An Offering of Hope Read online

Tab scowled. "We can't do that."

  "Oh, come on. This girl can't be left alone. Something traumatic happened to her. I can help." Polly nodded. "Okay. If you find out who she is and she has family nearby, just tell me that she's in good hands. But if she isn't, please let me help. She shouldn't go through this alone. That would be awful. Trauma is hard enough to deal with, but facing it without someone nearby is a horrible thought."

  "Let me talk to Aaron and I'll discuss it with her doctor," Tab said. "We won’t know a thing until she wakes up. No identification, nothing to tell us who she is."

  "How old?"

  Tab glanced toward the front of the building. "I'd say maybe early twenties. What do you think?"

  "She looked so young and helpless. I guess she might be about the same age as Cat." Polly let out a long sigh and allowed the coat to fall off her back. "I shudder to think what might have happened to that poor girl."

  "Me too," Tab said. She sat down beside Polly. "I'm glad she was dropped in front of your building, though."

  "Today is the worst day for her to hide in that corner. Nobody is around. Even Eliseo is away from the barn. If my boys hadn't been bored out of their minds, we wouldn't have found her until it was too late."

  "But you did."

  Edna walked into Polly's office. "Are you feeling better?"

  "I'm so sorry. Did you see my kids?"

  "They're in the kitchen with Kristen. She found cookies."

  "Thank you. Were they talking about the woman?"

  Edna nodded. "Kristen's doing well with them. I think JaRon has a crush on her."

  Tab said, "I need to talk to her about getting the recording from the cameras."

  "Mmm, hmmm," Polly said. She pulled the mug away from her lips. "Thank you, Edna. This helps."

  They all looked up at a tap on the door.

  "Hey, Adam," Tab said. "Ready to go?"

  "Yeah. How are you, Ms. Giller?"

  "I'm fine. Sorry about that."

  "No worries. Just wanted to make sure you warmed up."

  She held out the mug. "Hot coffee. Just the thing."

  "We're off to the hospital," he said to Tab. "See you down there?"

  "I'll be behind you. Thanks."

  "He's a cutie," Polly said. "New?"

  "Yeah. Wife and two kids."

  Edna chuckled. "They get younger every year."

  CHAPTER TWO

  Various perspectives on the afternoon’s events from each of the boys kept Elijah entertained on the way home. He’d been crushed to discover he'd missed all the activity and peppered his brothers with questions.

  "Will one of you let the dogs out?" she asked after pulling into the driveway.

  "Mommy?" Cassidy asked.

  "Yes, honey."

  "Is Mrs. Agnes coming over tonight?"

  Polly let her head drop forward. She'd completely forgotten. "Yes, Cassidy. We'll go get her right now." She rolled the window down. "Elijah!"

  He was nearly up the steps to the side door. "What?"

  "Come here, please."

  Elijah dropped his bag on the stoop and slowly made his way back to the Suburban. "What?"

  "Don't be like that. I'm not going to ask you to do something difficult. I need to pick up Mrs. Hill. Can I trust you to keep an eye on Caleb and JaRon for ten minutes?"

  He frowned at her. "Uh, duh."

  "Let the dogs out into the back yard through the kitchen door. Make sure you all put your things away on the porch. When I get home, I want everyone to be changed into sloppy clothes."

  "Can we go to the basement and play?"

  "You bet. I won't be long."

  Caleb and JaRon had been hesitant about getting out of the Suburban, but when Elijah turned to head back to the house, they bolted to follow him. He unlocked the door and they all went inside.

  "Thank you for reminding me," Polly said to Cassidy as she backed out of the driveway again.

  "Is that lady going to die?"

  "I don't think so. The doctors will take good care of her."

  "Caleb said that she was hurt real bad and she might die."

  Polly glanced in the mirror. Cassidy's face was screwed up in concern.

  "What did Miss Kristen say about it?"

  That made Cassidy pause. "She said that the lady was going to the hospital and she'd be okay."

  "So, who are you going to believe? Caleb, or Miss Kristen and me?"

  "I don't know."

