Look Always Forward (Bellingwood Book 11) (22 page)

"Who decided they should do that?" Polly asked Rebecca.

"I told Andrew to get her out of the way," Rebecca said. "She's just a little girl and didn't need to be involved if things got ugly."

"You are amazing." Polly reached out and pulled Rebecca close, then wrapped her arms around the girl. "I can't believe your mother chose me to live life with you. Every single day you make me proud."

"Even when I screw up?"

Polly chuckled. "Especially then, because it reminds me that you're human and not some crazy little angel sent into my house."

"Yeah. I'm so not that," Rebecca said. She gently pulled away. "You scared me."

"I scared me a little too," Polly replied. "But bullies will always be bullies until someone stands up to them. Today it was my turn."

All of a sudden, Helena Black rushed up to Polly and said, "Are you okay? Did he hurt you? What will we do if they come back and you aren't here? There isn't anyone here who can pull off what you just did. It's because you're the owner, isn't it. What if he had a gun? He might have killed someone. I know he's just an angry young boy, but what are we going to do?" She spun on Camille. "What are you doing to keep us safe? Do you have a plan for this? You're the hot young manager. How could you let this happen?"

"Helena," Sylvie said quietly. "Stop it. Your mouth is running away without engaging your brain. You and I both know this was a fluke. Now why in the world are you behaving this way?"

"Because she isn't cut out to do this job and none of you will see it. Things like this are going to keep happening and it won't be my fault." Helena stalked away and whipped out a cloth to wipe down tables.

Polly looked at Camille and Sylvie and mouthed, "What in the hell?"

Both women shrugged and Camille said, "We might need to talk about this."

"Yes, I think we might," Polly said. "Do you think you can fix this or should we cut our losses?"

"We have ninety days," Camille replied. "But I'm not ready to make a big decision yet. We've only just gotten started."

Sylvie stepped in closer to them. "But you don't need a terrorist on your staff. Everyone else is excited about working here and making this place fun. I don't know for sure what her agenda is."

"I'd fire her right now," Polly said.

"Yes," Sylvie said with a laugh. "But you're on a roll. You need to calm down before you engage in any more hot encounters." She gave a rapid shake of her head. "Hot encounters? Where in the world did that come from? Sometimes I open my mouth and weird phrases come out."

Camille winked at her. "Could it be the knight without a steed who was flirting with you when he was in earlier?"

"Grey was in?" Polly asked.

"And looking for Sylvie. I don't know what they talked about, but he was definitely flirting."

Polly stood up and pushed the chair back in under the table. "When were you going to tell me about this?"

"I wasn't," Sylvie said. She gestured to Rebecca. "And hello. Young ears."

"Did he ask you out on a date?" Polly asked.

Sylvie flicked the towel in her hand and tucked it into her waistband. "You're nuts. I don't have time for this. Someone come get me if Bert needs to talk to me. I'll be in my kitchen." She tried to stomp, but her tennis shoes absorbed most of the sound, so she turned back around and stuck her tongue out at Polly and walked toward the hallway and back to the kitchen.

"She sure told me," Polly said. "With emphasis."

Chief Wallers walked in the front door and took in the room before walking over to Polly, Camille and Rebecca. "I hear you had some excitement," he said.

"I was glad to see Bert show up," Polly replied. "Did they get a good video of him roughing up the suspects?"

Ken chuckled. "Yeah, that's my Bert. I've had a few boys on the force who might have been tempted to do that, but never Bert. He's a quiet sort. Are you going to file a complaint against the boys?"

Polly and Camille looked at each other and Polly nodded, then said. "Yes, I think we will. I don't want my customers to be uncomfortable here." She gritted her teeth and said. "Bellingwood should be safe. This is ridiculous. Just the other day those boys tried to intimidate me and Grey Greyson on the street."

"They always come up just short of doing something that will get them in real trouble," he said. "I need them to hit someone or do something stupid."

"They almost hit Polly," Rebecca said.

Ken looked at Polly. "They did?"

"I might have gotten up in the blond kid's face. Maybe I was daring him to follow through on his threats." Polly looked down at the floor. "You don't have to tell Henry about that, do you?"

"I should," Ken said, laughing. "But I suspect he'll hear about it before the day is over. I need to take statements from y'all. Where should I start?"

Janelle and her friend had taken another table and were glancing at Ken before darting their eyes away.

Polly gestured toward them. "Those two girls had to put up with the boys' initial attention. Start with them so they can get on with their day. The rest of us will be available."

Ken stopped at the counter to order a drink and then sat down in front of the two girls. Polly headed for Andrew, Gina, and Kayla with Rebecca in tow. She arrived to hear Andrew growl.

"What are you reading?" she asked.

"Beauty and the Beast," he said. "I'm letting Gina read the Beauty parts."

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Engaged in a book, Andrew chose to stay at the coffee shop until Sylvie was finished so they could go home together. Since Kayla planned to spend the night with Gina and Rebecca, Polly was just as relieved not to have to deal with him sulking about the girls doing their girly things.

