The River Rolls On (Bellingwood Book 10) (10 page)

"I'm not sure whether I'm happy or sad that you hear from me so often nowadays that you know it's not a dead body."

"I'd hate to disappoint you. I'll work on that."

"Beryl did a sketch of the guy. It's very good. What do you want us to do with it?"

He chuckled. "She did? It worked?"

"She's pretty amazing."

"I know that, but I didn't know what to expect. Can you send a photograph of it from your phone? Tell her I'll stop by to pick up the original later on."

"Sure, I can do that."

"How's my..." Lydia stopped talking when she saw that Polly was on the phone.

Polly mouthed, "It's your husband."

"Is that my wife there?" Aaron asked.

"She just got here."

"Send the sketch with her." He paused and then said. "No, on second thought, I'll pick it up. I do
not
need her anywhere near this investigation. Don't even let her see it. I have this terrible image of her recognizing the man, making a scene and getting herself and everyone around her in trouble."

"I thought it was just me who did crazy things like that." Polly attempted to nonchalantly flip the cover closed on the sketch pad. Fortunately Lydia was handing off a basket and a bulging paper bag to Jon and Ray.

"You are a terrible influence on her."

"That's what I hear. Ray already took a picture of it. I'll have him send it to you."

"Thank you. How does it feel to be out and about?"

"It's okay. Not as great as I'd hoped, but I'm just feeling sorry for myself. You guys haven't found anything? Not my truck, not the girl, not anything?"

"I'm sorry, Polly."

"No. I get it. It's nobody's fault. I just hate this."

"I do too. Stay safe today, okay?"

"I'm working on it."

Lydia, Jon and Beryl had gone into the kitchen.

Ray watched Polly put her phone down. "Are you okay?"

"I'm not very good about letting people take care of me. The last time Joey was in town, I discovered just how bad at it I really am and I haven't gotten better. All of those years living on my own and taking care of things by myself were just stripped away because some idiot thinks he should control me. Now all of a sudden, my life is worthless."

"That isn't true."

"Yes it is. Nobody would think to just kidnap
you
because of an obsession. You'd deal with them. You'd hit them over the head or knock 'em out or whatever. But because I'm a girl, everyone wants me to hide in my house."

"It's not just because you're a girl. It's because you're Polly and people love you. They can't imagine something awful happening to you. We don't just protect girls, you know. We protect big, brawny men too. Especially when they're being threatened by psychos."

She wrinkled her nose and looked away, then said, "Could you send a picture of the sketch to Aaron? He gave you his contact information last night, didn't he?"

"He did." Ray swiped his phone several times and said, "Done."

"Are you telling people what you do for a living?" Polly asked. "Do we tell Beryl that you guys met her before? I didn't want to say anything just in case."

"It's okay. I have a feeling that she isn't one to gossip."

"No," Polly said with a sad smile. "She isn't. She is amazing and very few people here know her at all. If she weren't friends with Lydia, I would never have gotten to know this incredible woman. I don't know how Lydia does it."

"Does what, dear?" Lydia said, coming into the room.

"Puts people together. I was just telling Ray that I wouldn't know Beryl if it weren't for you."

"But we've been friends for years. Okay, she and Andy were friends back in high school. I was a few years younger than the two of them. It's Andy you should be thanking."

Polly hugged her friend. "How about I start with you?" She looked back toward the kitchen. "Is it safe to leave the two of them alone in there?"

"I'm here to ask what you'd like for sandwiches. I stopped at Sycamore House to pick up a loaf of bread from Sylvie. She needs to open that bakery. I'll never have to bake again."

"Let's see what you have," Ray said. "I'm pretty hungry."

Jon was slicing bread when they got into the kitchen.

"They've got you working," Polly said.

He brandished the knife at her. "I'm always working."

"You're always working something," his brother responded.

Beryl stood and stared at the two brothers, then finally said, "I'd like to paint the two of you before you leave."

Ray shook his head vigorously. "It's not a good idea."

"What do you mean? It's a great idea. You two are gorgeous. Heck, maybe I could make a million dollars selling my painting of you as cover art for a hot romance novel."

Jon tossed his head to the side, as if flinging long hair, and struck a pose. "Like this?"

Polly laughed and rushed over to him, putting her hand on his chest and leaning into him. "Here. Am I helping?"

"That's it," Beryl laughed.

Ray grinned, took out his phone and snapped a picture. "Yeah. Mama will want to see that."

"You won't let me paint you?" Beryl asked, opening the refrigerator. She took out bottles of mayonnaise and mustard and put them on the table.

"We can't," Jon said. He looked at his brother, who gave a slight nod. The two were on the same page

"That's too bad. Why not?"

"Because we're undercover spies," Jon said.

Beryl looked at them in confusion.

"You're what?"

"Okay. We do security. And we don't need to have our visages..." he encircled his face with his hand, "out there for the world to see. We like to stay in the background."

Beryl nodded.

"Kind of like we did when we ran security for a show you did several years ago in Boston."

"You what?" Her face contorted in shock.

Lydia stopped what she was doing and watched them.