  Polly didn't want to have to explain that she wasn't worried about the girl since the paramedics arrived before she died. That was good news for everyone. "Maybe you should trust the adults and what they say."

  "What if she dies in the hospital?"

  "Honey, I know that you're worried, but people are doing everything they can to make sure she is cared for." Polly turned the corner and stopped in front of Agnes Hill's house. She was later than usual and steeled herself for the older woman's tongue lashing. Agnes never missed a beat when it came to giving Polly a healthy dose of teasing.

  Just as Polly put her hand on the door to get out and go toward the house, Agnes's front door opened and she walked out, gave them a quick wave, turned, and locked the door. As crazy as Agnes made everyone, this woman had changed Cassidy's life. She poured unconditional love out on the little girl who so desperately needed it. Agnes loved all of Polly's kids, but Cassidy had formed a special bond with her. The two of them were exactly what the other one had been looking for.

  Agnes opened the passenger door, turned to look at Cassidy and opened the large tote bag she always carried. "Were you good in school today?"

  Cassidy beamed. "Yes, ma'am. I got to help hand out the drums and sticks."

  "Good for you. What was the best thing that happened today?"

  "I saw a lady bleeding like a stuck pig."

  Agnes flashed Polly a shocked look, who returned it with her own look of surprise.

  "A stuck pig?"

  "That's what Caleb said."

  "Where was this?"

  "At Polly's work. The ambulance came and everything." Even though Cassidy had barely experienced any of the events of the afternoon, she had a rapt audience in Agnes.

  "What happened?" Agnes asked Polly.

  "Caleb and JaRon found a young woman on the sidewalk outside the door to the addition," Polly said.

  "And did you do your thing?"

  Polly gave her a sideways look. "No. The ambulance came and took her to the hospital in Boone. That's all I know."

  "That had to be exciting. The boys found her? Training them early, are you?"

  "To take care of people, yes I am. What smells so good in that bag of yours?"

  Agnes pulled out a plastic container and set it on the console. "I had fun this weekend. In this one, we have chocolate peanut clusters." She put another one on top of it. "I made peanut butter balls, and since I had the chocolate out, I made fudge. Half with walnuts, half just plain."

  Polly blinked as she turned toward her house. "You did all this baking?"

  "It gets worse at Christmas. Maybe I can steal your little one to help me on a Saturday afternoon."

  "Me?" Cassidy asked.

  "Yes, you. Would you like to do that?"

  Cassidy's eyes were huge as she looked at the containers filled with candy. "Yes. Can I, Mommy?"

  Agnes turned. "May I."

  "May I, Mommy?" Cassidy asked obediently.

  "You may. I'd be glad to invite Mrs. Agnes to use our kitchen if she'd like to."

  "We'll see about that," Agnes said. "I have a system and know where my tools are, but if you need help for the holidays, you know where to find me." She stuffed the containers back into the oversized bag as Polly turned the Suburban off.

  Cassidy had unbuckled herself and was standing beside the door before Polly got out. Once her feet hit the driveway, she rushed to Agnes's side. "Will you play with the dollhouse with me?"

  "Certainly," Agnes said. She peered at Polly. It had been weeks since Cassidy had been in
terested in the dollhouse.

  Polly shrugged.

  Obiwan and Han had dashed around the side of the house at the sound of her Suburban and madly wagged as they waited for Polly to get to the side door.

  "I missed you too, boys," she said.

  "When does Rebecca get home?" Agnes asked.

  "She should be here by dinner."

  "I still can't believe you let her drive to Des Moines by herself."

  "She's with Beryl."

  "But she's so young."

  Polly chuckled as she held the door open for Agnes and Cassidy. "We made that trip four times so she would be comfortable going back and forth to the airport. Rebecca is a very good driver and she'd never put Beryl in peril."

  Agnes giggled. "Beryl in peril. That's nice."

  "I thought so. If Henry didn't think Rebecca was ready to make the trip, he would never have let her go. He rode with her two weeks ago, just to make sure she knew where she was going. The girl rocked it. He took her through the process of parking the car, getting a ticket, and then leaving. He said she wasn't nervous at all, but then she and I had already driven the route and she's done it several times as a passenger."

