All Roads Lead Home (Bellingwood) Read online

  "Polly," Lydia said, "I don't believe you've met my sweet-ums yet, have you!"

  Aaron looked down at his wife. He was a tall man, probably about 6'1," with a big barrel chest and immense forearms. He didn't look like any sweet-ums Polly had ever met and it didn't seem as if he necessarily appreciated the affectionate banter.

  "What have I told you about using those phrases, woman," he said to his wife as he grinned at her.

  "You've told me that I'll be in trouble later," she said, and then in an aside to Polly, "That's why I keep using them. I like being in trouble."

  Polly giggled and felt a little uncomfortable. This seemed inappropriate for the momentous occurrence upstairs, but it also seemed as if there was no stopping the woman.

  "I don't ever take her with me when I have a crime scene, because this is her behavior," Aaron said. "She embarrasses the hell out of me, so it’s easier to leave her at home!"

  Lydia patted his backside and said, "I think all of the excitement is upstairs, pookie. Go do your thing. I'll be down here telling Polly all about the trouble you like to give me."

  Aaron shook his head and walked away. He went upstairs and Polly could hear him greeting the men gathered in front of the bathroom door. She desperately wanted to be up there seeing everything going on, but didn't know what to do with Lydia.

  "Oh, go on," Lydia said. "I know you want to be up there. I'll sit down here in the kitchen twiddling my thumbs. I do know better than to be involved in anything Aaron is doing. I only pick on him for the effect."

  "Really? Are you sure?" Polly asked.

  "Absolutely. Go. I'll be fine."

  Polly ran up the stairs and heard Aaron Merritt telling the workmen they might as well go home. They weren't going to be doing anything else today. A few of the men broke off from their clusters and headed downstairs to get their things. Doug was still sitting on the floor and Billy was hanging pretty close to his friend. Jerry and Aaron were talking.

  "No," Jerry said, "After Doug and I came blasting out of there, no one else went in. Polly and I looked in at the mess, but we didn't go beyond the door."

  "Alright then," Aaron responded. "I'm going to call DCI and have them get someone over here. I want to talk to Doug and make sure you and he have given a statement. Then you can get out of here and he can get cleaned up. Make sure the kid is okay, though, before you send him home to his mama. I don't want her worrying."

  Aaron stepped back toward Polly and punched a button on his phone. She was close enough to hear a woman’s voice on the other end say, “Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation, how may I help you?”

  Well, at least she knew who DCI was now.

  "Hey Arlene, Can I talk to Digger?” Aaron asked, then paused for her response, “Oh, alright. Put me through."

  He turned to Polly. "You know, this is going to take a while. You might want to pack some things up and if I know my Lydia, the reason she is here is to take you back to our house. You’ll need somewhere else to sleep tonight."

  "Hey buddy!" he said back into his phone. "I have some old bones over here and I need a team to come clean things up and check it out."

  He listened for a moment, "Yep. As soon as possible, I guess. Somebody pulled the ceiling out of the old school building and it looks like a couple of bodies.

  "Oh crap!" he blurted. "I know whose bodies these are. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Dammit. I don't want to have to deal with this.

  "Digger, get a team over here as soon as possible. Yeah. This is an old, ugly case and I'm going to need everything done right so we can figure out what happened."

  He listened again and said, "Thanks, buddy. And by the way, it's time for you and Ellen to come back to dinner. Is it okay if I have Lydia call your wife?

  "Thanks again. I'll see you later." Aaron put his phone back in its holster on his belt, then turned to Jerry.

  "I want to let you go home, but we're going to wait for DCI. They'll check the two of you over to make sure nothing important fell on you and then one of their people will listen to your story and get it written down. They should be here in a half hour or so.”

  He looked at Polly in apology. "Polly. I need a key to the place. And you're going to have to go home with Lydia. But, before you do, I want you to meet the guys from DCI so you know who will be wandering around your home. Why don't you go ahead and pack up any things you might need for a couple of days."