What she wanted to do was go home and flop on the sofa for an hour or two, but there was supper and an evening of entertainment ahead and that was before Henry got home, exhausted from his day. Yep. She'd be glad when school started again. Summer break was wonderful, but a schedule was just as wonderful when it came around.

They walked home and when they got inside, Polly sent the girls upstairs and called the dogs to come down. She snapped a leash on each of them and walked across the lot to the highway, crossed it, and wandered into the woods behind the swimming pool. The quiet of the trail was a welcome relief from the day. Had all of that excitement happened only this morning?

Obiwan and Han were glad to be out and she kept pace with them, stopping when one or the other found something interesting to sniff. If she continued long enough, the trail went between the vineyard and the hotel and then on out of town. She smiled at a young couple jogging toward her. Han came to attention, but Henry had taught her several of the click techniques he used. The young dog came to heel beside her, on his best behavior.

"You are such a good boy," she said, kneeling down beside him after they passed to give him a hug. "I'm proud of you."

Obiwan nuzzled her face and she hugged him. "I'm always proud of you. You're a natural at this. But your friend here had to learn his good behavior." She rubbed their heads and stood back up. Polly glanced back along the trail, considering whether or not she should return, then decided that the girls could take care of themselves for just a little longer. If she couldn't crash on the couch, the least she was going to do was take a long quiet walk with her boys.

As she walked, Polly thought about the two murders. They had to be connected because otherwise, there were two murderers in town and that just hurt her head too much to think about. She gave a quick shudder, thinking back a few months when her old boyfriend had shown up in Bellingwood with a serial killer. She felt terrible for Joey because she still had a soft spot in her heart for him. He'd deteriorated since she first met him. Maybe he'd always been that way, but she worried that she'd been the catalyst for his rapid descent into madness.

The only comfort Polly had was that his mother was as mad as he was. She just hid it better. Polly shook her head. How in the world did people like that manage to live within society, doing all that woman did, and never be caught in their insanity? Did her acquaintances ignore that part of her personality or just refuse to see it?

A tug from Obiwan made Polly realize that she'd stopped in the middle of the trail. She paused to get her bearings. No wonder she'd stopped.

"Hey," she said to the dogs. "At least some part of my brain was paying attention."

They'd come out on the street leading south from the vineyard to Sycamore Inn. She could retrace her steps on the trail, but was much more curious about how Alistair Greyson was getting along. Jeff thought he was doing very well. He'd rearranged furniture to make the front room nicer for guests and was talking to Eliseo about bushes and trees they could plant to bring color to the front of the building.

Polly walked between two buildings to enter the courtyard in the center of the complex and heard someone whistling. Grey looked up from a picnic table when Han gave a yap.

"Ms. Giller," he said and stood up, moving across the lawn to greet her. "How are you this fine evening? I see that you are accompanied by two very handsome young beasts. Out for a stroll?"

She shifted both leashes to her left hand so she could accept his outstretched hand to shake. "We are. We took the trail. The boys needed exercise and I needed peace."

Grey reached for the leashes and she allowed him to take them. He gestured to the picnic table. "Ahhh, peace. One thing we don't often find, though our souls desperately crave it. I find that life in a small town can offer more or less depending on how we choose to live."

"I suppose so," Polly said. "How do you like it here?"

"In my own search for inner peace, I find this space to be quite comforting," he replied. Then he pointed to the center area. "This has not always been a lawn. Might I ask what used to be here?"

She nodded. "It was a swimming pool, but it had been pretty much filled in by the time we purchased it. Things were a horrid mess."

"I see," he said. "Might you consider ever opening that back up again?"

Polly looked out over the beautiful lawn and scowled. "No, I can't imagine why I'd want to do that. I don't want the liability or the maintenance of a pool. Why do you ask?"

"Curiosity," he said. "You left the pool intact, but filled it in?"

"Yes. Now I'm curious. Tell me what you are thinking?"

"Nothing much. And certainly nothing that I'd want you to consider until you knew me better. We'll discuss it later."

Polly chuckled. 'You have no idea how much I hate surprises and I am not terribly fond of cryptic questions and statements either."

"Please allow me time to line up all of my mallards before pursuing this," he said.

"Get your ducks in a row?"

"That's one way of putting it." He reached across the table and placed his hand on top of hers. "Am I to understand that you encountered another vicious murder this morning? I am sorry you are constantly exposed to such darkness in the world.  You are a shining light. It doesn't seem fitting for this to be your calling."

"It certainly is something," she said. "But if someone has to do it, I'm glad it's me." Polly looked into his deep blue eyes. There was caring and understanding there, as if he'd experienced the greatest depths of pain and the highest heights of joy. Every time she was with him, she felt comfortable and safe. The dogs must have felt the same way. Obiwan was lying under the table, almost exactly between them, and Han had taken a place beside Grey, his head lolling over on the man's foot.

"Why do you say that?" he asked.