  "They grow up too fast," Agnes said.

  "You know it."

  Cassidy had run upstairs to change her clothes. Polly walked over to the basement door and held it open, listening for the sound of her boys. "Caleb? JaRon? Elijah?" When no one responded, she frowned and went over to the intercom. Buzzing Elijah's room, she said his name.

  "What?" he asked.

  "Thought you were going to be in the basement. Where are your brothers?"

  "In their room, I guess."

  "You aren't playing together."

  "Not yet. Duh. We just got home."

  "Elijah," she warned.

  "Yeah. Sorry. I'm tired."

  "Okay. I love you."

  "Yeah."

  Polly frowned as she turned back to Agnes. "That's not normal. I need to check on him, but I also need to start dinner. I think the entire crew plans to show up just in time to eat tonight."

  "What can I do to help?"

  "Play with Cassidy. We're having chili. I need to put bread in the machine for rolls and we're good to go."

  "What about Cincinnati chili?" Agnes asked.

  "What?"

  "Put it over spaghetti noodles. You can add onions and cheese and more beans to it. Make it five-way chili. It's a thing."

  "How do you know about that thing?" Polly asked.

  Agnes laughed. "I used to get around. Spaghetti would be a good filler for the boys."

  "You're right. I can do that. The boys would gladly eat noodles without anything on top, too."

  "See, short order cook and you don't have to do extra work. You go upstairs and check on Elijah. Cassidy and I can start the chili for you."

  "I should make the bread first."

  "I know where your recipe is. You're worried about Elijah. I'll get this started and Cassidy is a good helper."

  That made Polly laugh. Cassidy was far from a good helper, even though she tried.

  "Go, go, go," Agnes said. "Come back when you've fixed him. That young man needs more fixin' than the rest of the boys. His heart is too darned soft and he doesn't know when to stop his tongue from speaking."

  "That's the truth," Polly said with a sigh. She surprised Agnes with a quick hug. "Thank you for helping me."

  "If you ain't gonna hire someone to help out around here, the least I can do is pitch in." Agnes headed for the pantry. "Eighty-five year old woman has to cook a meal because the young missus can't figure out who to hire as live-in help. Not like she doesn't need someone with this monstrosity of a house and eleven people living in it."

  "Are you making a point?"

  Agnes grinned at her. "Oh, did you hear me? I thought that was all in my head."

  "Uh huh. Thank you anyway." Polly walked up the steps and stopped at the top. Piles of things that had made it up the steps, but not been taken to people's rooms filled this area. Laundry baskets that needed to go downstairs were stacking up along the wall of Cat and Hayden's apartment. She did need help, but no one had dropped into her lap. The worst of it was, she didn't feel as if she had time to search for help either. Every time she thought about it, something else more important invaded her thoughts and then it passed until she was confronted with the mess again.

  She walked past Caleb and JaRon's room. The two boys were mid-clothing change, but had taken out a bucket of Legos and were building a large structure. It spread out across their floor, weaving in and out of dropped clothing, pillows and blankets. "What are you two building?"

  "A fort," JaRon announced.

  "Why don't you pick up your clothes so you don't have to build around them?"

  "Those are trees and buildings. Everything has to be inside the fort," Caleb said.

  "Got it." She headed for Cassidy's room. "Honey, are you changing your clothes?"

  "My purple pants aren't here," Cassidy whined.

  "You wore those on Friday." Polly chuckled. "And on Saturday. They're in the hamper."

  "But I want them today."

  "No whining. You know better than that. If they aren't here, make a different decision. Mrs. Agnes is downstairs waiting for you to get dressed. The two of you are going to make dinner."

  Cassidy plopped on the floor. "I wanted my purple pants."

  "Don't do it, honey," Polly said. "No whining. Figure out something else to wear and go help Mrs. Agnes." She left Cassidy and headed down to Elijah's room, then rapped lightly on his closed door. "Elijah, can I come in?"

  "Yeah."