  Turning back to those still standing around, Aaron said, "The rest of you need to leave now unless you have something important to tell me."

  The few men who were there took the hint and headed downstairs. In a couple of minutes the parking lot was empty.

  Polly went into her room, shut the door and sat down on her bed. 'Dammit' was right. She felt like she'd barely gotten started and now everything was in an uproar. She wanted to throw something, so she grabbed a pillow and flung it across the room. That didn't help, so she opened her overnight bag and began flinging things into it. She picked up the purple underwear and laughed aloud. She tossed them in, then walked back across the hall to the bathroom and pulled out her travel kit. It went in on top of the clothing and she zipped it shut.

  "Well, that didn't take very much time," she thought and looked at her watch. Half an hour, huh? She had another fifteen minutes before people started kicking her out of her house.

  It had taken a while, but this schoolhouse was starting to feel like it was hers. All of a sudden she realized she couldn't stand the thought of people walking around here with everything in such a mess. She gathered the towels and draped them over the shower door, rinsed down the sink and ran the scrubber around the toilet.

  Then, she walked back across the hall, barely acknowledging the people there and shut the door to her room behind her. She picked the pillow up off the floor where she’d thrown it and straightened the bed. She stacked the laundry baskets in the corner of the room and arranged everything on the floor beside her bed as neatly as possible.

  As she opened the door to walk back out with her bag, she saw five people come up the stairs. Great. They were here and she had to leave.

  As soon as she thought those words, she realized she was being pissy. But, who wouldn't be? There were skeletons in her bathroom and strange people were kicking her out of her home. Pissy was going to be her privilege. At least for a few minutes.

  She stood in her doorway and watched them take over. Aaron excused himself and walked toward her. "Polly, I'd like you to meet Danny Boylston. He's going to be in charge of this whole thing," he said as he waved his hand back at the bathroom.

  "Danny," Aaron called out. "I'd like you to meet the new owner of the school, Polly Giller. This is her place and she should know who you are before you start tearing through her stuff."

  Danny Boylston was even taller than Aaron and thin as a rail. He had jet black hair and dark black eyes which looked almost sad, like a bloodhound’s eyes, Polly thought. She dropped her bag and put her hand out to shake his. His fingers were as long as he was tall, but his grip was firm and warm.

  "Nice to meet you, Polly. I'm sorry it is under such messy circumstances. We'll do our best to be efficient and get out of your way as quickly as possible."

  "Alright," she responded. "I guess that's all I can ask for."

  Without any further conversation, he turned around and walked back to the bathroom. One of the women was checking Doug over, brushing some of the dust and particles off into a bag. Finally she motioned to another woman, who spoke quietly to Doug, then looked up. "Is there anywhere I can go to talk to the kid?" she asked.

  Polly looked at Aaron, who nodded at her. "I suppose the only place with chairs and a table would be the kitchen,” she said. “ There's coffee there, if you want it, but I'm going to turn it off before I leave."

  "That will be fine. Doug?" and she motioned for Doug to follow. He picked up his coffee cup and stuffed the napkin he'd been gripping inside it. Polly walked over to him and took the cup out of his hand. "You'll
be alright. You have nothing to be freaked out over at this point, am I right?" she asked.

  "I guess. I've never been interviewed by a cop before," he said.

  "And you've never had bones fall out of the ceiling before either," Polly said. "You got through that, you'll get through this. And I'm going to get you and Billy a steak dinner in Ames when this is over. I promise."

  Doug laughed, then shook his head.

  "What?" she asked.

  "Oh, nothing. I was only thinking about purple ..."

  "Stop it!" She laughed. "You already got me into a ton of grief." She punched him lightly on his arm. "Now, go. Get this over with and then go home and get a shower."

  She followed the two downstairs where Lydia met them.

  "Are you ready to go, Polly?" she asked.

  "I need to clean up the coffee pot when they're done," Polly said.

  "I've already taken care of it. I poured the rest of the coffee into the two big thermoses you have and those are on the table with the cookies. It will be fine until tomorrow."

