Treasure Uncovered (Bellingwood #3) by Diane Greenwood Muir Page A

Polly."
    "Who knew?" she laughed.

     
     
     
     
     
     
     

CHAPTER FIVE

     
    You always paid attention to sirens when living in a small town. Polly had stopped when she lived in Boston, but since she had moved back to Iowa, a siren generally impacted someone she knew. If it was important, she was confident Lydia or Andy would let her know what was going on. She was outside with Obiwan when she heard sirens screaming through town and in a moment her phone rang. It was Lydia.
    "Polly. Beryl's hurt. They're rushing her to Des Moines."
    "What happened?" Polly asked. She stopped in her tracks and Obiwan stopped with her.
    Lydia's voice was breaking. "There was an explosion in her studio. Deena was there; she spends Tuesday afternoons there as part of a work study program. Anyway, she had gone into the house to get some tea and when it happened, she called 9-1-1 and ran back out. Beryl had managed to crawl outside after being hit with flying debris."
    "Have you called Andy?"
    "I can't reach her. I didn't want to leave a voice mail telling her about this. I don't know what to do."
    Calm, steady Lydia relied on her friends and family to keep her anchored and Polly knew this was a lot for her to manage. She began walking back toward the front door of Sycamore House.
    "How about Aaron? Is he around?"
    "He's the one who called me, but he isn't here yet. Polly, should I go to Des Moines?"
    "I'm going to change my clothes, get in my truck and head to your house in a few minutes, Lydia. Sit right there until I arrive, alright? I need a minute to think and when I get there, I'll have a better idea about what we're going to do next. Can you do that?"
    "I'll be in the kitchen. Thank you, sweetheart."
    Polly hung up and looked at her phone. It felt like every sane thought was leaping away from her neurons at the moment, so she dialed.
    "Hey, Polly, what's up?"
    "Henry, I need you to help me process on something because apparently my brain has shut down. There was an explosion at Beryl's studio. She was in it and they're taking her to Des Moines. Lydia is freaked out and I have to come up with a plan."
    "I don't suppose you know anything yet. What do you want to do?"
    "I don't know anything except that it happened. I told Lydia I would head to her house and help her decide what to do next. She can't reach Andy and I don't know if we should just go to Des Moines."
    "I was going to come over to Sycamore House anyway, so I'll be there in a little bit. You get yourself out of there and head to Lydia's. I'll take care of your upstairs animals and call Mark to help me with the horses tonight. Don't worry about any of us. You get Lydia and Andy to Des Moines."
    "Thank you, Henry. I'll talk to you later when I'm making more sense."
    "You're doing fine. Please be careful while you're driving, alright?"
    "I will. I'm outside with Obiwan right now. You don't need to worry about him, so don't hurry. I need to change my clothes and then I'll take off. Thank you again."
    She hung up and whistled for her dog to join her on the front steps. He ran up and sat down beside her legs.
    "Okay, a few minutes to cry. That's all I need." She sat on the steps beside him, hugged his neck, and found herself sobbing into his coat. Obiwan patiently sat there while she cried and cried. Polly finally stood up, wiped her eyes and said, "Now I need to blow my nose. Let's go inside and get me cleaned up."
    She took him upstairs and washed her face. After changing into a pair of black slacks and a short sleeve blue sweater, she grabbed her purse and ran back downstairs. Henry was pulling into the lot as she headed for her truck.
    Polly waited for him to park and he jumped out of his truck and pulled her into a hug.
    "Thank you, Henry," she said. "But, you don't need to sit with the kids. They'll be fine for a while."
    "I have work I need to do here anyway. We're laying the slab for the garage at the end of the week and I have plenty of things to deal with in order to be