"Ray and I met you at a show you did. There were a bunch of Hollywood stars there and quite a few politicos and money people from Boston."

"I remember that show," Beryl said. "I can't believe I don't remember you, though." She peered at Ray. "Wait a minute. Were you the one who was flirting with Halle Berry that night?"

CHAPTER TEN

"And where to now?" Ray asked, once they were back in the Jeep.

They had finished lunch, been highly entertained by Beryl and Lydia, and by the time Polly made noises to leave, the boys were more than ready to escape.

"What would you like to see?" Polly asked.

"Show us the highlights. We saw your lovely little hotel. Anything else? Didn't you say you had a winery here?" Jon pressed. "Mama would love it if we shipped her red wine from Bellingwood."

Polly shrugged. "Okay. We can go out there. They're open on the weekends now. It's more fun in the evenings, though. Local musicians play and they have wine tastings."

"We can go downtown," Ray said. "You told us you wanted to go to the library."

"Joy. A library," Jon huffed from the back seat.

"We don't have to go. My friend, Joss, is the librarian, but she's been to Sycamore House a couple of times this week. It's fine."

Ray stopped at the stop sign and said, "What's this way?" He pointed north.

"Just the ball park and then you head out of town. Eliseo lives up that way, not far from Henry's aunt and uncle."

"Eliseo. That's your grounds keeper?" Jon asked.

"Yeah. I guess that's what you call him. He kind of does everything. The animals, the grounds, the gardens, the building. He has a couple of older guys who like to come over and help out." Polly smiled as she thought about it. "Old Mr. Bedford loves to work with the horses and Mr. Gardner likes helping out with the vegetable garden. Both of them are helping Eliseo work up more land behind the creek."

Ray drove up to the ball fields and pulled into the parking lot. "It really is just this quaint."

"What do you mean?" Polly asked.

"Look at this. There are nice bleachers and lights for when it gets dark. Not too many people, but just enough that they have fun when they get together."

"Yeah? So?"

"It's like something out of a movie. Good family fun."

"Don't you be getting soft on me, brother,” Jon said.

"No. I don't think I could stand living like this, but it's kind of nice to know that it exists. The world makes so much more sense with this here."

Jon leaned forward and tapped Polly's shoulder. "He's getting thoughtful. We need something to do. Where to next?"

"Let's go downtown. There's ice cream in the general store. Henry gave me keys so we can look in on the coffee shop that Sal owns. Do you remember her? Sal Kahane?"

Ray nodded. "If she can make the move, anyone can."

"She wasn't too happy without having a coffee shop on every corner, so she's building one, but otherwise, I think she likes it here," Polly said. "She hasn't made many friends yet, but that will come."

He pulled back out onto the street and said, "This way?"

"Yeah. You'll run right into it.

He turned onto the main street and drove west. People turned and stared at the big, black Jeep.

"Are they looking at the car or wondering who we are?" Jon mused.

"Probably both," Polly said. "And don't forget. Everyone knows what happened to me last week, so they're probably trying to figure out if you guys are the kidnappers and if I'm willingly riding with you."

Ray drove through town and turned in next to the library. "Do you want to go in and say hello? We have plenty of time."

"It's okay. There's nothing I need from there."             

"Polly. You're out of the house. What would you normally do on a Saturday?"

"I don't know. I just take it as it comes. Something is always happening. I might go to Ames with Sal or take the kids to Boone to the bookstore. Maybe go out with Henry. If there's nothing else, I'd go down to the barn and play with the donkeys."

"You play with them?"

"Sure," she said with a laugh. "They're playful. They have a couple of big balls that they like to play with."

"Balls," Jon said. "And donkeys."

"It's a riot when Eliseo and Jason are playing with the donkeys and horses out in the pasture."

They watched kids go in and out of the library, some with parents, others with their friends.

"There's nothing in town that you want to do?" Ray asked.

"No, but I don't want to go back yet," Polly said. "Head west out of town. Let's just drive for a while. Do you mind?"

"Not at all. In fact, that sounds great."

"In a mile or so, you're going to come to the road to Boone. Go north instead. I'll show you where that Tunnel Mill place is," she said. "The Boone River is pretty. People canoe on it in the summer unless it's too low."

"You canoe, too?" Jon asked. "You are not the same person we knew in Boston."

"Yeah. I am. These are just parts of me that I didn't take the time to show everyone. I've always just been a simple girl from central Iowa."

"Simple girl, my ass," Jon said. "There ain't nuttin' simple 'bout you, lil' miss."

"You'd be surprised. Here, turn here."

They drove north and Jon made them stop in front of an old-fashioned windmill. "Drea has to see this," he said, taking a picture with his phone.

There wasn't much in the way of traffic on the road. Ray slowed down as he drove up behind a large tractor taking up both lanes of the highway. The farmer pulled over to the right and they passed him with a wave.

"It's just so much slower out here. No one gets too excited about things, do they?" he commented.

Polly laughed. "Sure they do. We drive over the speed limit and tailgate and honk our horns and scream at slow drivers, but there aren't quite as many people, so you do it once in a while rather than all the time."

