brisk wind had picked up earlier in the afternoon and she buttoned her coat a little higher as dry leaves swirled in its wake. “Why would Miss Dimple leave a note saying she was going to be with her sister if she doesn’t have one?” Charlie said as they hurried the few blocks to town. “And why didn’t she tell anybody she was leaving?”
“Beats me. Maybe she was referring to a sister-in-law or a stepsister. Wherever she is, I wish she’d hurry back! I don’t think I can stand another day of Alma’s racket.” Annie groaned. “Poor Froggie’s tried just about everybody in town to find somebody to replace her. I heard he even plans to advertise in the newspapers.”
She paused as they neared Lewellyn’s Drugstore. “Don’t look now, but I think we’re being followed.” Annie lowered her voice. “Willie Elrod’s been behind us since we left Phoebe’s. I think he has a crush on you.”
Charlie looked behind her in time to see the boy dart into a store front. “Hello, Willie!” she called. “Is that you?”
The child emerged just long enough to hold a hand to his lips and wave her away.
“Probably some kind of game,” Annie said, laughing. “Okay if we run in here for a minute? I want to see if they have that new lipstick in.” But Charlie continued walking as if she didn’t hear her.
Annie, noticing she didn’t follow, hurried to catch up with her. “Charlie! Wait up! Didn’t you hear me?” She grinned. “Or are you in just too much of a hurry to see Jesse Dean?”
Jesse Dean Greeson helped stock shelves and deliver groceries for Cooper’s Grocery and it was obvious that he had a crush on Charlie. He had a prominent Adam’s apple, wore gold-rimmed glasses with lenses thick enough to distinguish planets, and was so pale it was hard to tell where his face stopped and his fair hair began. Charlie felt sorry for Jesse Dean and made an effort to be kind to him because he was 4-F on account of his eyes, which made him ineligible for the service and he was sometimes taunted by others.
“Sorry. I was thinking about something Miss Dimple said. Guess I wasn’t listening.”
“About what? Do you think it might be important?” Annie asked.
“It was the day they found Christmas Malone and we were all waiting in Lily’s classroom. Remember? You said something about Christmas ringing the bell to summon help, and Miss Dimple said maybe he was trying to warn us.”
Annie frowned. “Warn us? Warn us about what?”
“I don’t know,” Charlie said. “But thinking about it makes me wonder about something else. What was Christmas doing up there in the storage closet that early in the morning? It’s used mainly to store props and things for school assemblies and Alice Brady’s expression recitals. I don’t think he ever goes—went—in there.”
“You’re right. He usually started by stoking the furnace and worked his way up. If he wanted to summon help, he could’ve used the phone in the office or even rung the bell from in there.” Annie shrugged. “Well, we’ll never know now. Come on, let’s go get a Co-Cola and think about something else.”
C HAPTER S IX
Virginia Balliew locked the door of the library behind her and wondered what she would have for supper. There was the last of the meat loaf, of course, but she was tired of meat loaf, and it was monotonous having to cook for one. Albert had been gone almost four years now, and although he had been a bit prosaic, he was a kind man and good. She missed him. And Dimple! What on earth had happened to Dimple? Surely someone must know something by now. Really, it was quite frustrating! If her friend were here, she could invite her to share her meal, as she often did.
And even though it was two blocks out of her way, Virginia turned up the street by Phoebe Chadwick’s rooming house where, according to his mother, the child Willie claimed he had seen Dimple Kilpatrick abducted. The evening shadows were deepening as she crossed
“Beats me. Maybe she was referring to a sister-in-law or a stepsister. Wherever she is, I wish she’d hurry back! I don’t think I can stand another day of Alma’s racket.” Annie groaned. “Poor Froggie’s tried just about everybody in town to find somebody to replace her. I heard he even plans to advertise in the newspapers.”
She paused as they neared Lewellyn’s Drugstore. “Don’t look now, but I think we’re being followed.” Annie lowered her voice. “Willie Elrod’s been behind us since we left Phoebe’s. I think he has a crush on you.”
Charlie looked behind her in time to see the boy dart into a store front. “Hello, Willie!” she called. “Is that you?”
The child emerged just long enough to hold a hand to his lips and wave her away.
“Probably some kind of game,” Annie said, laughing. “Okay if we run in here for a minute? I want to see if they have that new lipstick in.” But Charlie continued walking as if she didn’t hear her.
Annie, noticing she didn’t follow, hurried to catch up with her. “Charlie! Wait up! Didn’t you hear me?” She grinned. “Or are you in just too much of a hurry to see Jesse Dean?”
Jesse Dean Greeson helped stock shelves and deliver groceries for Cooper’s Grocery and it was obvious that he had a crush on Charlie. He had a prominent Adam’s apple, wore gold-rimmed glasses with lenses thick enough to distinguish planets, and was so pale it was hard to tell where his face stopped and his fair hair began. Charlie felt sorry for Jesse Dean and made an effort to be kind to him because he was 4-F on account of his eyes, which made him ineligible for the service and he was sometimes taunted by others.
“Sorry. I was thinking about something Miss Dimple said. Guess I wasn’t listening.”
“About what? Do you think it might be important?” Annie asked.
“It was the day they found Christmas Malone and we were all waiting in Lily’s classroom. Remember? You said something about Christmas ringing the bell to summon help, and Miss Dimple said maybe he was trying to warn us.”
Annie frowned. “Warn us? Warn us about what?”
“I don’t know,” Charlie said. “But thinking about it makes me wonder about something else. What was Christmas doing up there in the storage closet that early in the morning? It’s used mainly to store props and things for school assemblies and Alice Brady’s expression recitals. I don’t think he ever goes—went—in there.”
“You’re right. He usually started by stoking the furnace and worked his way up. If he wanted to summon help, he could’ve used the phone in the office or even rung the bell from in there.” Annie shrugged. “Well, we’ll never know now. Come on, let’s go get a Co-Cola and think about something else.”
C HAPTER S IX
Virginia Balliew locked the door of the library behind her and wondered what she would have for supper. There was the last of the meat loaf, of course, but she was tired of meat loaf, and it was monotonous having to cook for one. Albert had been gone almost four years now, and although he had been a bit prosaic, he was a kind man and good. She missed him. And Dimple! What on earth had happened to Dimple? Surely someone must know something by now. Really, it was quite frustrating! If her friend were here, she could invite her to share her meal, as she often did.
And even though it was two blocks out of her way, Virginia turned up the street by Phoebe Chadwick’s rooming house where, according to his mother, the child Willie claimed he had seen Dimple Kilpatrick abducted. The evening shadows were deepening as she crossed
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