Free Miss Dimple and the Slightly Bewildered Angel by Mignon F. Ballard Page B

hope.”
    â€œNo, no. Nothing like that. But that’s why we’re here, you see.” Placing both palms on the table, Jo took a deep breath. “My late husband, Charles, had a cousin who lived in south Georgia. Still lives there, as far as I know. I’ve looked at the map, and you won’t believe this, but it’s very near that little place that poor woman was from—the one who died over there in the church.”
    Dimple waited silently. Surely this woman would eventually come to the point.
    â€œClaudia has been begging me to come for a visit,” Jo continued, “and now, if you’ll agree, I’d like to take her up on it.”
    Dimple frowned. “I don’t understand…” she began.
    Jo pulled her chair closer to the table and leaned forward. “Lou and I have come up with a plan.… Well, really, it’s more of an idea. I’m sure you’re as concerned as we are about that woman falling from the steeple ladder— if, in fact, she did fall. From everything we’ve heard, it sounds like the poor thing was afraid for her life. She seemed to be running from somebody, and we’re supposed to believe she fell ? How do we know the person who killed her isn’t still around? Why, it might even be someone we know.”
    â€œFrankly, this has created quite a stir at our church,” confided Lou, who had abandoned the Methodists for the Presbyterians when she married Ed. “Poor Evan—you know Evan Mitchell, our minister, and a finer man never graced a pulpit—well, it’s near about worried him to death with such an awful thing happening not twenty feet from where Mildred Hufstetler was just getting ready to play the prelude.
    â€œThe congregation’s up in the air about it, that’s for sure, and I’m afraid things won’t settle down until we find out who’s responsible.”
    Jo jumped in when her sister paused for breath. “Lou and I believe we need to learn more about this Dora’s background. And that’s where you come in, Miss Dimple.”
    Dimple was beginning to wish she hadn’t answered the door. “And how is that?” she asked, although she doubted if she wanted to hear the answer.
    â€œYou’re so much more experienced at this kind of thing than we are,” Jo continued, “and, after all, three heads are better than two. We should be able to stay with Cousin Claudia, and we hope you’ll come with us. It’s a fairly long drive, but Lou and I can go in together on the gas ration stamps, and we’ll take my car, of course.”
    â€œI don’t believe it will take more than a day or so to find out what we want to know,” Lou added.
    â€œAnd why do you think I might be able to help?” Dimple concentrated on polishing her bifocals.
    Lou sighed. “Well, let’s face it. People trust you, Miss Dimple. They open up to you, and we need to find out what kind of person this Dora was. What was going on in her life that caused her to run away? Maybe you could talk with some of her neighbors and others who knew her. Somebody must have helped her between the time she left home and then ended up here in Elderberry.…” Lou caught her breath. “ Ended up  … oh dear, I didn’t mean to make it sound so final. But then it was final, wasn’t it?”
    â€œAnd when did you plan on leaving?” Dimple asked.
    â€œWhy, as soon as possible,” Jo said. “Tomorrow, if we can get in touch with Claudia this afternoon. I don’t think she has a telephone, so we decided to send a telegram.”
    â€œBut there’s no way we could get back here by Monday,” Dimple explained, “and I couldn’t possibly take time away from school.” Why, the very idea, she thought. Except in cases of illness or extreme emergency, Dimple Kilpatrick would never miss a day of school of her own volition.
    Jo shook her head