Miss Dimple Suspects (26 page)

Virginia reluctantly agreed, and Phoebe, who was expecting her grandson, Harrison, to call from Fort Benning that afternoon, was eager to get back home.

Although they drove so slowly a car behind them blew the horn and passed in a cloud of red dust, they saw no sign of Suzu Amaya on the road that led to Mae Martha Hawthorne’s.

“Oh, dear!” Virginia moaned as she turned for home. “I forgot I’m supposed to have supper for the young people at Epworth League tonight! I agreed to do it weeks ago and it’s too late to find anyone to take my place. I’m afraid I won’t be able to go with you to the bus station at five.”

Once a preacher’s wife, always a preacher’s wife,
Miss Dimple thought, although Virginia’s Albert had been dead for years. “I would imagine they’ve all eaten so much Christmas candy, they wouldn’t be hungry,” she said.

“I’ll go with you, Miss Dimple,” Annie volunteered, “and Charlie should know about this, too. I’ll call her when we get home.”

*   *   *

“This doesn’t sound good,” Charlie said when Annie told her what had happened. “Poor Suzy! I could just smack Mavis Kilgore! We’ve got to find her, Annie, before something terrible happens.”

“Overhearing what Mavis said, probably had something to do with it, but I think it’s more complicated than that. It’s more than likely Suzy’s been thinking about this for a while.”

“If she’s not at the bus station this afternoon, then what?” Charlie asked.

“I’m hoping we can find her
before
she gets there,” Annie said. “She’ll have to walk and we can keep an eye on the road between Mae Martha’s place and town. Maybe we can convince her to wait.”

But Suzy didn’t turn up at the Feed and Seed, and they didn’t see her walking along the road, although Charlie scouted the area in the family car until it got too dark to see.

“Your mother’s not going to be happy when she finds out how much gas we’ve used,” Annie reminded her. Charlie only laughed. “My mother will be unhappy all right, but only because we didn’t let her in on the reason we were using it.”

Phoebe had decided to remain behind, explaining that too many people would slow them down, and her presence might alarm Suzy, and Virginia was tied up serving hotdogs and baked beans to the young people at the Methodist church, so only Dimple and the two younger teachers kept watch across the street from Clyde Jefferies Feed and Seed.

“Well, so much for that,” Annie said as the bus pulled away without Suzy. She turned to Miss Dimple. “Should we take a chance on driving out to the Hawthorne place?”

Dimple sighed and adjusted her purple velvet hat. “I don’t see that we have any other option. It might be best, though, if we could drive without lights when we pass Esau Ingram’s place. I’d rather not be seen.”

“The Curtises must be back from their Christmas visit,” Charlie observed as they drove past their house. “I see lights on in the living room.”

“Have you thought they might have had something to do with our being locked in that shed?” Annie asked. “It would be easy for them to
claim
they were out of town when they were at home all the time.”

“I’ve wondered about that, too,” Miss Dimple said, “especially since I noticed mud stains on Stanley Curtis’s trousers on the day of Mrs. Hawthorne’s funeral. If you’ll remember, it was the same day Bill Pitts was killed.”

“But the mud was awful everywhere that day,” Charlie reminded her. “I almost ruined a good pair of shoes in the churchyard. And remember, Esau Ingram and his wife were feeding the Curtises’ animals, so they must’ve been away for a while at least.”

“Have you heard anything from the sheriff?” Annie asked Miss Dimple. “I wonder if he’s been able to locate Rebecca.”

“No word yet,” Dimple told her, “and I’ll admit, that concerns me. Too, I would think Isaac Ingram would surely be back by now from Atlanta, or wherever it was he went.”

“Well I hope we don’t run into any of them,” Charlie said as she turned onto the road leading to the Ingrams’ and dutifully switched off her headlights. “It’s a good thing there’s a moon tonight or we’d be in the ditch by now,” she added driving slowly.

“That’s all we need—to get stuck in a ditch!” Frowning, Annie leaned forward to see ahead. “Looks like Esau and Coralee are at home. There’s a light on in the back.… Oh, lordy, Charlie! Watch out for that possum, or raccoon, or whatever it was. You almost ran over it.”

“I think there’s a flashlight somewhere under the seat if you want to sit on the front fender and light the way,” Charlie snapped. Gripping the steering wheel, she squinted to see the road. “I’m driving in the dark, you know.”

