The Darling Dahlias and the Confederate Rose

“Fifteen thousand!” Lizzy pretended astonishment.

Coretta held up her hand and hurried on. “The county commissioners are putting the thumbscrews on Mr. Scroggins to find out where that money went. They’re telling him he’s got to get it back fast, too—he’s the treasurer now, so it’s his responsibility. Mr. Scroggins has convinced himself that Verna took it. He talked Mr. Johnson at the bank into letting him have a peek at Verna’s savings account, which he says has ten thousand dollars in it. He told Sheriff Burns to go to Judge McHenry and get a warrant. Verna is going to be arrested as soon as the sheriff locates her. He says once he’s got her in custody, she’ll have a chance to explain herself.”

Lizzy chewed on her lower lip. Ten thousand dollars was a fortune! Where on God’s sweet green earth had Verna gotten that much money? She had no income other than her job and no property other than her house, and she’d used her husband’s life insurance to pay off the mortgage. Her family had been dirt poor, and none of them were left. Why, if she didn’t know Verna as well as she did, she herself might suspect that—

She shook her head. No, of course not. That was out of the question. Verna wouldn’t. She simply wouldn’t. Not under any circumstance.

Lizzy took a breath. “I guess I don’t understand why you’re telling me all this,” she said quietly. “Or why you care, Coretta. From what I’ve heard, there’s no love lost between you and Verna. I’d think you’d be just as happy if she got into some serious trouble. So why are you—”

“No love lost is right,” Coretta broke in, her sharp face hardening. “And I’ll be the first to say that, in the normal way of things, I’d be just as glad to see Verna Tidwell taken down a peg or two. She is one smart cookie, but she is the very worst supervisor I have ever worked for.” The words were coming out fast now, as if Coretta had been thinking about this for a while. “She acts like you already know what you’re supposed to be doing, and when she wants something done, she tells you really fast. She doesn’t give you time to ask questions, and then she gets mad when you don’t get it right the first time. She hates mistakes, and once you’ve made one, she figures you’ll make more, which of course you do.”

Lizzy winced. Coretta’s description might be a little harsh, but it was accurate enough. Verna had high expectations of herself and everybody else, and she didn’t tolerate mistakes. She was not the world’s best teacher, especially if you were a slow learner.

Coretta wasn’t finished. “But when it comes to money, I’ve got to say this for Verna. She is totally and completely honest. She is so honest, it would make you sick. And as for keeping track, she cannot rest until she knows where every single penny is and what it’s doing there. The county’s bank accounts were a total mess when Verna inherited them, and trying to figure out what’s what has literally given her nightmares.” She paused for emphasis. “Somebody must have taken that fifteen thousand dollars, Liz, since it’s gone. Or at least, that’s what the auditor says, and his report shows it, I guess. But I just can’t believe it was Verna who took it.”

“I see,” Lizzy said, and waited.

“And there’s something else.” Coretta’s eyes narrowed. “If Verna is made to look like the guilty party, the guilty party will get away with murder.”

“Murder?” Lizzy asked, startled. She immediately thought of the inexplicable death of Mr. DeYancy, the former treasurer, who had died (or so the coroner said) of alcohol poisoning. “Murder?”

“In a manner of speaking, that is,” Coretta said hastily. “What somebody is getting away with is fifteen thousand dollars of the taxpayers’ money, which is a huge amount of money. If we don’t do something about it, Verna will get the blame and somebody else will get a potful of money.” She leaned forward. “I for one don’t think it’s fair. It’s just plain wrong for them to do Verna like that. And I think I know what can be done about it.”

Lizzy frowned, not quite believing what she was hearing. “Let me get this straight. You’re saying that you’ve come up with a way to help Verna out of the jam she’s in?”

“That’s right,” Coretta said, lifting her chin. “But I can’t do it by myself. I’m going to need help.”