  She pushed the door open and the dogs followed her in. Elijah was seated at his desk, his notebook open in front of him. "What are you working on?"

  "Nothing."

  "Are you feeling okay?" Polly walked over and put her hand on his forehead. He didn't seem to be running a temperature, but he leaned into her hand and sighed.

  "What's going on, 'Jah?"

  "It's no big deal. I'm fine."

  "You were fine until you got home. Then something changed. What happened?"

  Elijah turned pages in the notebook. "I should have thrown it away, but I keep looking at it."

  Scrawled across a page in marker were the words, "Nigger boy gets everything he wants. I hate niggers. Why don’t you die?"

  Polly closed her eyes. Her stomach threatened to erupt and her head swam as she pushed back a fury she hadn't felt in a long time. Things had been going so well for her kids this year. There were always little pokes and pricks that hurt, but they were often things she could help them get through with some love and attention. This was different.

  "When did you find it?" she asked.

  "Not until I got home. I brought my backpack upstairs with me and thought maybe I could finish this worksheet while the little boys changed their clothes. It was weird. It just opened to this page."

  "I'm so sorry. Tell me what you're thinking."

  He sagged against her. "I don't even know."

  They'd talked about this over and over. Polly struggled regularly as she tried to understand what would make any person hate someone so much because of their differences. They'd discussed bigotry on a global basis. She and Henry did their best to make sure that their children knew that racism wasn't their fault, that there was nothing wrong with them. Even when her kids were tired of the conversations, she made sure they knew about the amazing black civil rights leaders who had sacrificed so much. Their shelves were filled with books written by and about scientists and musicians, business men and women from many different cultures. She wanted them to know that they could be and do anything, no matter what.

  And yet, when it was personal like this, her heart ached. She wanted to march into the school and drag each one of his classmates into a small room and force them to tell her whether they'd written those horrible words. Then she wanted to stand in front of their parents and ask why their child even knew the word. But none
of that would ease Elijah's hurt.

  "It's always going to be like this, isn't it?" he asked somberly.

  They'd had this discussion, too. The night that he'd told her he wished he was white instead of black, she'd held on until he went to bed, then climbed in beside Henry and sobbed her eyes out. No one should want to be something different than who they were.

  "Elijah, I have to talk to your teacher."

  He shook his head. "It will just make things worse."

  "Do you have any idea at all who would have written this?"

  Elijah was so dejected, it was painful. "Maybe Katie. She was really mean today."

  "Did you two have a fight about something?"

  "No." He shrugged again. "I got asked to play the piano for a little group."

  "Did Katie think she was going to get to play instead of you?"

  He nodded. "Yeah. But I got asked last week."

  "What happened today?"

  "We had a practice."

  "And is she part of that little group?"

  "No," he said with a frown. "She didn't make it."

  "But you did." Polly almost collapsed from relief. Jealousy was something she could manage with Elijah. "Do you believe Katie wrote this?"

  "Probably. Probably when I was in the music room."

  "It was wrong of her to be mean to you in any way. It was really wrong of her to be mean about the color of your skin. And it was really wrong to threaten you."

  "She wouldn't hurt me, like kill me. She's not like that. She just says things."

  "But she shouldn't say these things to anyone. No one should speak like that when they get angry. Would you call her nasty names if she had been chosen to play the piano?"

  "No!" he said. Then he looked at Polly with a smile. "You'd kill me."

  "Maybe not kill you, but there would be big trouble. Do you want to handle this with Katie tomorrow, or would you like me to talk to your teacher and invite her parents to join us for a discussion about her bad behavior?"

  "You wouldn't do that." His eyes grew big. "Please don't."

  "I will do just that if I have to."

  "I'll handle it. She didn't mean it that way."

  "You know that I'm going to ask you about it. You had better not lie to me." The thing was, Polly knew Katie Robinson’s parents. They might not have much experience with people of color, but they weren't outright bigots. The girl had gone after Elijah using the one thing that would hurt him the most. Kids were so awful sometimes, but Katie didn't know what a fine line she walked with this language.