Unexpected Riches (Bellingwood Book 13) (24 page)

"I see. Just four of them?"

"Yeah. I suppose," Heath said.

"What does that mean?"

"There's those four and then there are some hangers on. You know, kids that will do whatever they say so there isn't any trouble. Those kids are freshman, but they think they're big-time."

Stu reached over to shake Heath's hand. "Thank you for talking to me. I'm sorry this happened to you. We'll do what we can to make it safe for you to return to school."

"And if you can't?" Hayden asked.

"I don't know, son," Stu said. "We will do our best for your brother, though."

Polly walked Stu to the front door.

"I'm not sure what to say here, Polly. But don't hurry to send him back to school, okay? Give us some time to talk to people."

"He needs to heal anyway," Polly said. "Thanks for coming over."

She stood in the doorway and watched Stu walk down the steps. It made her angry that there was nothing she could do. It made her even angrier that there were more kids than Heath who didn't feel safe in school. My goodness, were people's priorities messed up. She took a deep breath, walked back inside and shut the door.

"I'm calling the school this afternoon to get your assignments. You're off for at least this week. We'll take this one step at a time," she said.

Hayden looked at his brother. "I need to head back to Ames. Is there anything else you need from me?"

She smiled at him and gave him a hug. "I'm glad you were here this weekend. Home game again next week?"

"We're on the road," he said. "But maybe I can come over Sunday night again?"

"You know you're welcome any time."

Polly wanted to talk to Jeff. She was sure Henry had contacted him about fixing the window, but she wanted to see him face to face. "I need to go down to the office," she said to Heath. "How about we move you into the media room before I go?"

He pushed the blanket off his lap and dislodged Han from his feet. "I can do it on my own."

"Of course you can," Polly said. "But how about you just let me keep an eye on things so I feel better about where you are. Please let me take care of you."

"You've already done more than anybody ever has for me."

"Hey," Hayden said, coming out of the bedroom. "I'm your bro. What about me?"

"That's right. You take care of me. Sorry." Heath tossed a pillow at his brother's feet. "Pick that up, please?"

"Punk."

"Dirtbag."

"Stinkyfeet."

Polly smiled. No matter how bad things looked, the truth was, you just had to manage your way through it.

"You gonna move into the other room?" Hayden asked.

"Yeah. What's it to you?"

"Let's make sure you can walk without my help. You don't want to lean on Polly and break her back." Hayden stood in front of Heath, held his forearm out and stiffened it so Heath could use it to pull himself up.

The two boys walked slowly through the dining room into the media room. Hayden dropped his duffel bag to the ground and took Heath's hand, allowing his brother to hold on as he braced himself on the arm of the sofa and finally dropped into place.

"Ask for help," Hayden said. "Don't hurt yourself because you're being stupid, okay?"

"Just go," Heath retorted. "I'll be fine."

"And thank you, big brother, you've been a big help this weekend," Hayden said.

Heath looked up at him. "Thanks."

"I'll see you later, Polly. Don't let him kid you, he still hurts."

"I know," she said. "Thank you for all of your help."

Hayden headed down the back steps and Polly looked at Heath. "What do you need?"

"A pain pill," he replied.

She looked at the clock on the dining room wall. He was well past the time for his medication. "We're running late. I'm sorry."

"I was trying to see if I could go without."

"Good for you," Polly said. "But rather than doing without, just plan to extend the time between pills." She put the remote in his lap and pulled the coffee table out of his way, then tugged the side table out so he could easily reach it.

After he took his medication, Polly sat down at the dining room table. The morning had already been more exciting than she'd expected. And all of that on very little sleep. A rhythmic noise from Heath told her that he had fallen asleep. If he was out, she had time to go downstairs.

Polly walked out the front door, shutting it on the dogs who wanted to go out and play. She ran down the steps and walked into the office.

"Good morning," Stephanie said. "How are things upstairs? Is Heath okay?"

"He's hurting, but he'll be fine. Have you heard from the police yet?" Polly nodded toward her office.