She pointed out directions to Ray as he drove along. He saw the sign for Tunnel Mill and turned on his signal.

"No," she said. "Go on. I want you to see the river valley here. It's just so pretty. The road winds in and out and there are trees everywhere. This is why I love this area."

Ray drove on past the entrance and crossed the bridge over the Boone River, slowing so that they could look up and down the river. He came to a stop on the bridge since there was no traffic coming from either side.

"It is beautiful," he said. He pointed up the river. "Look. Canoeists."

"They might have put in at Webster City," Polly said. "They'll either come out here or down at Bells Mill."

"Tunnel Mill. Bells Mill. Are they mills? Like saw mills?" Jon asked.

"No. More like grist and corn mills. But they don't exist any longer. They did a hundred years ago, but not now."

"Think about it, Jon," Ray said. "People were heading out west and decided to stay here in Iowa. Even back then they were trying to be free of the cities."

A car coming from the north spurred Ray into action and he took his foot off the brake and drove on across the bridge. At the next field entrance, he pulled in, backed up and turned around.

"Did you want to drive into that Tunnel Mill place?" he asked.

"Nah. There's not much there."

"I wouldn't mind getting out and walking," Jon said. "The river is beautiful and Mama would love to have pictures of the places you love."

Ray turned into the drive and found a place to park. They watched and waved as three canoes passed them and went under the bridge.

"She's going to hurt," Polly said.

"The chick in the middle of the second canoe?" Ray asked.

"Yep. She's not wearing enough clothes and that's gonna burn."

"You can tell the deputies were here last night," Ray said, picking up a broken branch. "This whole area was scoured. Everything has been turned upside down." He chuckled. "You certainly sent them on a wild goose chase."

"I didn't mean to. Aaron didn't have to listen to me."

"Yes he did." Ray's phone buzzed. "Just a second. I need to take this." He walked away past the Jeep and up toward the road.

Jon sat down on a stump beside where Polly was standing and they looked out over the river. "Sometimes I think he's ready to quit and settle down into a normal life. I don't know if that would be good for him or not. He's such a natural at this job. We'd be lost without him running the place."

"Has he ever found anyone that he wants to make a life with?"

"Nah. I don't think he's even tried. He poured everything he had into the job. He goes out every once in a while, but he's never met anyone he trusts enough to tell them what he does."

"Neither have you," she said quietly.

"Yeah. But I'm young. I'm the baby of the family. Everyone expects me to be a player. Ray is the oldest. The responsible one."

"Is your mother comfortable with who he is?"

"You mean single?"

"No. You know what I mean."

He gave a quick shrug. "She knows. Everyone knows. But I don't think that even Ray is comfortable with it. So I think it's just easier for him to ignore that part of himself."

He looked up at the sound of Ray's boots on the gravel. "What's up, bro?"

Ray's face was white. "We're going to Boone. I need to talk to the Sheriff and his buddy at the DCI. There's a problem."

"What's the problem?" Polly asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Give me a minute to process on this." He looked at her, then strode up, took her in his arms and held on tight.

"What?" she sputtered when he let her go.

"In a minute. Everybody in the Jeep. Let's go."

Polly realized he wasn't going to say anything more and followed Jon to the passenger side of the Jeep, then waited for him to open her door. She looked at Jon, hoping he'd ask for more information and he just shrugged.

"Not yet," he mouthed at her.

Silence filled the car as Ray drove, no one wanting to break it.

When they got to the north side of Boone, Ray finally said, "Point me to the Sheriff's office, will you?"

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" Polly asked.

"Later. Will you call and make sure he's there?"

She nodded, took her phone out and made the call.

"Hi Polly," Aaron said. "What now?"

"Are you at your office? Ray needs to see you."

"Sure. What's going on?"

"He won't say. He just insists on speaking with you and Digger too, if he's available."

"He isn't here right now, but we can get him on a conference call. You don't know what this is about?"

"Nope."

"Come on down, then."

Polly pointed the way for Ray and he drove through town, then turned to head for the Sheriff's office.

"If things weren't so tense," she said. "I'd point out the beautiful homes in town and the fact that the county courthouse is nowhere near the business district. But I guess you don't care about that right now."

Ray just breathed. "How much further," he asked.

"It's like a different part of town. You don't even know it's there, then you're on top of it."

She looked up and saw the courthouse and pointed to the north side of the street. "Right there."

He found a parking spot and pulled in. By the time they reached Aaron's office, Polly was nervous. Ray had turned into someone she didn't recognize. He was no longer her friend or even Drea's brother. He'd become all business, on full alert. Nothing could penetrate his defenses.

She braced herself for what he had to tell them, but couldn't imagine that it was as awful as he seemed to believe it was.

They performed their greetings and Ray said, "Have you had any luck with that sketch that Polly's friend made?"

"Not yet," Aaron said, shaking his head. "Why do you ask?"

Ray opened his phone, swiped it a few times and then said, "Check your email. My company has access to many databases. I had them run facial recognition on it."

Aaron took a breath, clicked his computer a couple of times and then took another, deeper breath. "Oh my god," he said.

"What?" Polly asked. "What's going on? Who is he?"