by R A Wallace
“That’s what I thought.” Delia set the teacups on the table. “And yet, our Mr. Hinkle was emphatic that his supply runs were suffering from the shortage. He made it sound as though that was the reason he wasn’t working as much.”
“I know that look,” Hazel said. “You plan to go out again tonight.”
Delia smiled. “It would be a shame not to wear my new cap.”
***
Delia dressed with care before leaving Hazel’s house after dinner. The short walk to the school campus didn’t take long. When she reached the main walkway, she turned toward the auditorium. Others were also moving in the same direction for the same reason.
“Delia, you made it.” Mena excused herself from a group of people.
“I would not wish to miss a performance hosted by our committee,” Delia said. “As you know, it is mandatory that we participate.”
“We should probably get to our seats.” Mena greeted a group of students with a smile and a nod.
“I have heard promising things about the performance this evening. I have a fondness for contralto voices.” Delia fell into step with Mena. She nodded to several people as they passed them. “Where should we sit?”
“I was thinking the far corner might be the best location.” Mena pointed before turning in that direction. “It will allow you a better viewing advantage.”
Delia followed Mena into the auditorium. There was an area at the opposite end for the performers. Delia could barely see it over the crowds of people. Much of the auditorium was filled with chairs for the audience. Many of them were already seated. Others were intent on taking their seats. The entire auditorium buzzed with the sound of voices.
Delia stopped next to the chairs that Mena indicated then noted the close proximity to the exit. “A most excellent idea.”
“I understand the singer has performed with several well-known orchestras,” Mena said as she surveyed the people in the room. “She is to be accompanied by both a pianist and a cellist.”
“Sounds like we’re in for an enjoyable evening.” Delia took her seat on the end.
Mena was seated next to her one chair in from the end. “The performance should begin soon. There will be an intermission about halfway through. The program should conclude sometime after eleven.”
Delia smiled as she watched the latecomers take their seats. “Thank you for this.”
The lights in the auditorium dimmed. Delia sat through several minutes of the performance until she was sure it was dusk. Just before the singer ended another song, she slid from her seat.
“Be safe,” Mena said quietly.
Delia was gone a moment later. She moved quickly out of the main auditorium area and went down a long hall. At the end she opened a door to a closet and stepped inside. The package on a shelf with rolls of crepe toilet paper told her that Hazel had been there as planned. Although crammed with supplies, the space inside the closet was large enough for Delia to change into her sailor’s uniform. She covered her hair with the new cap and used the rear employee exit to leave the building.
Avoiding the main walkways, she made it across the campus and to the main street in front of Glennon Hall. Following Hazel’s directions, she turned left and walked for several blocks. Whenever possible, she used the light from the street lamps. Once she reached the road she was looking for and turned, she used her flashlight.
The house where Bob Hinkle lived was small. She guessed it had four rooms total. Delia stopped a distance away and shut off her light as she waited. From what she could tell when using her flashlight, the Hinkle house did not have close neighbors.
Now that she was here, she debated her initial reason for coming. She hoped to speak with Bob Hinkle once he’d spent his meager pay at the local saloon. According to Elbert Greenlee, the watchman supervisor, Bob was very talkative when he had too much to drink. She wanted to use that to her advantage to question the man. However, a light from one of the rooms told her that Mrs. Hinkle was probably awake. She considered trying to speak with her first before Mr. Hinkle returned.
A nearby sound told her that she’d missed her chance. The voice she heard was full of anger. A figure burst from the darkness shouting to himself the entire time. Though his gait was unsteady, he moved with great speed toward the home she was watching. Before Delia could intercept Bob Hinkle, he had thrown the front door open and lurched inside. The door slammed behind him with force.
Delia left her place in the shadows and approached the Hinkle house. She could hear shouting from inside. There were two voices, a man and a woman. Something hard crashed against a wall. A moment later, there was the sound of glass breaking.
“Miss Delia.”
Delia whirled around toward the voice behind her and switched on her flashlight. “Sam? Is that you?”
“Yes, miss. I saw you leave the school. I thought you might need help.”
She could hear the fear in Sam’s voice as he turned toward the Hinkle home.
“Sam, listen to me. Do you think you can hurry back to the school and collect the night watchman? Tell him we need the police here. Tell him to call the police on the telephone. Do you understand?”
“Yes, miss.”
With that he was gone. Delia remained where she was and listened to the shouting inside. It seemed as though she waited for hours for the police wagon to appear though she knew it was a matter of minutes. Delia returned to the darkness out of the range of the street light as soon as she heard the wagon approach. The policemen wasted no time reaching the front door. Within moments they were inside.
Delia found her way back toward the school in the darkness, grateful when she reached the street lamps of the main road. Her fingers fumbled through her change of clothes in the supply closet. She used the water from the slop-hopper to wet her hands before smoothing her hair. After tucking several stray strands back into their pins, she emerged into the hallway of the auditorium and returned to her seat. She applauded with everyone else as the lights came back on.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Early Saturday morning, Delia made a return trip to the Hinkle home. This time, she walked right up to the front door and knocked. The woman that answered it looked at her suspiciously. Delia forced herself not to wince at the discoloration around the woman’s eyes. Ella Hinkle’s gaze swept Delia from her head to her toes and back again. Suspicion turned to dismissal.
