Look Always Forward (Bellingwood Book 11) (26 page)

Polly chuckled. "Sooner rather than later, I'm guessing. Where's Rebecca?"

"She's in her room. Something about friends and crying. I didn't understand it all."

"We'll be in the kitchen when you come back. You're welcome to join us. I think Heath has a story to tell."

"Okay," Henry said with hesitation. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. I'm okay," she said. "Thanks."

Heath stood waiting at the front door. Polly took his arm and led him into the kitchen, then pointed at a stool in front of the peninsula. He sat down and she went over to the refrigerator.

"Something to drink?"

Luke jumped up and wandered over to sniff at the stranger. Heath reached out and let the cat sniff the back of his hand, then slowly moved it so he could scratch Luke's head. He ran his hand down the cat's back and up his tail, then repeated the motion. Soon, Luke was purring and flopped down in front of the boy.

Polly filled a glass with ice and lemonade and took a container of cookies out of the freezer. "I love frozen chocolate chip cookies," she said. "Have you eaten anything tonight?"

He shook his head, all the while focused on the cat in front of him.

"I have cold chicken in here. Would you eat a couple of pieces?"

"I'm fine."

She took the container of chicken out and dug around to find leftover fried potatoes. Henry had sliced the corn off the cob, so she put some of each on a plate and put it in the microwave. When it came out, she put two pieces of grilled chicken on the plate and set it down beside the cat.

"He'll go away if you put him on the floor," she said. "He's actually quite polite about the whole thing, but if you want him to stay close, he's always glad for the attention."

"What's his name?" Heath asked.

"That's Luke and the other cat is Leia. The two dogs are Obiwan and Han. Obiwan was the one who found you in the garage."

"Weird names."

"Star Wars. You've never seen that movie?"

"I don't watch movies."

"I see." Polly scooted the cat down and pushed the plate in front of Heath, then handed him a fork and a napkin. "Eat and I don't want to go through the whole arguing thing. Remember. I'm going to win. You might as well just start caving in now."

"You're pushy."

"That's not new information," she said with a laugh. "Now eat. Because I think you're going to need a full stomach to tell me whatever it is you have to tell me."

He was only about halfway through the plate of food in front of him when the two dogs came barreling in from Henry's office. Obiwan sniffed at Heath's legs and looked up at Polly.

"He's fine. We invited him in," she said to the dog. She took two treats from the cupboard and handed them to Heath. "Give one to each of the dogs. It will help them get to know you."

He looked at her in wonder, took the treats and then got down from his stool and handed the first to Obiwan and the second to Han, rubbing each of their heads before standing back up. "They're good dogs."

"Yes they are." She nodded to the plate. "Finish your food. You're about to have to spill your guts."

He looked at her.

"No, there won't be any arguing. You're beginning to learn, aren't you?"

"Yes ma'am."

She smiled. She so badly wanted to pat him on the head, but they weren't there yet. This poor boy desperately needed someone to talk to. If it was going to be her, then she was just going to have to suck it up and do her thing.

Henry came in. "I shut the garage up. Right?"

"Yes. We're in for now," she said. "Thank you for doing that."

He came over and stood beside her, wrapping his arm around her waist. "What do we have here?" he asked.

"I'm not sure yet." Polly watched Heath take a final bite. "Drink your lemonade. I'll refill it before we get started. Then you can work on the cookies."

Heath glanced at Henry, then back to Polly and took a drink from the glass. Polly poured more into it, then looked at Henry, asking the question.

"I'm fine," he said. "I've had plenty. So conversation in here or on the couch."

She picked up the container of cookies and said. "Let's get comfortable. This is going to take a while. Take your glass, Heath."

He picked up his glass and followed them into the media room. Henry gestured to the sofa and Heath sat down, putting his glass on the table in front of him. Polly put the cookies down beside the glass.

"Now," she said. "You came here for a reason. I've fed you, I've tormented you, and I've made you crazy. It's your turn."

"He'll kill me."

"Who will kill you?" Henry asked.

"Ladd Berant. I'm not supposed to tell anyone anything.

Polly dropped her head, shaking it in mock frustration. "Remember," she said quietly. "I always win. Just start talking."

"He killed those girls."

Both she and Henry sat back. Neither of them expected to hear that.

"Ladd Berant killed Julie Smith and Abby Belran?" Polly asked with a gasp. "Why?"

Heath swallowed hard and put his hand over his mouth. "I'm gonna puke."

Polly jumped up and opened the door into the bathroom. "Right in here."

He rushed in and shut the door. She and Henry listened as he vomited over and over. They waited until the toilet flushed and they heard the water turn on in the sink. When he finally came back out, his face was red and his eyes were swollen.

Heath sat back down and Obiwan jumped up to sit beside him, nuzzling his hand until he started stroking the dog's back.

