Digging Up The Dirt

After An’gel explained, Dickce frowned but otherwise offered no objection to the meeting.

“Do you want to make a call on Mrs. Turnipseed before we go to the meeting?” Dickce asked.

“If I hear back from Kanesha in time and she has no objection,” An’gel replied. “I’m eager to talk to Mrs. Turnipseed.”

“I hope she’ll talk to you,” Benjy said. “From what Hadley said, though, she could be difficult.”

“We’ll have to try.” An’gel rose and picked up her phone. “Lunch should be ready soon. I’ll see you at the table.”

Peanut accompanied her down the stairs and would have followed her to the house, but Benjy called him back. He hesitated a moment, then trotted up the stairs. An’gel smiled as she closed the door behind her. Benjy had done a good job training the dog. An’gel wasn’t sure whether he had tried to train Endora. Somehow she didn’t think Endora would go along with any such attempts.

Her phone rang, and this time, An’gel was happy to see, the caller was Kanesha Berry. “Hello,” she said. “Thanks for returning my call.”

“My pleasure, Miss An’gel,” Kanesha said. “What can I do for you?” She listened without interruption while An’gel explained her plan.

“What do you think?” An’gel asked once she finished.

Kanesha didn’t respond for a moment. “Normally, I would ask you to leave this to me, but I am familiar with Mrs. Turnipseed. You’re right about her attitudes. I could send Bates, I suppose, but he can be pretty gruff with witnesses. I think under the circumstances it might be okay for you and Miss Dickce to try talking to her first.”

“Thank you,” An’gel said. “We will do our best not to make you regret your confidence in us.”

Kanesha chuckled, a rare sound. “I’m sure you will. Y’all take care now.”

An’gel thanked her and wished her a good day before she ended the call. She entered the house with her mind focused on the best approach to take with Mrs. Turnipseed when they found her.

When they left the house at twelve forty, An’gel declared that she would drive. In the car, she waited for Dickce to fasten her seat belt, and then she backed out of the garage.

When they reached the end of the driveway and An’gel prepared to turn onto the highway, Dickce spoke. “I looked up the address on a city map, and it’s not far from the square. Would you mind stopping at the bookstore for a minute so I can run in and pick up a book they’re holding for me?”

An’gel sighed. “I suppose not.” She preferred not to stop, but Dickce would get annoyed with her if they didn’t.

The bookstore occupied a space down the street from the point at which they entered the square. Traffic was heavy, and An’gel had to drive slowly.

Dickce clutched at her arm suddenly. “Look over there.”

“Where?” An’gel said.

“There, going into Helen Louise’s bistro.” Dickce pointed.

An’gel glanced over in time to see Hadley Partridge open the door and usher Arliss McGonigal inside. Then the car in front of them started moving, and An’gel had to switch her attention back to the street ahead of them.

Dickce giggled suddenly. “Oh, my, this is going to be interesting.”

“What?” An’gel said. With traffic moving she wasn’t going to look and risk running into the car in front of her. “What did you see now?”

“Barbie Gross just came out, carrying a box, and she looks peeved at something. Or someone.”

“You’re imagining things.” An’gel was happy to find an open parking spot right in front of the bookstore. She pulled into it.

“I’m not going to waste time arguing with you.” Dickce unbuckled her seat belt. “I’ll be back in a minute or two.” She slipped out of the car and shut the door.

An’gel watched as her sister entered the store. She thought about what Dickce said. An’gel knew what her sister was thinking, that Barbie was annoyed over the fact that Hadley and Arliss were going around together. Unless Hadley took turns squiring all of the garden club board members around, most of them were bound to be peeved at not getting attention from him.

For Pete’s sake, An’gel thought, we’re not in high school. We’re all old enough not to fall into these traps.

Dickce was as good as her word. She returned promptly to the car, book in hand. In a moment they were on their way to Mrs. Turnipseed’s house.

Dickce directed her to the right street, and not more than five minutes later they pulled up in front of the house. The neighborhood was an older one of smallish houses on large lots. The lawns all looked well-kept, except for that of Mrs. Turnipseed. The grass needed cutting, and the house could have used a fresh coat of paint, An’gel thought. The house looked unoccupied, and that worried her.

She and Dickce walked up to the front door, rang the bell, and waited.

CHAPTER 17

An’gel was about to ring the bell again when the door opened abruptly.