A Big Life in a Small Town (Bellingwood #2) (14 page)

Jeff had forwarded copy for the article going into the Bellingwood Times about the barn raising and hoe-down. The paper would be out on Friday, in time to remind everyone of the Saturday event. She scanned through it, having full confidence that he'd already proofread everything. She emailed him back and assured him that it was fine. There were a few of her favorite weekly recipe emails to peruse and a note from her accountant with an attached file.

She spent the next hour going through the files he had sent as they prepared for taxes. She'd known Ed Hodgkins since she was a kid. He'd managed her dad's accounts and had filed her taxes for her every year since she'd gotten her first job in high school at the Dairy Queen. He'd been invaluable these last years since her father had died. She couldn't have had a better advisor as she began the process of renovating Sycamore House.

When she was finished, she sent a quick reply acknowledging her approval. As she leaned back in her chair, she looked out the window to see a flatbed semi pull into the parking lot. Henry was already heading out the door, with Sam and Jimmy following close behind him. She grabbed the jacket hanging behind her office door and went outside to watch the lumber get unloaded. Before she got to the front door, Jeff caught up to her, pulling on his own coat.

"We're a couple of greenhorns, aren't we, Polly?" he chuckled.

"I know!" she acknowledged. "Other than the lumberyard, I've never seen this much all in one place. And it's mine!" Her breath caught in her throat.

"Am I crazy?" she asked.

"A little bit," he laughed. "But, I think it's a good thing." He looked her in the eye. "Surely you know Henry would have said something if he thought you were making a mistake?"

"You're right," she agreed. "I have good people around me who won't let me make a fool of myself. A lot of good people. I shouldn't worry, should I?"

"You can worry, but you shouldn't," he said.

They watched as Henry talked to the driver and point where to drop the load of lumber. It didn't take long and everything was on the ground. They watched as Henry signed the paperwork and the truck drove away.

"Well, that's your barn!" he said. "Looks pretty good!"

"I'll take your word for it," Polly laughed. "Right now it looks like a pile of wood."

"The boys and I will make sure everything is in place. We're going to get started on Wednesday, so everything is ready for the party on Saturday. It's going to be fine, Polly."

Henry took her arm as they walked back into Sycamore House. "I'm not getting cold feet, but this keeps getting bigger and bigger," Polly said.

"And you're just the girl to make it happen," Jeff said. "Confidence, girl. Confidence!"

Polly went upstairs to take another quick shower and dress for the funeral. When she got back downstairs, Andy walked out of the auditorium carrying her purse. "Are you ready to go?" Andy asked.

Polly said yes and they left, driving to Andy's home. "I won't be a minute, but come on inside." Polly followed her in and sat down on Andy's sofa. She had been right. Within eight minutes, Andy was back downstairs, dressed in a neat black skirt with a blue blouse and matching black jacket. She slipped on pumps from the front closet and pulled out a knee length coat.

"Now I'm ready to go."

"That didn't take long at all."

"I had everything set out. I just needed to put it on and brush my hair once more," Andy smiled.

Cars were flowing into the parking lot as they arrived at the church. Polly was glad to be with someone who knew everyone they met. Andy made introductions while they made their way to the church basement. They stood on the stairs going down, waiting for the line to progress and she shut her eyes. It smelled the way she remembered her own church.

There was the scent of old books and furniture coupled with the smells emanating from the kitchen. She listened as she heard a low roar of chatter. There were a few voices that carried above the others and the clattering of running feet announced an oncoming rush of children who dashed past them up the steps. One young mother followed closely behind in an attempt to corral her kids.

Andy and Polly made it to the bottom of the steps and turned into the main hall. Tables were lined up and chairs were beginning to fill with people, all laughing and talking quietly. Sylvie was standing beside a young woman with her husband and two children who all looked very uncomfortable as people greeted them.

"That's Amy," Andy said as she noticed where Polly's eyes had landed. "And over there," she pointed to a man in his mid-forties standing with a prim looking lady and two older kids, all of whom looked like they would rather be anywhere but here, "is Laurence. He looks happy, doesn't he?"

Polly couldn't help herself, she snorted. "Sorry," she said. "He looks miserable; not terribly sad, just annoyed with the whole thing."

"That's about right."

Lydia and Aaron were seated in the middle of a line of tables. Lydia looked up and waved at them, then pointed at two seats beside where they were sitting.

More people found seats at the tables and the noise level rose and fell in the room. Polly and Andy finally wound their way to the seats being held for them and sat down.

"Whew!" Polly said. "This is a lot of people. Madeline Black must have been very well known."

