "You've heard?"

Polly continued typing. "The man who was killed?"

"He was my brother. I told him not to come up here. I just knew something terrible would happen to him."

"Did the sheriff's office contact you?" Polly asked.

"I'm meeting with them later today, but first I need sleep and a shower. Is there a good place to eat lunch in town?"

"Yes, there is," Polly said. She wasn't sure whether or not to tell the young woman who she was. She glanced at the registration information. Natalie Carter. "Should we call you Natalie?"

"Just Tallie," the young woman replied. "Everybody calls me Tallie."

"I'm Polly Giller."

Tallie's head shot up. "You're the one who found Ethan's body."

Polly blinked. "I am. I'm surprised the deputy or whoever you talked to, gave you my name."

"He didn't," Tallie said. "I stopped for gas before coming here and the girl behind the counter was talking about it. I didn't tell her who I was, but she told me everything. Did you really find him in a Carter cemetery?"

"Yes," Polly said. "The cemetery is old and holds the remains of two of the founders of Bellingwood."

Tallie shook her head in disgust. "He was really looking for it, then. I told him it was a fool's errand, but he didn't want to listen to me. He only saw stars and unicorns. Nothing ever comes easy or free, right?"

"Looking for what?"

"The Carter treasure. Don't tell me you've never heard about it. Surely there are Carters around here who know what old man Jedidiah did."

Polly wasn't sure what to say. "Jedidiah Carter? There's treasure? We don't know anything about this. You have to tell me what you know!" She grinned at Tallie Carter, realizing the girl had no idea what was going on in her head. "I'm sorry. It's just that I'm friends with Beryl Watson. She's a descendant of Jedidiah Carter and she's never said anything about this."

Tallie nodded. "My great, great, great, whatever grandfather was his brother, Lester."

"We wondered," Polly said. "Beryl is certain that since there are so many Carters in the world, your brother couldn't possibly be related to her."

"I'd like to meet her. Do you think that would be possible?"

"Possible is an understatement," Polly replied. "Beryl's best friend is the sheriff's wife. That should make things go a lot more smoothly for you."

"Small towns, huh?" Tallie said with a knowing grin. "Taos is about twice the size of Bellingwood. Everybody knows everybody. I get it."

"Beryl won't be able to wait to meet you, but I can hold her off while you get some sleep. I've put you in room fourteen behind me here." Polly pointed to the back of the building. "It should be quiet enough."

Tallie turned her wrist to look at a watch. "I'll set my alarm, but if you don't see me by one o'clock, would you mind calling my room? I'm supposed to be in Boone at three o'clock and I need to eat something first."

"Of course I will," Polly said. "It's nice to meet you." She picked up one of Sycamore House's brochures and scratched her cell phone number on it. "This is how you can reach me. I own both of these places. If you need anything, just call."

"Small towns." Tallie smiled, picked up her bag and walked back out of the lobby.

Polly barely waited a heartbeat after the girl had cleared the front door and dialed her phone. "Pick up, pick up, pick up," she muttered as the call rang and rang.

"Hello, my friend," Beryl said. "I'm sitting on my sofa with two snuggly kittens, doing my best to keep them quiet so they don't rip their stitches. I’ll need a few bottles of wine when this siege is over. They're happy they both lived through their ordeal. All they want to do is play with each other. But Doctor Jackson said I'm supposed to keep them quiet. Does he not have kittens in his life? How in the hell am I supposed to do that? It's not like I'm the boss of them or anything. Where did he go to veterinarian school? It's like he lost all sense of reality when he got his diploma."

Polly had been tapping her fingers while Beryl worked through her monologue. Finally, she couldn't stand it. "Beryl. Stop talking."

Beryl laughed. "Well, that's rude. Why did you call me if you didn't want to hear all about my escapades with the kittens? They've become my whole life these days, you know. And it isn't like I didn't have a full and complete life before they got here. I don't have time to be distracted by two more fuzzy things, but here they are and I can't give them up now. They love me too much and they rely on me for their whole existence. I'm their jungle gym, their warm spot in the middle of the night, I make sure they have food and water and for god's sake, why didn't someone tell me that three cats made that much poop? It's like a perpetual motion poop factory in here. It never ends."

"Seriously, Beryl. Shut up."

"Okay. Shutting up. Why did you call me?"

"Because Ethan Carter is related to you and his sister just showed up at Sycamore Inn. She wants to meet you."

"Why didn't you tell me that in the first place?" Beryl asked.

Polly sighed. "I don't know. Because I'm mean, I guess."

"Yes you are. Now tell me everything." Before Polly could speak, Beryl asked. "How come you know she's at Sycamore Inn?"

"I'm working here this morning for Grey. He has something else going on and I offered to help."

"That makes sense. Now why are you still holding out on me? Talk to me, woman!"

"Aaron's office reached her yesterday."

"He what?" Beryl cried. "Whoops. Sorry. I just woke up the kittens. It's okay, little ones. Go back to sleep." In a much quieter voice, she repeated herself. "He what? He knew that there was a sister and didn't tell us? I'm going to have his head for this one. Anyway, go on."

"She drove all night because she's going to meet with him this afternoon."