Read Online Miss Dimple Disappears by Mignon F. Ballard - Free Book Online
Authors: Mignon F. Ballard
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mother-in-law?”
“Huh!” Charlie said and concentrated on fishing the ice from the bottom of her glass. She’d first noticed Hugh Brumlow when he sold her a pair of fire-engine-red sandals when she was sixteen. He was working in the store during a summer break from college and Charlie had saved her money for the shoes from a part-time job helping out at the library.
Now that all seemed very long ago. Hugh still took care of orders and shipping and kept the shelves stocked with fabric and clothing—at least when he could get them—but with the current shortages and rationing, none of the stores had anything like their prewar inventories. And the red sandals had rubbed painful blisters on her feet. Now, even if Hugh did propose tonight, Charlie wasn’t sure what her answer would be.
* * *
The two parted a few minutes later as Annie wanted to get a letter off to her brother, Joel. Annie corresponded with him faithfully as she did with Will and several others who were serving with the armed forces. Charlie wrote every week to Fain and kept up a steady correspondence with some of her high school classmates as well, plus a few of the men she had dated in college. She was particularly concerned about a friend of her brother’s, who, in August, had landed with the marines on Guadalcanal. Just about all the young men she knew had either enlisted, been drafted, or were waiting to be.
A short way down the block she spied Willie Elrod dodging behind a poster in front of the picture show and tried hard not to laugh when he peeked slyly over the top and quickly withdrew his head.
“Come out, come out wherever you are!” Charlie called, pausing until the boy showed himself. “What are you doing down here, Willie? Does your mother know where you are?”
“Yes’m, I guess so. She sent me to get her a spool of thread at the dime store.”
“And did you?” Charlie asked.
Willie shrugged. “No’me. Not yet.”
“Well, don’t you think you’d better hurry? It’s getting kind of late and you have homework for tomorrow. She might be worried about you.”
“She don’t care,” Willie said, shuffling along beside her.
“ Doesn’t care.” Charlie smiled. “Except I happen to know she does.”
She stopped when they came to Murphy’s Five and Ten on the corner. “Well, this is where we part company. I’m on my way to Coopers.’ ”
Willie did an about-face. “I reckon I’ll go along with you.”
“William Elrod! If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were following me!” Charlie frowned. “Now, what’s all this about?”
The child’s face flushed. “There’s spies around, you know, and I ain’t takin’ no chances.”
Charlie made a face at the bad grammar. “But, Willie, why do you think they’d be interested in me?”
“They got Miss Dimple, didn’t they? I saw ’em. And you know what happened to Mr. Malone.”
Charlie sighed. “Mr. Malone probably had a stroke or a heart attack, Willie, and fell and hit his head … at least they’re almost sure that’s what happened. And what do you mean you saw someone taking Miss Dimple?”
“I saw her. That is, I did, and then I didn’t.” Willie turned in the direction of Murphys’ but Charlie put out a hand to stop him.
“Whoa! Wait just a minute. “Just when do you think you might’ve seen Miss Dimple, Willie?”
“It was just the other night—well … more like morning, but still dark, and I went out to put Rags back in his box—Rags is my dog—when I seen—saw this car pull up out front, and that was when they got Miss Dimple.”
“Are you sure it was Miss Dimple? You said yourself it was dark.” Charlie glanced up at the courthouse clock. She would have to hurry if she was going to stop by the grocery store and get home in time to try on her skirt.
“Sure looked like her to me.” Willie searched in his pocket for a lint-covered jawbreaker, which he popped into his mouth.
Charlie stooped to face him.
“Huh!” Charlie said and concentrated on fishing the ice from the bottom of her glass. She’d first noticed Hugh Brumlow when he sold her a pair of fire-engine-red sandals when she was sixteen. He was working in the store during a summer break from college and Charlie had saved her money for the shoes from a part-time job helping out at the library.
Now that all seemed very long ago. Hugh still took care of orders and shipping and kept the shelves stocked with fabric and clothing—at least when he could get them—but with the current shortages and rationing, none of the stores had anything like their prewar inventories. And the red sandals had rubbed painful blisters on her feet. Now, even if Hugh did propose tonight, Charlie wasn’t sure what her answer would be.
* * *
The two parted a few minutes later as Annie wanted to get a letter off to her brother, Joel. Annie corresponded with him faithfully as she did with Will and several others who were serving with the armed forces. Charlie wrote every week to Fain and kept up a steady correspondence with some of her high school classmates as well, plus a few of the men she had dated in college. She was particularly concerned about a friend of her brother’s, who, in August, had landed with the marines on Guadalcanal. Just about all the young men she knew had either enlisted, been drafted, or were waiting to be.
A short way down the block she spied Willie Elrod dodging behind a poster in front of the picture show and tried hard not to laugh when he peeked slyly over the top and quickly withdrew his head.
“Come out, come out wherever you are!” Charlie called, pausing until the boy showed himself. “What are you doing down here, Willie? Does your mother know where you are?”
“Yes’m, I guess so. She sent me to get her a spool of thread at the dime store.”
“And did you?” Charlie asked.
Willie shrugged. “No’me. Not yet.”
“Well, don’t you think you’d better hurry? It’s getting kind of late and you have homework for tomorrow. She might be worried about you.”
“She don’t care,” Willie said, shuffling along beside her.
“ Doesn’t care.” Charlie smiled. “Except I happen to know she does.”
She stopped when they came to Murphy’s Five and Ten on the corner. “Well, this is where we part company. I’m on my way to Coopers.’ ”
Willie did an about-face. “I reckon I’ll go along with you.”
“William Elrod! If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were following me!” Charlie frowned. “Now, what’s all this about?”
The child’s face flushed. “There’s spies around, you know, and I ain’t takin’ no chances.”
Charlie made a face at the bad grammar. “But, Willie, why do you think they’d be interested in me?”
“They got Miss Dimple, didn’t they? I saw ’em. And you know what happened to Mr. Malone.”
Charlie sighed. “Mr. Malone probably had a stroke or a heart attack, Willie, and fell and hit his head … at least they’re almost sure that’s what happened. And what do you mean you saw someone taking Miss Dimple?”
“I saw her. That is, I did, and then I didn’t.” Willie turned in the direction of Murphys’ but Charlie put out a hand to stop him.
“Whoa! Wait just a minute. “Just when do you think you might’ve seen Miss Dimple, Willie?”
“It was just the other night—well … more like morning, but still dark, and I went out to put Rags back in his box—Rags is my dog—when I seen—saw this car pull up out front, and that was when they got Miss Dimple.”
“Are you sure it was Miss Dimple? You said yourself it was dark.” Charlie glanced up at the courthouse clock. She would have to hurry if she was going to stop by the grocery store and get home in time to try on her skirt.
“Sure looked like her to me.” Willie searched in his pocket for a lint-covered jawbreaker, which he popped into his mouth.
Charlie stooped to face him.
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