"She was," agreed Lydia. "Some of this crowd knew and liked her husband and then there are always a few who come out to every funeral in town, so they don't miss out on the gossip and excitement. I suspect that since she was found dead in her home and the story of the unfinished note got around, that brought out even more people."

Aaron leaned across the table and stage whispered, "And it's a Methodist funeral luncheon. Some of us come for the food."

Polly laughed as she glanced at her own plate. She'd taken only a little bit of each item that looked good, but the further she got down the line, the more food had ended up on her plate. When she got to the dessert table, she'd panicked, wanting everything from the deep, rich chocolate cake to the strawberry cobbler, pecan pie and carrot cake. She finally settled on the chocolate cake, but felt a little sad at leaving everything else.

"No guilt," Lydia said. "You can't feel guilty today."

"
Fine then" Polly announced. "No guilt," and began sampling her food.

Women moved throughout the tables, refilling emptied glasses and gathering up plates and silverware as people finished their meals. It seemed to Polly there was an efficiency here most restaurants would envy.

Aaron pulled a piece of paper out of his jacket pocket and unfolded it in front of Polly. The woman in the picture looked nothing like Elise Myers, at least on the surface. Elise's hair was brown and long, while Linda Marberry's hair was a beautiful red and cropped quite short, framing the woman's face. Linda Marberry wasn't wearing glasses, but Polly knew that didn't count. The biggest difference was in the eyes. Linda's were bright and shining. If it was really Elise, she had done a great deal to change the structure of her eyebrows and she either wore makeup to make her eyes look deep and sunken or there was something wrong. Elise probably weighed a good thirty pounds more than the woman in the photo.

"I don't know," she said to Aaron. "I just don't know. I'm terrible at faces anyway, so I can't say for sure if they are the same person."

"Well, now you've seen this," he said. "We'll keep an eye on things to see if she comes back."

"Okay," Polly said.

They finished their meal and went upstairs. They each signed into the guest register and then found a pew where they could be seated together. A pianist was quietly playing some classical pieces and there were low murmurs in the sanctuary as people filled in the pews. Polly looked up as Sylvie touched her shoulder and they moved together so she could join them. Soon the family was escorted in and Polly recognized Pastor Boehm, who walked to the front of the sanctuary.

He knelt in prayer for a few moments at the altar while the pianist continued playing and the room became quiet. He stood, walked to the pulpit and began the service. An organist joined the pianist as the congregation sang hymns. Polly watched as Amy's shoulders shook when Pastor Boehm began speaking about the relationship Madeline had with her family, the community, the church and with God. Amy's husband put his arms around her and her youngest son leaned into her. Polly glanced at Laurence and his wife, who sat rigidly at the other end of the pew. While she felt badly for Amy's grief, it occurred to her that Laurence was the one to be pitied.

The service soon came to a close and Polly was glad to get back outside. The sanctuary had warmed up quite a bit with all the people gathered and the woman in front of her had overdone it with some flowery perfume. She'd tried not to cough and Lydia pressed a piece of gum into her hand, then patted it. Polly chuckled. It was the same move Mary, the woman who cared for her after her mother died, made when Polly began squirming in church on Sunday mornings. Anything to keep the little girl occupied.

She and Andy said goodbye to Lydia and Aaron. Sylvie had already made her way back to Amy. When they got in the car, Andy asked, "Do you mind if we run back to my house so I can change and get back to work."

Polly smiled, "That would be great. Thank you for today, Andy. I'm glad I went. This is one of the best parts of being home again. Whether it's a funeral or some other event, it is much better when you're among friends."

Polly decided to be ready for Doctor Ogden, since he planned to be in her apartment around seven thirty. She'd gotten up at five thirty, walked the dog, taken a quick shower and then spent a great deal of time with her wardrobe and makeup for the day. She checked herself out in the mirror and thought "I'll do!" She had tried to stay subtle with her makeup, not wearing more than most days, but just enough eye liner and mascara to help her eyes look wide awake. Her hair did exactly what she'd hoped as she brushed it into place, light weight curls framing her face and nestling on her shoulders. The deep violet blue sweater was a perfect color for her and black denim jeans brushed the tops of the black ankle high boots. Yep. She'd do.

Polly put an apron on and mixed a glaze for the cinnamon apple muffins, which were cooling on the counter. The coffee was brewing and she had grabbed a couple of covered paper cups from the downstairs kitchen so he could take everything to go if he didn't have time to sit down to eat. She checked her watch and saw that it was seven twenty-five. The muffins were ready, the coffee was ready and even the animals seemed ready for company. Pulling her apron back off, she hung it on a hook in the pantry closet, smoothed her sweater and fluffed her hair one more time. Now, even she was ready.

