The Darling Dahlias and the Silver Dollar Bush

“She was delighted, all right,” the doctor said. “She told me she thought it would add years to George’s life. But when it began to look like the sale had fallen through—” He let out his breath.

Mr. Moseley nodded. “George took that hard, especially when Duffy ordered the deposits frozen and the bank closed. He knew what a blow that was to the bank’s depositors. He felt responsible, you know. And then there was the death threat, the vandals, the vandalism—and Delta Charter’s decision to pull out. I guess I’m not surprised that his ticker finally quit.”

Lizzy had known about the sale of the bank from snatches of conversation in Mr. Moseley’s office. But she had never guessed that Mrs. Johnson might have been urging her husband to sell, or that the bank and its problems might have had such a terrible impact on Mr. Johnson’s health. He had always seemed so robust, so confident, so fully in charge.

“Delta Charter is actually backing out, then?” Dr. Roberts asked, frowning. “Puts Darling in one helluva situation, doesn’t it?”

“You’re right about that, Doc. And yes, they’re out, according to Duffy. He was trying to put together a deal with a Florida bank but that fell through, too. When George heard the news, it might have been the last straw. If Duffy can’t come up with a buyer—”

The doctor took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat off his forehead. “If the bank is finished, virtually every business in town will be bankrupt. Overnight.”

Mr. Moseley nodded. “It’s likely that some sort of federal deposit insurance bill will make it through Congress in the next six weeks. But that will come too late to save Darling. To be honest, Doc, I’m not optimistic.”

“Well, back to this sad business.” Dr. Roberts pocketed his handkerchief and cast a look at the figure on the sofa. “I understand that Voleen has gone to Montgomery. Do you want to call her with the news or shall I?”

“I’ll do it,” Mr. Moseley said with a sigh. “I’ve got her sister’s number. And there are some things she’ll want to discuss. She depended on George for nearly everything. This is going to be hard.”

“I hope she’ll be able to keep this house,” Dr. Roberts said heavily. “Things being the way they are, you never know.”

Lizzy was shocked. The Johnsons had always been looked up to as the pinnacle of Darling society. What would happen to Mrs. Johnson if the house had to be sold? What would she do? Where would she go?

Sally-Lou opened the library door and put her head in. “Mr. Dickens is at the front door and wants to come in. He say he here to do an interview with Mr. Johnson.”

“Send him in, Sally-Lou,” Mr. Moseley said.

A moment later, Charlie Dickens was standing in the doorway. Mr. Moseley went up to him. “Scratch the interview,” he said. “I’m afraid you’re doing an obituary.”





FIFTEEN


Mr. Duffy Follows a Trail of Dollars



Alvin Duffy left the diner and headed straight to Pete’s Pool Parlor, a ramshackle frame building across the street and down the block from Mann’s Mercantile. The board siding hadn’t seen paint in the last decade, the metal roof was rusted, and the front window—the only window—was grimy with dust and dirt.