  Aaron Merritt had also come back down the steps. "Lydia, I told her you wouldn't let her stay anywhere but our house. Was I right?"

  "Oh, you know me so well, punkin'," she said. "Come on, Polly, we're taking your truck. And Aaron promises to tell us everything when he gets home for supper, doesn't he!"

  He chuckled, then sobered as he said, "I'm sure I already know who it is, Lydia. You aren't going to like it."

  Her face fell, "You're serious, aren't you, Aaron."

  "Yes, I think I am. I'll know more when we get information from DCI, but that's what I'm thinking. It looks like we've finally found them."

  "Oh dammit, Aaron. Everyone was normal again. It took thirty years for that family to start living. I don't know whether this will help or make them miserable."

  Then her face brightened up. "Be on time for dinner, tonight, Aaron. Remember, we have company!"

  He stopped them as they got to the door. "Polly? Do you have an extra key?"

  "OH!" She said. "There are a few extra keys in the newel post over here." Polly walked over, gave the newel post a quick turn and revealed a small pocket. There were four keys in there and Aaron took one. "I've already checked them. Everything works."

  He took a second key. "I'll give this to Boylston and we'll get it back to you when this is over."

  Chapter Six

  Enjoying Lydia’s commentary, Polly followed her directions as they drove through the streets of Bellingwood.

  "Now that you've made the drive with me, do you think you can get to my house on your own?" Lydia asked.

  "I hope so. That's one of those things I haven't done yet," Polly said. "I haven't taken the time to drive around town and get familiar with all the streets and what we've got here."

  "It's not a very big town," Lydia said. "If you were able to drive around Boston in this truck, I bet you'll be able to get around this place."

  "Oh, I sold my car in Boston, Lydia. This was Dad's truck. I don't know why I didn't sell it when he died, but he'd just gotten it and loved it so much, I couldn't bring myself to get rid of it.”

  Polly could no longer contain her questions. “What in the world were you and Aaron talking about? Do you know whose bodies those were in my ceiling?"

  "I'm afraid so. I really am afraid I do. It's so horrible. No one is going to want to believe they've been here all this time, hidden away in the school,” Lydia said.

  "Okay, you have to tell me more than this. You're killing me!" Polly gasped at her obvious faux pas, "I mean. I'm dying here." She stopped again. "I'll shut up. It seems like you knew them and I'm not helping."

  "Turn left here at this corner and you'll see the house," Lydia said. "Once we get inside and get you settled in your room, I'll tell you the whole story. Then, when Aaron gets home tonight, we'll see if I'm right."

  Polly turned the corner and saw Lydia's home. Now she knew where she was. She turned into the driveway and went around back, like they had done the night of the slumber party. Lydia climbed out of the truck and waited while Polly grabbed her bag and jumped out to follow her. Rather than using the entrance through the laundry room, Lydia pushed open a sliding glass door and they walked right into the family room.

  "Come on upstairs," Lydia said.

  Polly followed her up the stairs and into the kitchen. The back windows looked over the garages and out onto a grove of trees. The kitchen was done in country blues and was quite warm and homey, exactly what she would expect from Lydia.

  "This way, Polly. I've got a couple of rooms upstairs you can choose from."

  Polly followed her through the dining room, past the formal living room, to the steps. Upstairs there were four bedrooms and those doors were all standing open.

  "The back bedroom is ours, but any of the others would be perfect for you," she said. "There's a bathroom here," and she opened a door, "or the two bedrooms on this side share a bathroom. Since no one else is here, you might want one of those rooms."

  Polly looked in the first room and it was decorated in rich burgundy and green. The wooden bedroom set was a beautiful deep mahogany which complemented the other colors in the room.

  "Oh my, this will be wonderful," she exclaimed.

  "Terrific. Why don't you drop your stuff and I'm going to go back to the kitchen to make a few calls. Come find me whenever you're ready."