"I'm sorry I forced so much food down you," Polly said.

"It's okay." He looked up. "It hadn't had much time to process."

She tried to stop the chuckle, but couldn't. "I guess not. Can you go on?"

He nodded, his hand stroking Obiwan's back. The dog moved in and lay his head across Heath's lap. "We were messing around up town. Ladd always tests the doors. The coffee shop was open, so we went in. He told us to mess it up, so we did. Pulled books off the shelves. Just messed it up. Then the girl came in. She got mad and told us to leave. Ladd got all up in her business and started pushing her. She yelled at him and he grabbed that stick out of the pot by the door. He threatened her and backed her up through the building. I thought he was just going to do what he always does. He always gets mouthy, but walks away."

He drew in a breath and stopped, concentrating on the dog.

"The girl got pissed and said she was going to call the police." Heath shuddered. "Do you know what it sounds like when somebody's head gets smashed? It was horrible. He took her outside and then hit her in the head over and over and she fell down beside the dumpster. Ladd wiped his fingerprints off the stick and then we all ran away."

"Who is 'we all'?" Polly asked.

"That's the thing," he said.

"What's the thing?"

"Abby was with us. She was scared. She dated Ladd sometimes. Her dad didn't like him, but he's never around. She thought Ladd was cool, but he always got her in trouble."

Polly nodded. "Abby threatened to tell the police, didn't she?"

"She said she wouldn't at first. Ladd promised all kinds of stuff. They'd go to prom together and he'd buy her things." He shook his head. "He wasn't going to. He just wanted her to calm down. She was okay for a few days, but then she started talking about it. I told her to shut up. Ladd freaked out and I didn't know what he'd do."

"How do you know that it was him who killed her?" Henry asked.

"He told me the next day. Told me that if I even thought about talking about it, he'd do the same thing to me. He said how he went over there and she made him promise to talk to somebody." Heath shuddered. "He said if he hadn't killed her, he should have made her pregnant, so she owed him."

"That's ridiculous," Polly said under her breath.

"Ladd's out of control. Tonight he made us steal that lady's purse. He's trying to get money to get out of town. He told me that if we didn't get him five hundred dollars, he was going to make us regret it."

"We need to call Aaron," Henry said. "Do you know where Ladd is hiding?"

"After he got yanked in by the police he said he wasn't going home again so he broke into the old shoe store. He's hiding there."

Polly looked at the boy on her couch. He'd transformed from being a bully to scared boy. She didn't know if it was real or just in her mind. In the last hour or so, he'd become a real person to her, no longer a kid who was part of the crowd. She desperately wanted to help him.

"I'll call Aaron." She stood up and said to Henry, "Find out who the other kid is. We need to make sure he's safe." She stepped into Henry's office and took out her phone. Was it really just earlier today that it had been lost to her?

"Polly Giller, haven't we had enough for one week?" Aaron asked, when he answered the call.

She walked toward the back of the apartment and stood by the railing. "I need you to come over. Heath Harvey is here and has told us that Ladd Berant was the one who killed Julie Smith and Abby Belran."

"What?" Aaron demanded. "How did he get to you? Do you believe him?"

"He was hiding in my garage. And yes, I believe him. I want to help this kid, Aaron. He's a mess."

"Of course you do. It's been a while since you've rescued someone. Like what? A week?"

"Stop it. Just come over. You've still got access to the building, right?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'll be right there. I don't know why I'm even needed in this county," he muttered. "As long as Polly Giller is around, she'll find the bodies and catch the killers."

"Stop it. I'm not catching any killer. I'm safe in my own apartment. You're going to go catch the killer."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You just need me to do the dirty work. Fat lot of good I am."

Polly laughed. "Quit whining. You love me and you know it."

"It's a good thing, too. I'll be right there."

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Gently closing the door after Aaron and Stu Decker took a very willing Heath Harvey downstairs to the conference room, Polly leaned against it and took a deep breath. When she asked Heath if he wanted her to call his aunt and uncle, he broke down.

"He won't care," Heath said. "He'll make them send me to jail just to get me out of his hair. You just wait. You'll see."

"What about your brother?"

"No. Please no. He never comes back here. He's got a whole life. Don't screw it up because of me."

"He'd want to know that you need him."

Heath's eyes begged her to listen. "Please don't call him yet. His classes just started and he doesn't need this right now. He's doing really good. I'm the loser in the family. Leave him alone."

After he was gone, she went into Henry's office and called the phone number he'd given her for his uncle's house. A woman answered and Polly started in. "Mrs. Harvey?"

"Yes. Who's calling please?"

"Mrs. Harvey, this is Polly Giller at Sycamore House in Bellingwood. I need to speak with you about your nephew."

