Look Always Forward (Bellingwood Book 11) by Diane Greenwood Muir Page B

should let Aaron tell us what to do next and who to talk to," she said.
    "Yeah. You're right. I'm really flustered."
    Polly heard a car door open and then she heard the sound of the car starting in the background. "Jeff, what are you doing?"
    "I don't know. I guess I'm coming up to Bellingwood."
    "Did you just leave someone in a restaurant?" she asked with a small chuckle.
    "Holy cow, I did!" he said. "What am I thinking? I need to go back in and apologize and then I'll be right there."
    Polly smiled. She wasn't going to let him forget this anytime soon. "Stop talking and stop doing anything. If Aaron wants to speak with you tonight, he'll call. Otherwise, let them do their job and take care of Julie. I'm here. I can get into the system and give them any information they want. Camille is at Sycamore House if they want to talk to her. Handle your date and I'll let you know if there's anything else."
    She heard the car turn back off. "I'm sorry I was such a dope," he said. "I'll be fine. He's never going to believe this."
    "Who's that?" Polly asked.
    "Uh huh. Whatever. I'll talk to you later. Have you called Sal yet?"
    "No. You were my first call. I expected you to be the least crazy. If Sal ends up being the calm one about this, my world is upside down. You know that, right?"
    "Good luck with it. Call me later."
    "You won't still be on your date?"
    "Uhh. No. If it wasn't dead before now, this effectively killed it. Call me. Okay?"
    "I will."
    Lights came down the alley and Polly grinned at her phone. She was rescued from calling her friend. Stu Decker got out of his SUV and walked over to her.
    "I always look forward to spending time with you, Ms. Giller."
    "Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're a brat."
    He smiled at her, then turned serious. "Where is she?"
    Polly stood up and walked with him over to where the girl's body was, then backed away, knowing that he would want to get right to work. He knelt down on his haunches and took in the scene, then stood back up.
    "Did you see this stick?" he asked. "Do you know what it is?"
    She walked back over to him and looked to where he was pointing. A long walking stick, covered in blood, was tucked up against the girl's body.
    "I do," she said flatly. "It belongs to the man we just hired to run Sycamore Inn."

 
    CHAPTER EIGHT

     
    Even though she had tried, Polly's respite from the conversation with Sal didn't last long. Just after Henry came back, her phone rang.
    "What in the hell is going on?" Sal demanded.
    "There's been a murder," Polly said, as matter of factly as possible.
    "In my shop?"
    Technically, this wasn't inside the shop. "Well, not really," Polly said.
    "What exactly do you mean by 'not really'? Denis just called and said the place was crawling with Sheriff's vehicles. And he said that he saw you and Henry go inside. Are you still there?"
    She didn't want to point out the obvious. And maybe Sal wasn't quite as alert to Polly's superhero status as everyone else was, but she said, "There's been a murder. That means there was a dead body. So ... that means I'm here."
    "Was it inside the shop or not?"
    "Sal, honey. I think the first question you should probably ask is if we know the person. And yes, we do. It was Julie Smith."
    "Oh for god's sake, it's going to be known as the jinxed coffee shop. I can't believe this has happened again. I can't catch a break."
    "Salliane Judith Kahane, you stop talking right now and think about what you have just said to me," Polly said. "I can't believe you are being this self-centered when a young girl has been murdered. Get over yourself and start asking the right questions."
    The phone went dead and when Polly looked at it, she realized Sal had just hung up on her. Sometimes being that girl's friend was full-time work. They had known each other for over fifteen years and there were times it was more difficult than others.
    Aaron had walked over to stand beside her and asked, "We need to speak with Jeff Lyndsay, the woman you've hired to manage