She sat down at the dining room table to wait and caught herself tapping her foot. She stood and paced until she found herself at the sofa. She sat down beside Obiwan and rubbed his shoulders for a few moments. Next, she checked on the cats in her bedroom and found them wrestling on her bed. It had been a week since surgery and Polly hoped Leia really was fine.

She'd spent an hour last night cleaning her bedroom. Mary would have been ashamed of her. She'd once laughingly told Polly whenever she was late to breakfast that the piles of junk and clothes in Polly's room might be hiding her body. She tried, she really did. Polly blamed it on not having enough storage, but she knew better. By week's end, there were always empty drawers in her dresser. The worst thing was, the hamper was empty as well.

Things had been so busy she hadn't done laundry over the weekend. Last night her room had been horrendous. Clothes had tried to creep out into the living room, but she'd managed to wrangle and clean everything and felt pretty proud of the place. Polly checked her watch again. Seven thirty-seven. She rolled her eyes and chuckled. If a messy bedroom was a vice, punctuality was another. She tried to be patient with those who were never on time, because she knew it was an obsession of hers.

Both cats stopped wrestling and ran out into the living room, jumping up onto the back of the sofa. Luke leaped up and over Obiwan, whose ears had perked up. He jumped down and walked over to the front door, wagging his tail.

"Well," she said. "I guess you are my doorbell. Shall we let him in?"

Polly opened the entryway door, catching Mark in the process of raising his hand to ring the bell.

"The animals heard you coming. I didn't mean to startle you."

Obiwan sniffed at the veterinarian's boots, not letting him move without trying to smell him.

"I know, guy. Those boots see more animals than you even know yet," he said, while kneeling down. "Let's see how you're doing."

Polly realized they weren't going to make it too far into the apartment, so she flipped on the light in the entry.

Mark peeled off the bandage and began manipulating the foot.

He looked up at her and said, "It's going to be fine. The wound is healing nicely and I don't think we need to replace this."

Polly held her hand out for the dirty bandage and he said, "Thanks. He was lucky you were right there with him. We see a few of these things happen every year about this time." Mark gave Obiwan a hug around the neck before he stood up. "I'd keep an eye on the creek for a few more days. Dan said the trapper would be checking things next weekend and would pull out the traps bordering your property."

"Thank you for taking care of that, Mark. I appreciate it." Polly crumpled the bandage in her fist and said, "Well, come all the way in, then. Would you like a muffin or some coffee?"

"Thanks! I didn't get breakfast this morning, but I have a soda in the truck. I don't drink coffee," he replied.

"What?" she laughed. "I thought everyone in this town was completely addicted to the stuff."

"I feel embarrassed some days," he said. "Wherever I go, they offer me coffee. Maybe when I grow up, I'll learn to drink it."

"Do you have a minute to sit down or do you need to check the cat and run? If you have to hurry, I could pack up a couple of muffins for you."

"I'd love to stay, but I'm expected out at Harrison's barn this morning." He walked over and scooped Leia up off the back of the sofa. She and Luke had taken positions at either end and were eyeing him warily.

Polly pulled out her collection of plastic ware, finding a square container and lid. She packed four muffins in the container, then rummaged in a cupboard, finding a small brown paper bag with handles. The muffins and some napkins went inside and she walked back into the living room.

"She's doing fine," he announced. "Let her play with the big boys now that the stitches are out."

"What?" Polly asked.

"It was easy. I just pulled them out. She's ready to go. Keep an eye on her and if anything seems abnormal, let us know, but we do these all the time."

"Thank you! I'll take care of this with Marnie, but what can I do to thank you for coming over here?" she asked him.

He paused, as if thinking. "You could make me dinner tonight and let me teach you how to dance before the big day on Saturday." A small smile quirked the corners of his lips and he put his hand out to take the bag from Polly.

Mark's other hand held the cat and he reached down to put the cat back on the sofa. Polly hadn't said a word.

"Well? Dinner? I eat anything and everything. I'm easy to cook for."

Polly looked at him and said, "Okay. What time?"

"How about six thirty. That will give me time to get the day washed off and look presentable. Can I use the key to get into the building again?"

"Sure," she said, a little dazedly, then she nodded. "That will be wonderful. But, wait. You really do know how to dance?"

"I'm a great dancer," he smirked. "I'll tell you all about it over dinner. How's that for a deal?" He began moving to the front door. "I'll see you tonight."

With his free hand, he touched her elbow. It was more intimate than she expected. Maybe it was because he took that moment to look straight into her eyes. Polly couldn't think to speak. She simply watched him walk down the steps.