"They've been here and are gone already," Stephanie replied. "You can have it back. Eliseo came in and ran the vacuum again. We picked things up and tried to put them back in some kind of order, but you'll probably want to reorganize the knick knacks. Can you believe it? How crazy was that?"

"Pretty crazy," Polly said. "I had never heard the alarm before. I don't like it. I don't want to hear it again."

"But aren't you glad we installed it," Jeff said, coming out of his office.

She chuckled. "Nice of you to tell me."

"You signed the check. The description was on the invoice."

Polly didn't know what to say to that. "Oh."

"We're replacing a lot of windows these days," he said. "Somebody will be here to take care of this on Wednesday."

"What about out at Sycamore Inn?"

"Windows are replaced there, door sills are fixed, the rooms have been cleaned and we're repainting them this week."

Polly dropped into a chair in front of Stephanie's desk. "I just hit a wall."

"You've had a crazy week," Stephanie said.

Polly grinned. "I thought I was going to get out and meet someone at the coffee shop. But that didn't happen and I feel a little guilty leaving Heath alone upstairs." She sighed. "What kind of fun coffee did Rachel make this morning?"

Stephanie turned and glanced at Jeff and he laughed at her. "Go. You've been begging me all morning. Take a break."

"Do you want something from Sweet Beans?" Stephanie asked Polly.

Polly sat straight up. "What? Really?"

"I've been dying this morning. For some reason I didn't get enough sleep either last night." She giggled. "And I really want a raspberry scone, too."

"You're a lifesaver," Polly said. She reached into her pocket for her wallet and came up empty. "I think I have some money in my office."

Jeff took his billfold out and handed a bill to Stephanie. "It's on me. If she's drivin', I'm buyin'."

"Your mail is on your desk," Stephanie said, picking up her purse from under her desk. "I'll be back before you know it."

Polly leaned back and kicked her feet out in front of her. "This is the best news I've had all morning. Bless your little pink soul."

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Polly took another pan of chocolate crinkle cookies out of the oven and hesitated before putting them on the counter. She loved the smell of freshly baked cookies, no matter how often she baked. She shook her head and laughed. There had been more baking lately and she considered that it might be her way of managing stress. She checked out the kitchen window and saw Kayla, Andrew and Rebecca crossing the street. Perfect timing. Heath was feeling enough better that he was looking forward to company.

She slid the cookies off onto a cooling rack and walked out to the living room to open the front door. Much to her surprise, Jason was standing there when she pulled it open.

"Hey there," she said. "I wasn't expecting you."

"Can I come in?"

Polly stepped back. "Of course. You're always welcome. What's up?"

"Is Heath here?"

She pointed to the media room. "What's going on?"

"I have some stuff for him."

"Homework? I didn't expect them to send it back with you."

Jason shrugged. "I volunteered. The guidance counselor knew that we drove together, so she asked if I could bring it with me."

"Thank you. Do you want me to take it?"

"Nah. I'll give it to him. Do you mind?"

"Not at all." Polly watched him walk away and then was distracted by the three kids running up the steps and into the apartment.

"Was that Jason?" Kayla asked, her face red from running and her eyes bright with curiosity.

"It sure is. He brought Heath's homework."

Andrew and Rebecca ran into the dining room, dumping their bags and coats along the way.

"Jason," Andrew said. "What did they say at school today about Heath?"

Kayla took her coat off and put it and her backpack on the sofa, then stopped to straighten her hair. "Do I look okay?" she asked Polly.

"You look fine, honey."

"Really?"

"Really."

Kayla walked into the other room and Polly pushed the door closed. What was that about? When she got into the dining room, she realized what it was about. Kayla hung back, but couldn't take her eyes off Jason.

Jason and Heath were talking low enough that Polly couldn't hear words. Andrew and Rebecca had taken seats on the floor in front of Heath's sofa and watched the conversation raptly.

"Go on," Polly said to Kayla. "Cookies can wait."

"I can help you," Kayla said.

"Who wants cookies?" Polly asked, loudly enough for everyone to hear.

Andrew looked up at her, but didn't move.