As he spoke, Polly watched the lines on his face shift with the formation of words. She was so focused on him, she missed the question and had to slow her mind down to think back on what he had said.

"Say what?"

"Why are you glad that it's you?"

"I guess I know that I can handle it. Death doesn't frighten me. Sometimes I'm startled by it, but it isn't scary or dark or awful. Whatever that person felt before they died, it was over in a split second and they've left all the pain behind. Their last moments, whether horrifying or peaceful, no longer mean anything to them. They've moved on to the next step and have no physical ties left to their lives." She shrugged. "It would have been awful if Abby's father or sister had found her this morning. Neither of them need to have that memory chiseled into their minds. I was the one who was there. As awful as losing her is going to be for them, at least they will remember her as a happy, sweet girl."

"What about your memory of her?"

"I didn't know her before today, so she's just become part of me now. I was the one who protected her father and sister from that. I don't take it in."

He didn't look as if he wanted to accept that. "You have to take it in. It's a powerful moment. You shouldn't just toss it aside."

"You're right," Polly said. "I don't toss it aside, but I don't let it eat away at me. I'll hold on to my dogs a little tighter tonight and I'll snuggle in with my husband, maybe hug Rebecca one or two times more than usual."

"So you let your friends and family help you through this."

"They aren't helping me through anything. They're just part of my life."

Grey smiled at her. "You've figured this out by surrounding yourself with good people. You don't let many toxic folks into your life, do you?"

"I ignore them as much as possible. I don't have time for their bitter anger."

"I don't suppose you would," he said. "Especially not if you are the body finder. That takes emotional energy. Energy that the rest of us expend on those toxic, bitter people. You're a smart woman, Polly Giller. You've figured this out without all of those pesky psychology degrees."

She nodded and he allowed silence to surround them.

"I should get home to the girls," Polly said, swinging a leg out from under the picnic table.

"This isn't all that easy for you, is it," he asked quietly.

"Death?" Polly shrugged. "It is what it is."

"And everyone lets you get away with saying those words. You pass it off as if it is easy for you and you try not to think about it after it's over."

"You're right there," she said. "I don't need to think about it again. It's not my job."

"You don't spend time with their families. I'll bet there are some you've never met. You leave that all to others. Am I right?"

Polly thought back to the girls who had been killed by her ex-boyfriend a few months ago. She'd never met any of those families. She didn't want to. She knew that it made no sense for her to feel guilty about their deaths. Joey was the one who obsessed over her and committed the murders to get her attention. She had no interest in meeting Julie Smith's family or Abby's father and sister. She thought back further. It wasn't completely true. She'd gotten to know Thomas Zeller's old girlfriend and her family and she'd found Henry's Uncle Loren.

"Those don't count," she muttered, then looked at Grey. "You're right. I avoid those situations as often as possible. I don't want to see the shock in their eyes and have to deal with the grieving of someone that I don't know. That's such a personal time and having a stranger gawk at you while you try to process a loss like that isn't fair. They need privacy and family, not me." She gave him a wry grin. "It's bad enough that people see me as a grim reaper."

"You make jokes, but it isn't easy, is it?"

"We all make jokes," she said. "It's about the only way to handle it. I mean, look at me." She gestured at herself. "I'm a normal, Midwestern girl and my super power is finding dead bodies. I have a super power. Who else can say that? Everybody around me lives normal lives and do normal things. But when the Sheriff sees my phone number show up, he knows I've found a dead body." She hit the table with her fist. "Three months ago they had to send me out looking for a girl who had been killed. I was the only one who could find her. The police had looked for days, but in just a few short hours, I tracked her down. I didn't want to be strange and odd. I didn't want to be infamous. I just want to be Polly Giller and live a quiet life in the middle of Iowa."

"This frustrates you. And you won't talk about it."

"No one wants to hear me whine about something as silly as this. I can't make it stop, so why complain?" She grinned. "And I have plenty of other things to whine about."

"I doubt that. You know, a person once said something about cursing someone by wishing them an interesting life."

"Confucius," she said. "May you live in interesting times. But I don't think he said it."

"Anyway. You have an interesting life. Whether it's a curse or a blessing is your decision."

"Tonight it feels like a curse," Polly said. "It was a long day with no sign of growing shorter." She looked out over the lawn and said, "You won't tell me what you're thinking of back here?"

He laughed. "You don't forget a thing, do you?"

"Not really."

"Do you know why I limp?" he asked.

"Something about hockey?"

"I was pretty good in my day - being recruited by the pros. Then came a rather horrendous car accident and my pro career was over before it had even begun. I had to re-start my life while I lay there in that hospital. Before I left, I decided that I hadn't always been defined by hockey and I could choose to be anybody I wanted to be. So, I made some interesting choices and years passed and here I am."

Polly looked at him and said, "There must be more of a story in those years that passed, yes?"

"Aye, my friend, but those stories will be told another time. For the purpose of this conversation, the fact that I still love hockey is enough."