Chapters (30)
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Dedication
- ONE - The Naked Ladies
- TWO - Lizzy’s Key
- THREE - Verna Is Rebuffed
- FOUR - Saturday Night in Darling, or Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries
- FIVE - The Roof Falls In
- SIX - The Dahlias in Full Bloom
- SEVEN - The Skeleton in Bessie Bloodworth’s Closet
- EIGHT - Verna Has a Visitor
- NINE - Beulah’s New Customer
- TEN - Bessie Bloodworth Learns a Thing or Two
- ELEVEN - Lizzy Goes to Work
- TWELVE - Verna Makes a Phone Call
- THIRTEEN - Verna Works the Switchboard
- FOURTEEN - Buddy Norris Collars a Crook
- FIFTEEN - Lizzy Faces the Lion in His Den
- SIXTEEN - “The Game Is Afoot!”
- SEVENTEEN - THE GARDEN GATE
- EIGHTEEN - Bessie Bloodworth Pays a Call
- NINETEEN - Lizzy Lays Down the Law
- TWENTY - The Dahlias Score
- TWENTY-ONE - Mr. Moseley Clears Up a Mystery
- TWENTY-TWO - Bessie Solves a Mystery, Myra May’s Car Breaks Down, and Violet ...
- TWENTY-THREE - Showtime!
- The Dahlias’ “Dirty Dozen” Housecleaning Tips
- Glossary
- Recipes
- Reading List
Liz, looking like a ray of sunshine in her yellow dress and bright yellow straw hat, closed the door behind her and leaned against it. “I’m here because of that baldheaded man you told me about—the one who came to your house yesterday afternoon. Bessie says that Miss Jamison is scared to death of him, and he—”
“Bessie?” Verna asked sharply. “How does Bessie know about him?”
“Because she was at the Beauty Bower this morning when Miss Jamison was getting her hair dyed brown,” Liz replied. “Leona Ruth Adcock came in for her appointment and was telling everybody about this baldheaded man—she thinks he’s one of Mr. J. Edgar Hoover’s government agents—who came to her house looking for a platinum blonde. Bessie said Miss Jamison almost fainted. She also bought a red wig for Miss Lake.” She added, “Bessie’s out there in the diner now, waiting for me.”
“Wait a minute, Liz,” Verna said, holding up her hand. “What’s this about Miss Jamison getting dyed brown? And J. Edgar Hoover? How does he fit into this?”
Liz shook her head. “That’s all beside the point,” she said hurriedly. “I’ll fill you in later. The point is that your baldheaded man is out there at the counter getting a plate of Euphoria’s special right this very minute, and as soon as he’s done, he’s going to make a long-distance call from the booth, so he got two dollars’ worth of quarters from Myra May. I thought maybe I should try and find out who he was calling, so I came in here to the switchboard to see if I could listen in and—”
But Liz was interrupted as the door opened and Myra May came into the room. “Verna, that man you’re looking for, the one you sent the telegram to—he’s out there at the counter. He—” She stopped and frowned at Liz. “What’re you doing here, Liz?”
“It’s okay, Myra May,” Verna said. “Liz knows.” To Liz, she said in an urgent tone, “What’s that you were telling me about a wig, Liz? And Miss Jamison dyeing her hair brown?”
“They must want to disguise themselves,” Liz replied. “That’s what Bessie thinks, anyway. She thinks they’re trying to hide from—”
The switchboard buzzed and Verna turned around to connect Mr. Dickens at the Dispatch to Mr. Whitman at the Darling Academy, and disconnect Mrs. Sedalius from the Beauty Bower.