Miss Dimple spoke calmly. “The road leading to the Hawthorne house is just ahead to your left. As soon as you turn, I believe it would be safe to turn on your lights.”

Thank God!
Charlie thought as the car bumped over ruts and fallen debris in the road, and they all gasped as the tires hit a slick spot, bringing them perilously close to the edge before the car righted itself.

It’s a good thing Virginia and Phoebe know where we are!
Charlie thought, and knew the others were probably thinking the same as they crept, rumbling, to the top of the hill. If Suzy had found refuge in Mae Martha’s cabin, she would surely hear them coming.

“I don’t see any light inside,” Annie observed, “but the electricity has probably been turned off.”

“In Suzy’s situation, I doubt if she would take a chance on using it, even if it weren’t,” Dimple reminded her. “The poor child’s probably terrified. Perhaps we should call out to her to let her know we’re here.”

Charlie pulled to a stop in the graveled area behind the house, and it was not until she stepped from the car that she realized she’d been holding her breath. The others joined her at the foot of the steps and they approached the back door together.

“Suzy!” Charlie called. “Please don’t be afraid … we’re friends!” She tried the door and wasn’t surprised to find it locked.

“Suzy!” Miss Dimple peered in the window glass. “Please open the door and let us in. All we want to do is talk.”

Charlie recognized the authority in her former teacher’s voice and knew that if she were in Suzy’s place she wouldn’t hesitate to come running. “Somebody’s been here,” she said. “I can see a pan on the stove, and it looks like the remains of a meal on the table.”
Good heavens! This sounded familiar. Would the three bears soon wander in from their walk in the woods?

“Wait a minute!” Annie shouted. “I see someone coming.”

The three stepped back and waited as a dark figure emerged from a back room and approached them. Charlie closed her eyes.
Please, God, let it be Suzy!

C
HAPTER
T
WENTY-FIVE

Charlie was surprised when the door opened and a figure wrapped in some sort of blanket hurled herself at Miss Dimple in a most un-Suzy-like show of emotion.

“Oh, thank goodness it’s you!” Suzy shouted. “It’s freezing in here, and dark … and I don’t know what to do!”

“That’s exactly why we’re here,” Miss Dimple said, and with a worried look examined the young woman’s tense face. “Why, Suzy, you’re trembling. Here, let’s sit down for a minute, then we’ll gather your things and take you back to Virginia’s.” Putting an arm around Suzy’s shoulders, she led her to a chair at the kitchen table and took a seat beside her. It was not like the competent young doctor to let her emotions get the better of her. There had to be another reason.

“It seems to be a little warmer in here,” Annie said, touching the stove. “Does the oven work? I see you’ve been using the burners.”

Suzy nodded, teeth chattering. “It’s liquid petroleum—comes in a tank, but it was getting low when Miss Mae Martha died and I don’t know how much is left.”

Miss Dimple patted her shoulder. “When we get back to Virginia’s we’ll warm you with a nice hot bowl of soup and some of my ginger mint tea.”

She was surprised when Suzy stubbornly shook her head. “I can’t do that, Miss Dimple. I’ve made up my mind now and I’m not going to change it. It wasn’t dark enough to walk into town to the bus station this afternoon, but I plan to try again in the morning before it gets light, and if things don’t work out for me in Atlanta, I’ll just have to take my chances with the police.”

“Then why not come back with us,” Annie suggested, “and if you still want to go, we’ll take you to the bus station in the morning?”

It was obvious to Dimple that the suggestion appealed to Suzy, as she seemed to brighten momentarily but continued to insist that she remain where she was. Branches scraped the side of the house in a sudden gust of wind and Suzy jumped at the noise and looked nervously over her shoulder.

“It’s all right,” Miss Dimple assured her calmly. “It’s only the wind.” She paused, and spoke softly. “What is it, Suzy? What’s frightening you?”

Suzy lowered her gaze, making fists of her fingers. “It’s nothing.… I’m just tired. I’ll be fine, really.” She refused to look at Miss Dimple, who continued to watch her in silence. “Something else is troubling you, dear,” she said. “Won’t you tell us what it is?”

Suzy was quiet for a moment and when she looked up, tears filled her eyes and made glistening pathways down her cheeks. “I think there’s somebody here,” she whispered. “They were here before I came—I could tell—and they haven’t left. I can hear them.”

“Where?” Miss Dimple rose quickly to her feet. “Where do you hear them? Show us.”