She glanced at Kayla and filled a plate with cookies, then walked into the media room. "There's something interesting going on over here and I seem to be missing out."

"Jason's telling Heath what happened in school today. The cops were there and everything," Rebecca said.

Andrew nodded. "Because Jason almost hung with those guys last year. Remember?"

Polly looked down at Jason. "Not really," he said.

"How did it go then?" she asked.

"At school?" Jason responded.

"Yes. At school. With the cops."

"They took Shawn out. He was so stupid," Jason said. "He thought he'd get all up in the cop's face. Told him that he didn't have any right to harass him on school property. It's like these guys
want
to go to jail." He reached for the plate of cookies and took one, then handed it to Heath. "When they told him to back off, he pulled a knife. His life is oh-ver."

"What about the rest of the boys?" Polly asked.

Jason laughed. "They're nothing without their main guy. But it got pretty funny. Somebody made a poster. Like five hundred copies of it and spread it all around school. They stuck one in every locker and they were on the tables in the foyer and in the lunchroom."

Polly looked around at the kids, waiting for someone to ask. "Okay, I'll bite. What did it say?"

He dug down into the backpack and pulled a piece of paper out and handed it to her.

In large letters across the top were the words, "United We Stand, Divided We fall."

"Don't let bullies run our school.

Be proud. Be strong. Be a friend.

Name them by name, call them out.

Report their behavior, defend their victims.

Stand up for each other.

BE A FRIEND.

Someday it could be you who needs a friend."

Polly read the words and looked down at Rebecca. "Do you know something about this? The handwriting on that last line looks awfully familiar."

"I just thought it was a good idea," Rebecca said.

"When did you do this and how did you get these into the high school?"

"We put it together Saturday when you were gone," Andrew said. "And Rebecca called Jen who has an older sister that's a cheerleader. We scanned it and sent it to them and then I saw Jen at church and gave her money for copies. Her sister thought it was a great idea and was going to make the copies tonight, but I guess she did it early."

Jason nodded. "All of the cheerleaders got in on it and then a bunch of football players and some of the guys from the basketball team. They were all stuffing lockers."

"I can't believe the administration let them do this," Polly said.

"What were they going to do?" he asked. "There's nothing controversial or mean on it. They want the place to be good for us and if the kids are going to work together, the teachers think it's a great idea."

Polly bent over and hugged Rebecca's neck. "I'm so proud of you."

"It was Andrew's idea, too," she said.

"Not likely," Andrew said. "I just agreed when you brought it up."

"What do you think, Heath?" Polly sat down on the sofa by his feet.

"I don't know. It's weird. Nobody ever cared before."

"Nobody got beat up like you did," Jason said. "That sucks, man." He laughed. "And I'm supposed to give you these." He dug down into the bag again and pulled out several slips of paper.

"What's this?" Heath asked.

"Phone numbers." Jason grimaced. "You freakin' got phone numbers. A little cut on the face and some bruised ribs and girls wanted me to give you their phone numbers."

Heath's face grew bright red and he put them on the table. "Don't they know I'm with Libby?"

"She says you're not," Jason said. "She was telling everybody about how her mom freaked out because you disobeyed her rules and she can’t go out with someone who used to be associated with those guys."

"But her friend, Jean, dated Dooley."

"The girls figured that out and told Libby she was being stupid. Apparently you're…" Jason held his hands up and made air quotes. "Cute. And the scar will give you..." He stopped and rolled his eyes. "I'm not kidding you when Selena Morris said it would give you a rakish quality."

Polly couldn't help herself. "Where did she get that?"

"You should see the books she reads," Jason said. "They're embarrassing." He shuffled the slips of paper around. "Here's her number. She was the most interested." He patted the rest. "Any of these you'd like to pass on to me, I'd be willing to take them off your hands."

"This is weird." Heath moaned and leaned back on the couch.

"Well, you're some kind of hero. You stood up for a girl, took a beating and then Rebecca, here, made it all about honor and friendship." Jason put his hand up. "Don't give me any trouble. I've been reading too. Andrew keeps putting those books beside my bed."

