The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree

“Okay,” Myra May said. “I’ll ring you back.”


Charlie was at the office, working on Friday’s paper. Yes, he had made a note of the Pontiac’s license plate. Give him a minute and he’d hunt it up. There was the sound of papers rustling. A moment later, Lizzy had her answer. She wrote it down as Charlie read it out of his notebook.

“How come you’re askin’, Lizzy?” Charlie wanted to know.

“Just tying up a couple of loose ends,” Lizzy said evasively.

“Hey, wait a minute,” Charlie said. “If there’s something important here—”

“Thanks a lot, Charlie. See you soon.” She hung up and went back to the table. “It’s the same,” she said, sitting down at the table. “Alabama 10-654. So it is the same car, Verna.”

Verna picked up the photograph and studied it. “Which means that Bunny knew the owner of the car she died in.”

“And she knew him pretty well,” Lizzy put in. “You don’t strip down to your underwear to pose for just anybody.” She paused. “I wonder when this was taken.”

“Not too long ago, I’d guess,” Verna said. “Had to be a warm day.” She pointed to the photograph. “That’s a man taking the picture. You can see his shadow. Looks like he’s wearing a fedora.”

“That doesn’t help,” Lizzy said. “Lots of men wear fedoras. Grady, for instance.” She frowned. “The sheriff said that the car belonged to Mr. Harper’s brother, over in Monroeville. That must be the connection.”

“Makes sense,” Verna said. “But what I don’t understand is why—”

The phone rang and Lizzy got up. “Probably Myra May.”

It was. “Lizzy, do you know anything about Imogene Rutledge?”

“Wait a minute,” Lizzy said, listening for clicks on the line. There were none so she went on, with a little laugh. “Miss Rutledge? Well, all I know is that a lot of people breathed a sigh of relief when she left the bank last year. She had a habit of telling people what they didn’t want to hear, I guess. Why are you asking?”

“Because I’m trying to think who else—besides Alice Ann—might have been taking money from the bank. If you still want to go to Monroeville tomorrow evenin’, I’ll be glad to drive—if we can spend some time checking out Imogene Rutledge. She lives over there now, with her mother.”

“It’s okay with me,” Lizzy said, “although I hope you’re not planning to walk straight up to her and ask her if she’s an embezzler. She’ll tell you where to get off.”

There was a silence on the other end of the line. “I’ll think of a way,” Myra May muttered. “So we’re goin’ to drive over there and poke around?”

“If you’re agreeable. Oh, and could you do a couple of things for me? Telephone-operator type things? Remember last night when we were playing hearts and Verna was telling us about Maxwell Woodburn, the guy who might be Bunny’s pen pal? One of the girls at Mrs. Brewster’s told Verna that she thought this fellow lived in Montgomery. Could you find a telephone number for him?”

“Great idea!” Verna applauded from the table. “Wish I’d thought of it.”

“Sure, I can do that,” Myra May said. “Let me write that down. Maxwell Wood-b-u-r-n?”

“Right. And also, last night you mentioned that the Pontiac that Bunny Scott is supposed to have stolen belonged to Fred Harper’s brother.”

“He lives in Monroeville, too,” Myra May said. “He’s a dentist.”

“Could you get a phone number for him?”

“And an address,” Verna put in.

“Verna says we need an address, too,” Lizzy repeated.

“What’s all this about?” Myra May asked.

There was a click on the line. “Lizzy, could I break in?” Mrs. Freeman asked, in her old-lady’s quivery voice. “Myra May, I need to get hold of Mr. Lima at home, quick. Howard’s stomach is real bad again, and Doc Roberts is here. He says Howard has to have some new medicine and wants to tell Mr. Lima which one to order.”

“Mr. Lima isn’t at home, Mrs. Freeman,” Lizzy said. “He and Mrs. Lima drove down to Mobile this morning, on a little vacation. There’s a sign on the drugstore door that says it’s closed.”

“Actually,” Myra May put in, “they drove on to Pensacola. Mr. Lima telephoned his sister not twenty minutes ago to let her know where they were.” She sounded apologetic. “He says they plan to stay for a week, at least. Mrs. Lima wants to sit on the beach.”