Suzy looked at the floor and shuddered. “Down there. I think someone’s down there … in the basement.”

“I wasn’t aware there was a basement,” Miss Dimple said. “Is there access from inside the house?”

“There are stairs at the end of the hallway between the two bedrooms, but I never went down there as there wasn’t any need.” Suzy dried her eyes on Miss Dimple’s handkerchief and tugged the blanket closer around her. “I noticed some dishes left out on the table but I thought they might’ve been left there by one of the nephews or Coralee when they came to pack up some of Mrs. Hawthorne’s things.” She paused in an attempt to regain her composure. “It’s so bleak here without her—so lonely! Miss Mae Martha … she made everything come alive in real life as much as she did in her paintings. What kind of person would do that to her?”

“A greedy one, I think,” Miss Dimple said, “and obviously someone without much of a conscience. I believe you might be in real danger here, Suzy. I wouldn’t advise you to stay in this house alone.”

“I think we should notify the police,” Annie said with an eye on the door to the hallway. “It might just be a tramp or somebody who knew the house was vacant, but you certainly can’t stay here like this.”

“But I can’t tell the police! You know I can’t.” Suzy stood, casting aside the blanket.

“Then you might be the next victim.” Miss Dimple’s voice was even. “Is that the chance you want to take? Come back with us, Suzy, and let’s talk about this.”

“Wait a minute,” Charlie whispered, listening for any noise below. “I think I know who that is down there.” She looked from Miss Dimple to Annie. “Rebecca Wyatt hasn’t been seen since that fire in her shed. Do you think she might’ve come here?”

Suzy frowned. “Why would she do that?”

“I believe she’s afraid,” Miss Dimple said.

“Well, that makes two of us! Do you know if she was wearing a shawl?” Suzy asked, moving into the next room. She held up a blue knitted shawl that had been draped across a chair by the fireplace. “Does this look familiar?”

Annie glanced at Miss Dimple. “It looks like the one she had on, but I’m not sure.”

“This is Rebecca’s,” Miss Dimple said, examining the shawl. “I remember the green-striped trim.”

“I know it wasn’t here the day I left to gather greenery,” Suzy said, “the day Miss Mae Martha was killed … If only I’d come back sooner!”

“Suzy.” Miss Dimple’s voice was kind but firm. “Don’t allow ‘if onlies’ into your life. They do no good and they’ll smother you if you let them.

“Now, how do you suppose Rebecca got inside? There must be an entrance to the basement from the outside.”

Suzy nodded. “There’s a door around the side near the porch, and I doubt if it was ever locked. She must’ve gotten in that way and entered the house through the basement stairs.”

Annie glanced at the stand on the hearth that had once held the poker that became a weapon. “Do you think Rebecca was the one who killed Mrs. Hawthorne?” she asked Suzy.

“I don’t know but I can’t imagine why. I didn’t know Rebecca—never even saw her.” Suzy shivered as the wind swept dry twigs and leaves across the porch behind her. “It seems so desolate here without Miss Mae Martha!”

“If Rebecca killed Mrs. Hawthorne, she probably set fire to that shed with us in it,” Charlie said.

Miss Dimple shook her head. “I’ve thought about that, but I don’t believe she did. When Rebecca helped us out of that burning shed I noticed some tools tossed aside on the grass that hadn’t been there before—the kind of tools one might use to repair a barbed-wire fence.”

“That’s right,” Charlie said. “I remember her saying something about finding it broken and going down in the pasture to mend it.”

“That doesn’t mean she didn’t lock us in and start the fire,” Annie pointed out. “She might’ve been there all the time … watching us … waiting.”

“Then why would she have fence-mending tools with her?” Miss Dimple asked. “I think she must have dropped them there in order to run to the barrel for water.” She raised her voice as she stood in the door of the hallway. “
And
I believe she’s afraid for her life.

“Suzy, I urge you to come with us
now
. It’s not safe to remain here any longer.” Dimple turned and started for the door.

“We can’t get out of here soon enough for me!” Annie said.

“Or me!” Charlie echoed. “Suzy?” She paused to look over her shoulder. And Suzy folded the blanket she’d been wearing, laid it over the back of the sofa, and silently followed the others.

The four of them filed through the kitchen and had almost reached the back door when someone called, “Wait!” and they turned to see Rebecca Wyatt behind them.