Poppy's Fall

Chapter 17

It was dark when she stood just to the side of the door waiting for the one person she wanted to talk to.  She pulled up her hood over her head as the rain tapered to a drizzle and retreated a little more into the darkness when the door opened.

    "He has such a voice to him." One woman said to another as they left the pub.  

    Poppy knew they were talking about Shaun.  The women weren’t wrong, the man had everything going for him which made her wonder why he was single.  Then again, she had seen how much of a flirt he was and while he was a dream to look at, he was not boyfriend material.

    Not wanting to miss what she had come to Dunne's for, Poppy shook her head from thoughts of Shaun. She watched and waited as the last person left the pub, then slipped in just before the door closed again.

    "Oh Poppy!" Fiona jumped and placed a hand to her heart.  "You gave me a fright."

    "That wasn't my intention." Poppy glanced around but it seemed they were alone.

    "I'm afraid we're closed for the evening." Fiona told Poppy then stopped to look at her more closely.  "Are you alright?"

    Poppy nodded. "Yes, I was just wondering if I could talk to you for a moment."

    "Is it Ellie?" Fiona asked.

    "No, I was wondering..." She couldn't quite bring herself to say it.  Poppy didn't want to upset the dark-haired woman.  She liked to think they had become friends and she didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize that.

    Fiona closed and locked the door then turned to Poppy.  "You were wondering about Ryan."

                                                                                    ***

    Mrs. Callaghan observed the dark figure open and close the door of the B & B.  The old woman smiled weakly when the umbrella lowered to reveal Ellie. 

    “Oh hi, Mrs. Callaghan.” Ellie shook her bright pink umbrella then leaned it against the wall by the coat rack. 

    “She’s not up there.” Mrs. Callaghan spoke up just as Ellie put one foot on the first step.

    Ellie turned slowly, somehow knowing this wasn’t going to be good news.  “What do you mean she’s not up there?”

    “Some time today,” Mrs. Callaghan explained while wringing her hands around the dish cloth she was holding. “Poppy cleaned out her room and I haven’t the faintest idea where she went.”

    Mrs. Callaghan moved to Ellie and guided the poor girl to the kitchen.  There, she sat an obviously shocked Ellie at the table and went about preparing a hot cup of chamomile tea.

    “Mrs. Calla…” Ellie started but couldn’t finish. 

    Gone?  Of course, they had had some arguments and misunderstandings but they had been fine during these last few days.  Hadn’t they?  Why would Poppy leave without saying anything? 

    Mrs. Callaghan placed a lovely pale-yellow cup in front of Ellie and shook her head. “I truly don’t know why she left or where she went.  Although my guess would be home?”

    “She didn’t leave a note?” Ellie searched the older woman’s face but was disappointed when she just shook her head again.

     “You’re welcome to go up and see for yourself.” Mrs. Callaghan dipped a shortbread cookie in her tea.  “There’s a possibility I could have missed something.”

    Ellie finished her tea and did just as Mrs. Callaghan suggested.  When she got upstairs, she slowly opened Poppy’s door, which had been her own room previously.  Memories of video chatting with her best friend came rushing back followed by a sudden wave of guilt.  Poppy had been there for her when it mattered most and she hadn’t been there for her.  As a matter of fact, she had judged, chastised and not listened to a word her friend had been trying to tell her.  Ellie had had her own agenda, one that would mean the possibility of having Poppy moving to Ireland if all went according to her plan. 

    Ellie sat herself on the edge of the bed feeling like a downright shitty friend.  Yes, she wanted Poppy to be happy, but trying to make something happen with Shaun would have made Ellie happy and that, Ellie concluded, was the most selfish thing she had ever tried to do.

    After a thorough search of the room Ellie determined there really wasn’t anything there.  No note, no code…nothing.  Maybe Poppy had been taken against her will and hadn’t had time to leave any clue.  What did they really know about Ryan anyway?  But Ellie couldn’t make herself believe this.  She somehow knew Ryan would never do anything to hurt Poppy.  He was a complete gentleman and finally admitted he was exactly what her friend needed.

    She left the B & B with a wave to Mrs. Callaghan and a heavy heart then made her way down to the pub. 

                                                                                     ***

     “You didn’t tell her?” Aileen sat herself down in her usual spot at the table.

     “I think I should keep out of it for the time being.” Mrs. Callaghan had thought it through.  She had found the number of the car rental company in Poppy’s room and was going to ask Ellie about it when the slim blonde came by.  But then seeing as how Ellie didn’t even know Poppy had left, she decided to keep that piece of information to herself.  If Poppy wanted Ellie, or anyone else, to know where she had gone, she would have told them.

    The old woman also decided to keep mum on the phone call she had overheard Poppy make the previous night as well.  She had clearly been upset with whoever was on the receiving end, or at least with whatever they were saying to her.

     “Is that wise?” Patricia asked then gave a side glance to Aileen.  Not only had she gotten her hair dyed black again but her eyebrows as well.  Quite frankly looked like a pair of caterpillars having a rest over top of her eyes.  Poor woman would need an intervention soon, her natural color would suit her so much better.

    Mrs. Callaghan placed her new mint green tea pot in the middle of the table and nodded.  “I don’t believe she’s left for home and if that’s the case I think we should let Poppy sort things out for herself.”

    “And what if she doesn’t?” Aileen poured herself a cup then reached for the milk.  “Do we just stand here and watch her walk away from young McCarthy?”

    “We can’t!” Patricia interjected

     Mrs. Callaghan shook her head. “No, we can’t.”

     “Then what do we do?” Aileen helped herself to a cheddar cheese scone, freshly baked that morning.

     “We do what we do best.” Mrs. Callaghan gave Aileen a pointed look.  “We find out everything we can and then interfere when it becomes clear they can’t figure it out for themselves.”

     Patricia bobbed her head to the plan.  “I know Darci who works at the car rental, I should be able to get some information from her.”

     “I’ll ring up Meara Sheehan.” Aileen stood to place her cup in the sink.  “She’s constantly at her window and will know which way our Poppy went.”

     “In the meantime, I’ll see if I can ring up Poppy’s assistant and find out what I can there.” Mrs. Callaghan gathered the remaining scones to put away.  She then sent her oldest friends on their missions and went about her own.