“I can’t afford to make any donations.” Ella began to close the door.
Delia took a step forward. “Mrs. Hinkle, I know how you acquired the bruises.”
The suspicious glare returned. “Who are you?”
“If you let me in, I’ll explain that. And tell you why I was here last evening.”
Ella pointed a finger at Delia. “It was you who called the police.”
“It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
Ella stared at her a moment before turning from the door. Delia chose to take the open door as an invitation. She closed the door behind her and followed Ella into the kitchen.
“I can’t offer you anything.” Ella stood in the middle of the room.
Delia was reminded that the woman once had a much different life when her husband owned a business. “A chair would do nicely.”
Delia sat on one of the chairs next to a small, round kitchen table. Ella took the other chair a moment later.
“I wanted to speak with your husband last night. I was outside waiting for him but he appeared from a direction I wasn’t expecting. I’m sorry that I couldn’t get to him in time to stop him,” Delia said.
“It wouldn’t have mattered. As drunk as he was, he might have mistaken you for me.” Ella pointed at her swollen eye. “Then you would have one too.”
Delia looked at the potato bin near the wall behind Ella. She stood and crossed over to it. After taking a potato out she went to the white enamel kitchen cabinet to find a knife.
“Has he always been like this? Or was it just since he lost his half of the busi
ness to Frank Lawton?” Delia pared the potato then searched the cabinet for a grater.
“Not before I married him. He never hurt me before we married. Of course, I knew even before then that he was a weak man. At the time, I thought it meant I would be safe from such treatment. That was my mistake. I discovered that he’s only brave when he’s dealing with an even weaker woman. One who has no other options.”
Delia finished grating the potato and brought it over to the table. “You don’t believe your husband killed Frank Lawton?”
“Thanks.” A faint smile touched Ella’s lips as she reached for the grated potato. “Bob never did anything to Frank. Never said a word to the man when Frank cheated him out of the business. Never took him to court. He knew he was a fool for signing the contract. He knew he’d lose the court case.”
“Why did Frank take the business from him?” Delia helped Ella apply the potato around her eye.
“He was a drunkard, even then. That’s why Frank wanted him out. I couldn’t blame Frank for that. I wanted out too.” Ella’s fingers pressed gently against the potato near her eye. “I don’t think Bob could have killed Frank. To be honest, it would have required too much thought.”
“Are the police going to keep him this time?” Delia asked.
Ella’s head shook but only slightly, as though the movement caused her pain. “They won’t keep him long. They never do.”
***
Delia took the trolley to town. The Electric Shoe Repair was located on a side street right off of Main. Delia climbed the cement steps and entered the shop. Bells on the door jingled as she opened and closed it. There was a woman in the corner.
“Just a moment,” she said over the sound of the electric sewing machine.
Delia read the signs on the walls while she waited. There were prices for repairing soles and heels. One sign suggested using rubber soles instead of leather to save money. Another sign promised to turn old shoes into new and that the work would be completed while the customer waited.
The sound of the sewing machine stopped. “Can I help you?”
Delia offered a friendly smile. “I was hoping to speak with Mrs. Lawton. Is she in?”
“You found her.” Mrs. Lawton’s eyes dropped to Delia’s shoes. She held the pair of shoes in her hands that she just completed repairing.
“Oh, I’m not here for a repair.” The image of a rich woman with many servants painted by Hazel danced through her mind. She dismissed it. “I was hoping to speak with you about your son, Carl.”
“He isn’t here.” Sadie Lawton carried the pair of shoes over to a counter and set them down. She immediately lifted a pair of women’s boots and returned to the sewing machine.
“Do you know when he might return?” Delia closed the distance between them as the woman settled back in her seat behind the machine.
“No. What’s it to you?” The sewing machine buzzed into life.
Delia raised her voice. “I am the typewriting teacher at the normal school. I understand Carl was expected to return this term.”
“He’s been busy,” Sadie shouted over the sound of the machine.
Delia remained where she was until the woman finished with the first boot. When the noise from the machine stopped, she spoke again. “Very impressive machine.”
“It is.” Sadie pushed herself up from the chair and carried one of the boots over to a workbench. She used a small tool to repair one of the buttons then carried the boot to the counter.
“Your shop seems very busy, Mrs. Lawton. How many other employees do you have working here?” Delia asked.
“Just me.” Sadie returned to the sewing machine. A moment later, it buzzed into life again.
“Does Carl help you?” Delia persisted.
“He used to. He’s too busy now.”
“I imagine losing his father would be difficult,” Delia said loudly. “No doubt, he has been dealing with the arrangements.”
The sewing machine continued to run but Sadie didn’t respond.
“Can you tell me when Carl will return? I would like to speak with him about his classes,” Delia said.
“He hasn’t been here today,” Sadie said.
