The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree (Berkley Prime Crime)

Verna thought the costume was pretentious. People who could afford it employed colored women to cook and clean, but only a few required them to put on little white caps in the afternoon and pretend that they didn’t have anything to do all day but answer the front door.
    “I’m Mrs. Tidwell and this is Miss Lacy,” Verna said, gesturing at Lizzy. “We’ve come to talk to Mrs. Lima about becoming a member of our garden club.” That was the reason she and Lizzy had made up for their visit.
    “Miz Lima ain’t here,” the maid said. “Her and the mister has gone out of town.”
    “Why, my goodness,” Verna said, pretending to be surprised. “We didn’t know they were planning a trip. Not a family emergency, I hope?”
    The maid shook her head and the ribbons on her cap bobbed. “No, ma‘am. Miz Lima had jes’ got back from her sister’s over in Repton, where she been for the past three, four days. But this mawnin’, right after breakfast, she was took sudden-like with the urge to go agin. The mister, he said he thought it was a right smart idee—they could have themselves a nice vacation, just the two of ‘em. So they drove on down to Mobile. Said they might be goin’ to Pensacola after that.”
    “Did they say when they’d be back?” Lizzy asked.
    “No, ma’am. Jes’ said they’d phone.”
    And that was that.
    “Well,” Verna said, when they were out on the street again, under the overhanging canopy of oak trees. “I call that interesting, don’t you? Kinda sudden, seems to me.”
    Lizzy frowned. “And peculiar. Verna, I’m sure it has something to do with Bunny’s death. I’m thinking about what Ophelia told you. If Mrs. Lima found out about Mr. Lima and Bunny, and then she heard that Bunny was dead, she’d want to get Mr. Lima out of town.” She took a deep breath. “Especially if he didn’t have an alibi for Saturday night.”
    “An alibi?”
    “You know. If Mrs. Lima was in Montgomery and Mr. Lima was here by himself, nobody could vouch for him. For what he was doing at the time Bunny was killed, I mean.”
    Verna was surprised. So far as she knew, Lizzy didn’t read detective novels. What had made her wonder about Mr. Lima’s alibi for the night Bunny was killed? She was even more surprised when Lizzy turned to her and said, with an unexpected eagerness, “I’ve got an idea, Verna. Let’s go over to Mrs. Brewster’s and see if we can get into Bunny’s room.”
    “Why?” And why was Lizzy suddenly getting into the investigating mood?
    “Because—” Lizzy looked away. “Because I’m curious. If I could see where Bunny lived, maybe I’d feel I know her a little better. You went there, didn’t you?”
    “Well, yes, but that was before anybody knew she was dead. I don’t think—”
    Verna stopped. She had no idea why Lizzy wanted to check out the room. But if they did, maybe she could return the earrings she was carrying around in her purse. The earrings that somebody might think she had stolen.
    “I don’t think that would be a problem,” she said, changing what she had intended to say. “But by this time, Mrs. Brewster has probably heard that Bunny is dead. She’ll never let us into that room. And besides, the sheriff has likely sealed it off. The police do that when they’re looking for evidence.” She knew this from reading True Detective,
    “Maybe,” Lizzy said, and picked up the pace. “Or maybe not. As you said at lunchtime, we won’t know unless we try, will we?”
    As it turned out, Mrs. Brewster never even knew they were there. As they came around the corner of Plum Street, they saw the lady walking purposefully in the direction of the courthouse square. She was carrying an empty basket. Going to Hancock’s for groceries, maybe? Whatever her mission, it was important enough to make her move swiftly. And it gave Verna and Lizzy their chance.
    They went up the stairs to the front door. Verna rapped, very softly—just so they could say that they had knocked. When there was no answer, she pushed gently on the door. It opened, as she thought it would. Nobody locked their front doors in Darling—and Mrs. Brewster’s girls would have to be able to enter and leave.
    So they entered. The main hall was dark and quiet, since most of the residents were still at work. Verna put her hand on Lizzy’s arm and motioned to the steep, narrow staircase. They crept up to the second-floor hallway and down the empty hall to the last door on the