"What's that boy done this time? We aren't responsible for his actions. He won't listen to us."

Polly didn't want to tell Mrs. Harvey that yes, she was responsible for Heath's actions if they were his legal guardians. That might cause more trouble than he needed right now.

"He got himself into trouble this evening, but he needs his family to take care of him more than anything. He was witness to a murder and is talking to the Sheriff."

"I knew it," she said, a sharp edge in her voice. "I told my husband that he was going to grow up to be a no-good piece of trash, just like that woman his father married. You can't trust people like that. He was headed down this path from the day he was born. He looks just like her and is just as bad. It's all in the genes, you know."

Maybe it wasn't the uncle. This woman was a joy.

"He will need legal help. Does your family have a lawyer?"

"We're not getting any lawyer for that boy. He burned his last bridge with us. We tried. We really did, but it was no use. He was never going to amount to anything."

"Ma'am, Heath is a junior in high school. He's just a kid. You can't expect him to handle this on his own."

"Of course we can. We've done more than our share for him. It's over. I wash my hands of him."

"I hate to push this issue, but might I speak with your husband?" Polly asked.

"He'll tell you the same thing," Mrs. Harvey responded. "But just a minute. Will? Will Harvey come here! I know you aren't too deaf to hear me yelling. Come talk to this lady from town. She says Heath is in trouble again and I told her we ain't gonna bail him out. He got himself into it and he can get himself out of it."

Polly waited and finally heard the phone change hands.

"Hello?" The man sounded like he had just come awake.

"Mr. Harvey, this is Polly Giller at Sycamore House in Bellingwood. Your nephew is here this evening talking to Sheriff Merritt. He witnessed a murder last week and has been in trouble. He's going to need his family and a good lawyer."

"I see," he said.

Polly waited for him to say something more and when he didn't, she pressed on. "Does that mean you will help him?"

"No, miss, it doesn't. My wife was right. We've invested money and effort into that boy and he don't appreciate any of it. We put a roof over his head and food on the table. He won't work on the farm and ev'ry time I turn around, he's hopping a ride into town and don't come home until all hours. Sometimes we haven't seen him for a week until he comes back for more clothes. If he made this bed, he's going to have to sleep in it."

"This is your brother's son, Mr. Harvey. You're just going to hang him out to dry?"

"Well, missy, I'm not sure as to how it's any of your business, but it's high time we start protecting ourselves here. He's just going to be like pouring money down a rat hole and some one of these days he's going to do something that will cost so much money to fix he'll bankrupt me. After all these years we've put into the place, it would be a shame to lose it because of a half-assed kid who can't see fit to take responsibility."

"So okay," Polly said. She didn't want to end the conversation because she didn't want this to be real. Heath Harvey knew exactly what his aunt and uncle were like. No kid should have to live like this. She wondered how broken he was by this point and if he could be salvaged. "Can you give me his brother's phone number?"

"I don't have it," Mr. Harvey said. "He'll call on Sunday, looking for the boy. We'll tell him to contact you at where did you say? Never mind, he can look it up for himself. Good-bye now."

Polly stared at her phone, not believing that he had just disconnected. He'd almost sounded relieved at the end. Maybe he and his wife could sleep well tonight, knowing where Heath was, even if it meant they'd left him to the wolves.

She saw Rebecca standing in the doorway. "How long have you been there?"

"A while. Is this about the boy who went downstairs with Sheriff Merritt?"

"I thought you were in your room."

Rebecca smiled at her. "It's not like I can't hear things. I peeked out and saw. Is that the people who were taking care of him?"

"His aunt and uncle. Heath's parents were killed in a car accident."

"Don't they want him?"

Polly pursed her lips and slowly shook her head. "I believe he's too much for them. They don't have any kids of their own and he's been a handful."

"It's because he thinks he's all alone. He needs someone to show him love - like you do with me. If I had to go somewhere strange after Mom died and they didn't love me, I'd be mad all the time, too. It isn't fair that he's punished because his parents died."

"You're right," Polly said. "It isn't fair."

"But he hasn't done anything really bad yet, has he?"

"I don't know," Polly said. "I just don't know. He should have gone to the police after his friend killed Julie and especially after he killed Abby."

"He's just a kid, Polly," Rebecca said. "And that Ladd Berant is mean. He scares everybody. If he tells people to do something, they either do it or he hurts them. He killed two people. Doesn't it make sense that Heath would be scared?"

Polly beckoned for her to come over to the desk and wrapped her arms around the girl, burying her face in Rebecca's hair. "You're right. It does make sense," she whispered. "I don't know what to do about this."

"We should have a family meeting," Rebecca declared, stepping back. "Come with me." She reached down and took Polly's hand.

Polly let Rebecca pull her out of the chair and into the media room.