Closing the door to the apartment, she made her way to the sofa and sat down, finding herself immediately surrounded by animals. "Now I don't know what to do. I have another date and I'm cooking." She dropped her head back and forced her body to relax, feeling the soft fur of her pets as she stroked them. She wasn't even sure which hand was on which animal.

It took a few moments for her to regain her equilibrium and then she sat up and dislodged the cats. "It looks like I'd better figure out what I have in the refrigerator." Polly opened the refrigerator door and then the door of her small pantry beside the fridge. Standing in front of the two, she considered her options. She shut the doors and flipped open her laptop, bringing up a browser. A few clicks later and there was the recipe she wanted. Scanning the ingredients and instructions, Polly jotted down a few notes, saved the page to her notes software and then turned around and opened the pantry again. She needed to go to the grocery store, but fortunately, everything necessary was at the little store downtown. She checked her list once more, opened the refrigerator door again and looked in the freezer, then shoved the list in her back pocket.

"Thanks. I’ll see you later," she said as she walked out the door into the hall. Polly stood in front of her doorway, looking across at the door to the room Elise Myers had rented from her.

"It's
okay," she said to herself, "You own the place and are expected to care for the linens and keep things clean and neat. Just go in the room."

Mustering her courage, she triggered the door lock and walked in to Elise's room. Things were pretty much the same as the last time she had been in the room, so she pulled the comforter off and began pulling the sheets back. As she tugged on the top corner of the fitted sheet, the mattress pulled up and she thought she had caught a glimpse of something dark. She lifted the mattress, then let it drop.

Great. A gun.

She picked the mattress up again and bent over to get a closer look at it. She wasn't sure why she was looking so closely at it. She laughed at herself. She wouldn't know a Glock from a ... It occurred to Polly she didn't know much about handguns. Her dad had taught her how to shoot a rifle and a shotgun, but this was a bit alien.

Polly gathered up the linens and glanced down at the desk as she walked past. She saw her name and looked more closely. Now why in the world would Elise leave a note for her inside the room? How would she know when Polly would get there?

She dropped the linens and picked up the envelope. It wasn't sealed and she pulled the card out. On it, Elise had written,

I'm sorry to duck out on you in such a hurry. I need to leave town. If anyone comes looking for me, you can tell them in all honesty that I'm gone and you don't know when I'll return.

If you don't hear from me by Valentine's Day, check your email. There will be a phone number for you to call so someone will come get my things.

Elise M.

Polly read the note again. It sounded ominous. She gathered up the linens again and went downstairs. Cutting through the kitchen, she started a load of laundry and left the rest in a large basket beside the washing machine. She programmed her phone alarm to remind her to come back to the laundry room and headed for the office. Jeff was working at his computer, so she sat down in front of him, not saying a word while he typed.

"Yes?" he said, continuing to type.

"What'cha doin'?" she asked.

He grinned and said, "Why?"

"Because I wanted to know!" she shrugged and chuckled, then put the note in front of him. "What am I supposed to do with this?" she asked.

He stopped typing and picked up the card. When he finished reading, he set it down and looked up at her. "Ummm. I don't know?"

"Exactly!" Polly exclaimed. "I don't know either. Should I worry about her? I don't know what good that would do me, but for some reason I feel a little responsible for her. I don't know who to call if something has gone wrong and I won't get a phone number unless she doesn't return."

Jeff said, "Just a second," and pulled out his own phone. He scrolled through numbers and said, "I've got a number here. Do you want me to call it?"

"What's the number?"

"When she first made the reservation, I logged the call."

"Well, yes! Do you mind?"

Jeff pressed the send button and waited. In a moment he smiled and nodded, then said, "Hello. Is Elise Myers available?"

He listened for a moment, "This is Jeff Lyndsay from Sycamore House where she has been staying while working on her Doctoral dissertation. She left us on Friday. I wanted to ensure she was
okay and wondered when she might be returning."

There was another pause while he listened. "I see. Thank you very much. If she should contact you would you please tell her I called."

He set the phone down on the desk and said, "Well, I'm not sure what to make of that. A woman answered and hesitated before she told me that Elise wasn't at that number. She seemed pretty shook up that I was looking for the girl and then told me that she must have had an emergency. I'm sorry I couldn't get more information, but I don't think she would have given it to me anyway."

"Can you email that phone number to me?" Polly asked. "If I get too worried about this, I might cook some fried chicken and ask Aaron Merritt to see what he can find out." She picked the card and envelope up as she stood. "Do you need me for anything?"

He looked puzzled, "I don't think so?"

"Okay," she said. "I wanted to make sure you were doing
okay with plans for Saturday. I feel like I don't have anything to do."