visit the Five and Dime to gossip.” Opal held up her hand. “Speaking of which, we can’t waste time talking. We don’t know how long it will take to find what we’re looking for and we have a lot of territory to cover. We need to go over this place with a fine-toothed comb.”
“Might be easier to just use our fingers.”
It took a minute to figure out what Pearl was talking about. “If anything looks suspicious, give us a shout. We’ll vote on whether or not it’s anything significant. We may be Johnny B’s only hope of freedom.”
“What makes you think so?” Pearl asked.
“If Oscar’s wife had something to do with his death then we need to know so Sheriff Littleton can look at all options before booking Johnny. There must be a reason why Oscar’s wife suddenly decided to shop with us so soon after his death.”
“I thought about that on the way over,” Pearl said. “I sat with Clarence at the Bingo Bonanza and –”
“Pearl, please say you didn’t tell him we were sneaking out.” Mary Louise held her breath. With Pearl, anything was possible.
She looked sheepish. “He didn’t know we were sneaking out.”
“Pearl.” Opal deadpanned.
“Okay so I might have told him we were headed over here to unpack a shipment. It’s not like I said we were looking for a murder weapon.”
“Only because you forgot about that small detail.” Thank goodness.
“We’re looking for clues,” Mary Louise said, wishing she didn’t sound like one of those amateur sleuths on the Days of Mystery Channel. “And we won’t find them sitting on our tails.”
“Up and at ‘em, girls,” Opal said. “Let’s start in the back and work our way to the front. No stone left unturned. All rocks pushed aside. We have to sweep the shop thoroughly.”
Pearl hurried to the storeroom. She returned with dustpan and broom. “Ready when you are.”
“What are you doing?”
“You heard her. She said we have to sweep.”
“I meant…” Opal stopped abruptly and moved her lips, apparently cursing under her breath. “Tell you what. I’ll grab the broom and you find the records in the attic.”
Pearl jumped once, grabbed the string on the pull-down stairs, and watched as they unfolded before her. “That’s a better idea since I know the date we’re looking for. Besides, my hips are small and I can fit up there without bumping against anything.”
Mary Louise groaned. “Guess we both deserved that.”
“No, that was for Opal. She’s in one of her moods tonight.”
Pearl crawled up the ladder and Opal said, “Anything else you may have mentioned to Clarence?”
Pearl looked down at them. “Why? Is he a suspect?”
“Of course not,” Opal replied.
Pearl’s gaze met Mary Louise’s and she quickly said, “I don’t think so either but we don’t want anyone at the retirement community looking for us.”
“Well in that case, I’d better tell you the rest of it.” Pearl carefully turned around and sat on one of the steps. “I might have casually mentioned that Mrs. Jackson’s death was good for business. I told him that the shop had never been busier.”
Opal screeched. “Please tell me you didn’t.”
“I did. It was the polite thing to do so I said we appreciated her death business as much as we had appreciated her lifetime of loyalty.”
Mary Louise closed her eyes. Pearl had gotten worse as she’d grown older. Whatever came to mind flew out of her mouth without so much as a hitch.
“It was a real compliment, I thought. Clarence did too. He even mentioned how long it took to reach our checkout counter that day—March19 th —and how everyone was so nice to remember Samantha with their gifts and flowers.”
“So he suspects we’re looking into Oscar’s death, I take it?” Mary Louise had hoped they could keep that little tidbit quiet. They weren’t exactly officers of the law and they certainly didn’t have any credentials to suggest they were capable of solving a mystery,
“Might be easier to just use our fingers.”
It took a minute to figure out what Pearl was talking about. “If anything looks suspicious, give us a shout. We’ll vote on whether or not it’s anything significant. We may be Johnny B’s only hope of freedom.”
“What makes you think so?” Pearl asked.
“If Oscar’s wife had something to do with his death then we need to know so Sheriff Littleton can look at all options before booking Johnny. There must be a reason why Oscar’s wife suddenly decided to shop with us so soon after his death.”
“I thought about that on the way over,” Pearl said. “I sat with Clarence at the Bingo Bonanza and –”
“Pearl, please say you didn’t tell him we were sneaking out.” Mary Louise held her breath. With Pearl, anything was possible.
She looked sheepish. “He didn’t know we were sneaking out.”
“Pearl.” Opal deadpanned.
“Okay so I might have told him we were headed over here to unpack a shipment. It’s not like I said we were looking for a murder weapon.”
“Only because you forgot about that small detail.” Thank goodness.
“We’re looking for clues,” Mary Louise said, wishing she didn’t sound like one of those amateur sleuths on the Days of Mystery Channel. “And we won’t find them sitting on our tails.”
“Up and at ‘em, girls,” Opal said. “Let’s start in the back and work our way to the front. No stone left unturned. All rocks pushed aside. We have to sweep the shop thoroughly.”
Pearl hurried to the storeroom. She returned with dustpan and broom. “Ready when you are.”
“What are you doing?”
“You heard her. She said we have to sweep.”
“I meant…” Opal stopped abruptly and moved her lips, apparently cursing under her breath. “Tell you what. I’ll grab the broom and you find the records in the attic.”
Pearl jumped once, grabbed the string on the pull-down stairs, and watched as they unfolded before her. “That’s a better idea since I know the date we’re looking for. Besides, my hips are small and I can fit up there without bumping against anything.”
Mary Louise groaned. “Guess we both deserved that.”
“No, that was for Opal. She’s in one of her moods tonight.”
Pearl crawled up the ladder and Opal said, “Anything else you may have mentioned to Clarence?”
Pearl looked down at them. “Why? Is he a suspect?”
“Of course not,” Opal replied.
Pearl’s gaze met Mary Louise’s and she quickly said, “I don’t think so either but we don’t want anyone at the retirement community looking for us.”
“Well in that case, I’d better tell you the rest of it.” Pearl carefully turned around and sat on one of the steps. “I might have casually mentioned that Mrs. Jackson’s death was good for business. I told him that the shop had never been busier.”
Opal screeched. “Please tell me you didn’t.”
“I did. It was the polite thing to do so I said we appreciated her death business as much as we had appreciated her lifetime of loyalty.”
Mary Louise closed her eyes. Pearl had gotten worse as she’d grown older. Whatever came to mind flew out of her mouth without so much as a hitch.
“It was a real compliment, I thought. Clarence did too. He even mentioned how long it took to reach our checkout counter that day—March19 th —and how everyone was so nice to remember Samantha with their gifts and flowers.”
“So he suspects we’re looking into Oscar’s death, I take it?” Mary Louise had hoped they could keep that little tidbit quiet. They weren’t exactly officers of the law and they certainly didn’t have any credentials to suggest they were capable of solving a mystery,
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