“Do you expect him?” Delia asked.
Sadie’s head shook but her hands never stopped their work. “No. He said he would be too busy.”
“Perhaps tomorrow? Will he be attending church with you?”
“I won’t be able to make it to church. I have too much work to do here.” The sewing machine stopped. Sadie stood and crossed over to the counter to set the second boot down next to the first.
Delia watched her reach for another pair of shoes. “Please tell him that I wish to speak with him when he does return.”
Sadie didn’t speak as she returned to the sewing machine. A moment later, it buzzed into life.
Delia left the repair shop to catch the trolley. She needed to get back to Hazel’s. After a quick change, she walked to Glennon Hall. It was full of activity as students moved through the hallways on their way to the various parlors where faculty waited to greet them.
Delia joined the commercial department faculty in one of the rooms. Faye greeted her as soon as she entered the room.
“There you are. I was beginning to worry. It wouldn’t do to miss the faculty reception for the students.” Faye motioned to a table behind them that held trays of food. “Your cousin outdid herself this time.”
Delia didn’t have to wonder why. Hazel’s love of cooking was deeply ingrained. It offered not only the challenges she loved but the solace she needed during difficult times.
“Faye, do you have a moment?” Earl Gordon stopped next to them.
Delia smiled a greeting at the head of the commercial department and excused herself. From the corner of her eye, she saw a movement near the door. It was young Sam. He waved her over.
“Sam, you surprised me showing up like that last night. You shouldn’t be out so late.”
“It’s alright, miss. I know my way about even in the dark.” Sam led Delia from the room to an alcove in the hallway. “The police were here.”
“Police? When?”
“Earlier, miss. In the morning. They were looking all around.” Sam had his cap in his hands.
“Looking at what, exactly?”
“Arch’s buildings. You know, where he keeps his supplies.”
“The poison.” It made sense. The police were strengthening their case against the groundskeeper.
“Yes, miss.” Sam twisted his cap. “It isn’t fair. He didn’t do it. He wouldn’t. I know the poison wasn’t taken from us. Arch said so when the police took him away.”
“I know, Sam.” Even as she said it, Delia wondered when she’d started believing it. When she knew that Arch was innocent. She put her hand on Sam’s shoulder. “Did the police speak with you?”
Sam nodded. “On account of me working with him so much. They wanted to know if I heard the argument Arch had with the man who died.”
Delia watched the boy’s lips tremble for just a moment before he pressed them together.
“You heard it?”
“Yes, miss. We went into town to pick up supplies, Arch and me. That’s where we saw him.”
“What did the men argue about?”
The cap was now in a knot. “It was nothing, miss.”
“Sam, I can’t help if I don’t know what’s going on.” She deliberately made her voice sound stern. It did the job.
“It was the other man’s fault. He laughed at Arch saying as how he’d have to go to war. Arch ignored him, of course. He’s no coward.” Sam’s voice grew louder with his impassioned show of loyalty for his friend.
“Shh. Of course he isn’t.” Delia looked around. Everyone was so excited about their evening, no one was paying attention to them. “Then why did they argue?”
Sam’s eyes dropped to the knotted cap in his hands. “I can’t really say, miss.”
“But Sam…”
His eyes came
up. “No, miss. Arch said I wasn’t ever to use such words in front of ladies.”
Delia inwardly debated forcing Sam to break his code of conduct when a thought came to her. “Was it about Miss Hazel?”
Sam’s eyes widened.
Suddenly it made sense. “Mr. Lawton said something impolite about Hazel and Arch?”
The red hue that infused Sam’s face confirmed her suspicion. Delia put her hand on Sam’s shoulder.
“It’s alright, Sam. I’ll tell Arch that you refused to tell me.”
Sam dropped his eyes to the twisted cap in his hands. “I’m sorry that I dropped your plate in the dining hall.”
“I already forgave you for that, remember?”
“Yes, miss. It’s just that they were talking about going away to the service.”
Delia remembered. At the time, she was glad of Sam’s distraction. It took the focus of the discussion away from her activities in the service. It didn’t take her long to connect the two conversations. “You’re worried about Arch leaving?”
“I was worried about him being drafted,” Sam mumbled.
And now he was worried about the man being convicted. “Let’s focus on his current troubles first, shall we?”
Sam lifted his eyes to hers. She saw hope in them as he realized that they both sought after the same goal. She smiled as she gently squeezed his shoulder. “Off with you then. I have to get back to my meeting.”
Delia spent the afternoon making small talk with her colleagues and students. As much as she wanted to continue her search for Frank Lawton’s killer, she quickly gave up any hope of stealing away from the planned activities. After the reception was over, everyone gathered in the gymnasium for dancing. As a member of the committee hosting the event, she was expected to actively participate.
Hazel was in bed when Delia returned to the house much later. Delia sat alone with a cup of tea thinking about her next step in the case. Based on the gossip she heard all through the night, the police were certain that Arch was the killer. She knew she needed to do something, or the man would be convicted for defending the honor of her cousin.