"Sit there. I'll get Henry," Rebecca said.

In a few moments, the two were back and Rebecca pointed to the space beside Polly on the couch. Henry gave Polly a wry grin and sat down beside her.

"Family meeting?" he asked.

"I dunno. She's in charge," Polly said.

"We won't take notes or anything," Rebecca announced, "But this is our first official family meeting. Do either of you have anything that needs to be brought up before I begin?"

Henry and Polly looked at each other, shook their heads and Polly said, "No, I believe you have the floor."

"Okay then. I just listened to you talk to Heath Harvey's aunt and uncle. They don't want anything to do with him and I believe that he's not a lost cause. Do either of you disagree with me?"

They looked at each other again and Henry asked, "Where is this going?"

"Just answer the question." Rebecca started firmly and then put a hint of pleading in her voice. "Please?"

"Okay, I don't think that very many people are lost causes," he said. "I'd have to get to know Heath better before I answered that with any confidence, though."

"Polly?"

"Well, it says something that he came here. He knew he'd find help. And once he started telling us what had happened, he was pretty upset about the whole thing. He knows his life is in the toilet and has accepted that." Polly looked up. "I guess I don't know for sure."

"I do. No one is a lost cause. I think you should make him part of the Sycamore House family."

Henry started to protest and Rebecca put her hand up to stop him. "Since I got here and since your businesses have grown, you have gotten safer. You don't take as many risks."

'That's not true," Polly said. "Denis Sutworth is downstairs and I hired Grey at the Inn."

"Those aren't risks," Rebecca said. "You aren't involved with Denis Sutworth, you're just giving him a place to recuperate. Evelyn's doing all the work. And Grey isn't that big of a risk. If you don't like him, he's gone. And what have you done lately, Henry? Have you gone out of your way to help someone?"

"Uh, that's not what I do,'" he said. "I support Polly."

"That was a lame answer," Polly said with a laugh. "But he's right. His strength is what allows me to be risky."

"Then I think you need to risk it with Heath and Henry needs to support you. That boy needs to be loved and he needs strong men around him to teach him how to be a man, not a jerk. You have Eliseo and Henry and Jeff here. Look at what they've done for Jason and Andrew."

"But those two have a strong mother. She believes in them and loves them," Henry said. He looked at Polly. "I don't think this is a good idea. We have no idea what kind of trouble this boy would bring with him."

Polly sat back on the sofa. She loved the fact that Rebecca saw herself as part of the family and yet wasn't overly protective of her relationship with them. That was really something. In fact, Rebecca was really something. Could they handle a sixteen year old troubled boy? She glanced at Henry. It was a lot to ask of him. He'd gotten a whole lot more than he bargained for when he fell in love with her. It wasn't that the two of them expected to have a traditional family, but this was over the top.

Rebecca walked over to the bookcase and looked across the titles until she landed on what she was looking for. "Do you remember this book?" She handed it to Polly.

"Crap," Polly said, her eyes filling with tears. "Jo didn't think she could do it either."

"But she did and she changed their lives," Rebecca said.

Henry bent over to see what Polly was holding. "Little Men?"

"You're Daisy, aren't you?" Polly asked with a smile.

"And you're Jo and he's Papa Baehr," Rebecca responded.

Polly tried not to giggle. It was just a day or so ago that she'd called Henry 'papa bear' because he was so protective of Rebecca.

"That's where the horses' names come from," Polly said to Henry. "Demi and Daisy were twins in the story. Jo had inherited land from her Aunt March and started a school where children who needed to learn and to be loved came to live - Plumfield. The first boy to join them was Nat. He was shy and played the violin." Polly smiled. "Let's just say that he's our Andrew, okay? And then came Dan. He introduced all sorts of bad behavior to the school. And that's where Heath comes in, isn't it."

"Dan needed Plumfield, but they needed him, too," Rebecca said. "Heath needs you guys. Really bad."

"How much did you hear tonight?" Polly asked.

Rebecca tilted her head down. "Everything. I sat down on the floor out there and listened."

"Not much privacy around here," Henry said with a laugh. "Polly and I need to talk about this privately, Rebecca. You understand that, right?"

She nodded. "Of course I do. I'm just the catalyst. You guys have to do all the hard work. And if you decide that it's not the right thing to do, I'll understand. I didn't want a chance to do the right thing get away from us, though. He's going to need a place to stay tonight. I'll make the bed in the front room." Rebecca ran out of the media room before they could stop her.

"Did we just get played?" Henry asked.

Polly laughed. "I think so. But dang, Henry, she vocalized everything I've been processing on. I wish you could have heard his aunt and uncle. They're harsh. That woman said terrible things about his mother and that her genetics were the reason he was this way. If his dad was anything like this Mr. Harvey, the only hope Heath had was with his mother."