Andrew looked up and gave them all a not-so-innocent smile.

"Miss Jennet said that none of your homework was due tomorrow, but I can bring things back on Wednesday if you aren't in school by then. I'll pick up more assignments from her tomorrow after school."

"Thank you, Jason," Polly said.

"Yeah. I'd better get down to the barn. Eliseo doesn't know I'm up here." He looked at his phone. "Yep. There's a text. He doesn't let me get too far away. Can I take some cookies?"

"Come with me into the kitchen," Polly said. "I'll pack them for you."

"You'll be fine when you come back," Jason said to Heath. "I've got your back."

Heath just stared at Jason as the younger boy walked into the kitchen. Polly put cookies onto a paper plate and slipped them into a zipper-bag, then walked with Jason to the front door.

"What was that about?" she asked.

He shrugged. "What?"

"You haven't had a decent word to say to him until now. What changed?"

"I don't know. Whatever."

She put her arms around him and hugged him. "I like it. And thank you."

"He's okay."

"And so are you."

"Hello up there!"

Jason looked at Polly and she grinned. "That's Beryl. Send her up."

"Oh Polly," Beryl called. "I saw your door open. Are you up there?"

He hurried down the steps and before Polly knew it, Beryl and Tallie were standing in front of her.

"Why don't you come in?" Polly asked. "I have cookies."

"I knew you would," Beryl said. "Didn't I say that, Tallie? I told her that you knew we were coming and would have baked cookies. I felt it in the wind."

"You are a nut," Polly said. "I didn't feel anything. I just made cookies."

"But you made them for us." Beryl gave her a little push. "Now get out of the door and let us in. We have much to tell you."

Tallie carried two canvas tote bags and grinned at Polly as she followed Beryl into the dining room.

"Ahoy, young people," Beryl announced. "If you want to be part of the adventure of a lifetime, cast an eye and lend an ear."

She stood at the end of the dining room table and passed her hand across it. "Clear the decks and attend to the battlements." Beryl affected a pirate's accent. "We've gold to discover. Arrr."

Polly picked up the papers and debris that generally found its way to the far end of the table. She and Henry had a bad habit of keeping one end clear so the family could eat, but that only meant that the other end of the eight-foot table soon grew out of control. Every once in a while, she sat down to dig through the piles, but it had been well over a week. She looked around for a place to quickly place them and settled on the floor under the far corner of the peninsula.

"Hop to it, wench," Beryl said to Tallie. "Yer holdin' up the attack. Arrr."

The kids found places on either side of the table, while Polly stood next to Beryl. "Where be the treasure, matey?" Polly asked.

"Aye, that there's the question. But d'trusty bos'n has maps and charts. We jes need ta find the spot marked with an x."

"Are we doing that all afternoon?" Tallie asked, waggling her hand at Beryl.

"Only till I'm fed swill and grog by the serving wench."

Polly put a cookie in Beryl's hand and rushed to the fridge to pour a glass of iced tea. "Will this assuage your inner beast, Cap'n?" she asked.

Beryl took a long drink of the tea and sighed. "The beast has been tamed. Thank’ee."

Rebecca, Andrew, and Kayla giggled, caught up in Beryl's fun.

"What did you find?" Polly asked.

"Tallie and I spent the morning going through some of the things that Andy had collected, then believe it or not, Jeanie Dykstra's mother called me. She had a small tin box filled with photographs and old papers and she also had two really old ledger books. I think they're from the bank." Beryl shrugged. "Maybe I should recommend she give those back. They'd probably like to have the history." She took a bite of the cookie. "Wow, these are great. The beast is nearly completely under control. I will need at least one more and my bos'n should have one or two as well."

"Then we came over here," Tallie said. "I picked up some of Andy’s research, and when the library opened, I stopped up there to see if they had any old plat maps of the county. There was even more information on those. But we haven't put it all together yet."

"I thought we should share that fun with you," Beryl said. "And besides, I was tired of worrying about whether or not that Limey bast-." She looked at the kids. "The British jerk was going to show up again."