said.
“So you’re in?”
“I’m in. What do you need me to do?”
“Be at the Center tomorrow morning at nine-thirty for the first meeting of the Melons.”
“I’ll see you then.”
I still thought “mature elegant ladies open to nice suggestions” made us sound like a bunch of streetwalkers, but I didn’t want to miss out on a party.
It wasn’t long after I’d hung up from talking with Bettie that Sunny called me back.
“Flora Adams disappeared about a month ago, Mimi. The papers were asking anyone with information to come forward. That went on for a day or two and then nothing more was said about her.”
“Did you check the obituaries?”
“Yep. Nothing there. Why’d you wanna know about this woman anyway?”
I told her about the note. She thought it was “cool.”
“I printed out the articles I found, and I’ll bring them over on Saturday if that’s okay.”
“That’ll be great, Sunshine.”
Sunny and I try to get together a couple Saturdays a month, just the two of us. It’s nice. A lot of kids her age don’t like hanging around their grandparents, but she does. At least, for now. I’ll treasure it as long as it lasts.
So Flora Adams had gone missing, and somebody had sold Marcia her little black clutch. Had Flora sold the purse herself, putting the note inside as some sort of insurance or act of justice? Or had someone else sold the purse, not knowing about the note inside, but knowing that Flora wouldn’t be coming home?
CHAPTER TWO
I got up the next morning and put on one of them tracksuits like Jennifer Lopez wears—though I have to admit I looked more jiggly in mine that she does in hers. Anyway, I felt it was the perfect thing to wear to a meeting of “Melons.” Mine was even the color of cantaloupe, so there you go.
I got to the Center about a quarter past nine. Bettie was already there and had the coffee started. I looked around, expecting to see doughnuts or muffins or at least melon balls; but there wasn’t the first sign of a refreshment anywhere. Good thing I’d had my raisin bran.
“Hi, hon!” Bettie smiled great big and had some of her red lipstick smeared onto her teeth. I was missing the best part of “The Today Show,” and she wasn’t serving refreshments; so I didn’t tell her about the lipstick.
“Who all are you expecting?” I asked.
“Let’s see.” She started counting them off on her skinny beringed fingers. “Marie, Delphine, Laura, Melvia, and, of course, Tansie.”
“Of course.”
Tansie’s the moneybags of the bunch, so she gets invited to everything. Everybody thinks she might offer to pitch in with the expenses. She usually does, too, but whether it’s out of generosity or to show that she can afford to pitch in with the expenses remains to be seen.
About that time, Tansie and Melvia came in. Tansie pulled Bettie aside as soon as they’d said their hellos—to tell her about the lipstick, I reckon, because Bettie hurried over to the counter and grabbed a napkin. She turned her back to us, so I figured she’d taken her teeth out so she could see what she was doing.
I still have all my own teeth, thank you very much.
I turned to Melvia. “So, what do you think about this ‘Melon’ thing?”
Melvia looked around to make sure Tansie wasn’t listening. “I think it makes us sound like ladies of the evening, but Tansie thinks it’s a grand idea. That’s what she told me—‘This is a grand idea, Melvia.’ What do you think?”
“I agree with you, but I don’t wanna miss a party.”
Melvia grinned. “Me, neither.”
Melvia is a little thinner than Tansie, her hair is gray and no way near as big as Tansie’s and today she was wearing a simple pair of jeans and sweatshirt—as opposed to Tansie’s satiny track suit that had a sparkly design on the top. Tansie glittered like one of them disco balls
“So you’re in?”
“I’m in. What do you need me to do?”
“Be at the Center tomorrow morning at nine-thirty for the first meeting of the Melons.”
“I’ll see you then.”
I still thought “mature elegant ladies open to nice suggestions” made us sound like a bunch of streetwalkers, but I didn’t want to miss out on a party.
It wasn’t long after I’d hung up from talking with Bettie that Sunny called me back.
“Flora Adams disappeared about a month ago, Mimi. The papers were asking anyone with information to come forward. That went on for a day or two and then nothing more was said about her.”
“Did you check the obituaries?”
“Yep. Nothing there. Why’d you wanna know about this woman anyway?”
I told her about the note. She thought it was “cool.”
“I printed out the articles I found, and I’ll bring them over on Saturday if that’s okay.”
“That’ll be great, Sunshine.”
Sunny and I try to get together a couple Saturdays a month, just the two of us. It’s nice. A lot of kids her age don’t like hanging around their grandparents, but she does. At least, for now. I’ll treasure it as long as it lasts.
So Flora Adams had gone missing, and somebody had sold Marcia her little black clutch. Had Flora sold the purse herself, putting the note inside as some sort of insurance or act of justice? Or had someone else sold the purse, not knowing about the note inside, but knowing that Flora wouldn’t be coming home?
CHAPTER TWO
I got up the next morning and put on one of them tracksuits like Jennifer Lopez wears—though I have to admit I looked more jiggly in mine that she does in hers. Anyway, I felt it was the perfect thing to wear to a meeting of “Melons.” Mine was even the color of cantaloupe, so there you go.
I got to the Center about a quarter past nine. Bettie was already there and had the coffee started. I looked around, expecting to see doughnuts or muffins or at least melon balls; but there wasn’t the first sign of a refreshment anywhere. Good thing I’d had my raisin bran.
“Hi, hon!” Bettie smiled great big and had some of her red lipstick smeared onto her teeth. I was missing the best part of “The Today Show,” and she wasn’t serving refreshments; so I didn’t tell her about the lipstick.
“Who all are you expecting?” I asked.
“Let’s see.” She started counting them off on her skinny beringed fingers. “Marie, Delphine, Laura, Melvia, and, of course, Tansie.”
“Of course.”
Tansie’s the moneybags of the bunch, so she gets invited to everything. Everybody thinks she might offer to pitch in with the expenses. She usually does, too, but whether it’s out of generosity or to show that she can afford to pitch in with the expenses remains to be seen.
About that time, Tansie and Melvia came in. Tansie pulled Bettie aside as soon as they’d said their hellos—to tell her about the lipstick, I reckon, because Bettie hurried over to the counter and grabbed a napkin. She turned her back to us, so I figured she’d taken her teeth out so she could see what she was doing.
I still have all my own teeth, thank you very much.
I turned to Melvia. “So, what do you think about this ‘Melon’ thing?”
Melvia looked around to make sure Tansie wasn’t listening. “I think it makes us sound like ladies of the evening, but Tansie thinks it’s a grand idea. That’s what she told me—‘This is a grand idea, Melvia.’ What do you think?”
“I agree with you, but I don’t wanna miss a party.”
Melvia grinned. “Me, neither.”
Melvia is a little thinner than Tansie, her hair is gray and no way near as big as Tansie’s and today she was wearing a simple pair of jeans and sweatshirt—as opposed to Tansie’s satiny track suit that had a sparkly design on the top. Tansie glittered like one of them disco balls
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