  Polly recognized that Lydia was a little distracted. While she was welcoming and gracious, all of her extra joy and sass seemed to have washed away. Whatever she knew about those two bodies had upset her and Polly didn't know how to help. She sat down on the bed and dropped her bag beside her. She opened her bag and looked inside it, then realized she had no idea what she might be looking for. She pushed it away and flopped down.

  "Wow," she said out loud. "That's a nice bed!"

  Polly turned over on her right side and looked around the room. There were two abstract floral prints hanging on either side of the mirror over the dresser. Everything seemed to be unique, yet perfectly coordinated. She wondered if Lydia had done this or had hired someone to decorate her home. She got back up and walked into the bathroom. Bright yellow and cream were perfectly accented by the sunshine streaming in the window over the sink. Mirrors on either side brightened the space as the sun glinted off them, throwing rays all over the room.

  Then, she peeked into the adjoining bedroom. This room was done in deep blue and ivory. The wooden bedroom suite was done in walnut and white maple. The room was a play of striking contrasts and took Polly's breath away. She was going to have to either hire Lydia to help her decorate the school or find out who she’d found to do this work.

  Polly walked back into her bedroom. She figured she had probably spent enough time up here for Lydia to make her calls and walked out in the hall. As she started down the stairs, she heard Lydia saying, "I understand. We'll see you when you get here. Just don't forget to come home, okay?" There was a slight pause. "I love you too and I'm sorry you have to do this alone. You know ..." another slight pause. "Alright. Tell the girls if they need me, all they have to do is ask. Good-bye."

  The sound of a chair scraping across the kitchen floor and cupboards opening and closing accompanied Polly as she traversed the rest of the steps and made her way into the kitchen.

  "There you are, Polly," Lydia said, turning around from the stovetop. "Would you like some tea? I have water brewing. Or anything else we can find in the refrigerator."

  "Tea would be great. Can I help you?"

  "No, I think I have everything out."

  Polly looked at the kitchen table. Yes, Lydia had everything out. There was a small plate of cookies, a basket with several different types of tea, fancy napkins and china all sitting on the table. Polly couldn't help herself. While Lydia was pouring the water into a teapot, she flipped a plate over. "Of course it is," she thought, then said out loud, "My mom always served on Wedgwood."

  "Oh!" said Lydia. "Those have been in the family f
or years. I think they were my mother's wedding present."

  "My mom's too!" Polly agreed. "I have them somewhere. They've been in storage so long, it will be good to see them again. They were only used when company came, though."

  "Well, you're company and family all at the same time, here," said Lydia, and she set the teapot down on the table. "Here, sit down and we'll talk. I'm sure you are," and she looked at Polly with a little bit of a smirk in her lips, "dying to know what's going on."

  "I'm so sorry, Lydia. Sometimes my brain and my tongue don't seem to agree about what should be out in the world," Polly apologized. "You obviously know who those two people were and I should have been more sensitive."

  "Oh, don't worry about it. It's alright. The day brought me a little shock, that’s all." Lydia said. "Actually, I suspect it brought you a shock as well, though, it was probably different." Her voice trailed off for a moment and Polly saw Lydia's lower lip tremble. She reached out and put her hand on top of her friend's forearm.

  "I'm sorry, Lydia. Who was in the ceiling and how do you know them?"

  "Goodness," Lydia said, "It's been over forty years ago. You'd think I could manage better than this." She offered the basket of tea to Polly, who took a bag, opened it and placed it in her cup. Lydia took another and then poured hot water into both cups. She stirred hers around a little and looked up again.

  "Forty-one years ago. It was the worst thing I'd ever faced. We didn't know what happened to them. No one did. The police questioned all of us trying to find out something, but no one knew anything at all.

  "It was the summer after my freshman year in high school, 1971. We didn't have a large class, there were only sixty-two of us. I'd had a great year and was getting ready to have a great summer. Mom and Dad had scheduled a big vacation to South Dakota and Wyoming and I was going to go to a camp in Colorado before school started that fall. I didn't have a care in the world. Dad had hooked me up with a great job at the drug store and I was ready.