The Darling Dahlias and the Texas Star (16 page)

“Rex had access to the shed, of course,” Charlie said.

“I
told
you,” Miss Dare snapped. “Leave him out of it. He’s not involved. Anyway, there are others on the team. Danny, Scooter, Clem. And Angel, of course.” Half under her breath, she added, “Oh, yes, there’s Angel. Little Miss Show-off. That girl does love the spotlight.”

Charlie nodded. “Right. So how did you happen to notice it? Don’t tell me you routinely check the backside of the propeller.”

“Not hardly. I inspect for chips on the tips and cracks on the leading edge, yes, and I was looking pretty carefully, after that business with the water in the gas tank. But whoever played this particular dirty trick got careless.” She chuckled. “Didn’t bother to clean up the sawdust.”

“Sawdust?” Charlie asked.

She nodded. “I happened to glance down and saw traces of it on the ground—not much, just enough to make me curious. Then it was a matter of looking up to see where it had come from.”

“So you had to replace the prop.”

She nodded. “It arrived yesterday morning, and Rex installed it. He’ll be here in a few hours, with Angel. Danny and Scooter are driving the truck. Clem is flying his Stearman. He doesn’t stunt with it, but if we get a decent crowd, we’ll use it for rides.”

Charlie gave her a narrow look. “Any idea who might have sawn that propeller, Lily?”

“Your guess is as good as mine.” Miss Dare heaved an exaggerated sigh. “I push myself pretty hard. I push other people pretty hard, too. I don’t exactly leave a string of friends behind me. It could be anybody.”

“Oh, come on, now.” Charlie’s tone was light. “Let’s name a few names. Your husband’s two sons, for instance? Do they still think you cheated them out of their father’s Texas ranch?”

Another sigh, even more exaggerated. “I’m sure they do. But I wasn’t the one who did that to them. It was their daddy. He knew they didn’t give a hoot about the land—unless it had oil on it, which it didn’t. And if he left them money, they’d only use it to get themselves into even worse trouble. But yes, they still blame me, I’m afraid, especially after I lost the ranch.” She chuckled wryly. “And there’s the woman pilot who thought I cheated on the Los Angeles to Cincinnati race last year. She hung around for a while in Tampa, making a nuisance of herself.”

Charlie nodded. “And Pete Rickerts’ brother. Tom—wasn’t that his name?”

Pete Rickerts, Lizzy thought. He was mentioned in the anonymous letter.
Pete Rickerts, who crashed his airplane because he was so crazy in love with her.

“Yes.” There was a small frown between her eyes. “Tom Rickerts occasionally sends me nasty little notes. But that’s ancient history, Charlie. A long time ago.”

“Maybe. But Tom is a pilot. Sawing a prop partway through sounds to me like something a pilot would come up with. And if he wasn’t the one, I’m sure you could name a few dozen other men—and women—who have it in for you, for one reason or another.” He paused, lighting another cigarette. “Rex Hart. Tell me more about him. How long have you been together?”

“Don’t start that again,” Miss Dare said, in a warning tone.

“I’m not starting anything. I’m just asking.”

She hesitated. “Well, then, we’ve been together for three years—not consecutively, of course. We take the winter months off, then start flying again when the weather warms up. Winters, I go back to the West Coast and pick up stunt flying for the movies. Rex has the flight school in Tampa. That’s where he hangs out in the off-season.”

“Is he married?”

“Several times.” She laughed lightly. “Not to me. And not now.”

Charlie was persistent. “Are you two romantically involved?”

“Not anymore.” Her mouth hardened. “Anyway, that’s none of your business.”

“Agreed. Do you have a mechanic?”

She shook her head. “Rex doesn’t trust anybody else to work on the planes. He’s better than anybody we could hire. And it means less expense, of course. Fuel isn’t cheap. And there are parts to buy. The kind of flying we do—it’s hard on the planes, you know.”

“What about Angel Flame?” Charlie chuckled. “I don’t suppose that’s her real name.”

“Of course not. Her name is Mabel. Mabel Hopkins.”

“Has she been with you since the beginning?”

“No.” Miss Dare’s glance slid away. “No. Our other aerialist had an accident. Mabel—Angel was looking for a job. She’d been coming to our shows, so she knew all the tricks. It was just a matter of getting some experience. She’s an exhibitionist at heart—loves to have people looking at her. And she’s fearless.”

She would have to be, Lizzy thought, to do stunts on an airplane in midair, with no safety net. Fearless . . . or crazy. Or both.

“And what about—”

But he didn’t get to finish. “That’s enough, Charlie.” Miss Dare rolled her eyes impatiently. “I am sick and tired of this silly third degree.”

“That’s too bad,” Charlie said. “You may not take your situation seriously, but I do. Sabotage isn’t the only thing that could happen, you know.”

“Oh, yeah?” Miss Dare rolled her eyes. “Like what else?”

“Like kidnapping,” Charlie replied. “You read the papers, don’t you? The Lindbergh baby isn’t the only victim. The
New York Times
says there’s a kidnapping wave sweeping the nation—some 400 kidnappings in two years in Illinois alone. A long shot, maybe. But criminals obviously think it’s a good way to get easy money.”

Lizzy frowned. Kidnapping? It might sound far-fetched, but Charlie was right. Times were hard, and people would do almost anything for money. According to the newspapers, Colonel Lindbergh had paid a $50,000 ransom to get his little Charles back, although the baby was already dead. But not all ransom demands were that high. An Atlanta woman had been kidnapped recently and released—unharmed—when her husband paid five hundred dollars. (He said he was glad that they didn’t think she was worth any more than that, because five hundred was all he had.)

Miss Dare’s laugh was short and sharp. “They wouldn’t get much of a ransom for me. There’s no money.”

“Oh, yeah?” Charlie raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Hell, Lily, you’re the famous Texas Star. To somebody on the outside, especially somebody who knew you from the old days at the ranch, it looks like there’s
plenty
of money. You’re the perfect target.”

“Plenty of money. That’s a laugh!” Miss Dare’s face darkened. “You want to know the
real
story, Charlie? The money’s all gone, every cent of it. The Dare Devils Flying Circus is flat broke. Rex and me, we’re in hock up to our eyeballs to family, friends, sweethearts—anybody we can squeeze for a little cash to keep the planes in the air. We live hand to mouth. Every dollar we earn goes into fuel and repairs. The new propeller? The money came from Angel—no idea where in the hell she got it. Most nights, we’re so broke we can’t even afford a room in a fleabag hotel. We sleep with the airplanes. You better believe I’m looking forward to sleeping in a bed tonight—haven’t slept in one for a couple of weeks. And maybe, if I’m lucky, I’ll get a bath in a real bathtub, and I can actually wash my hair.” She laughed harshly. “The idea that somebody would try to squeeze a ransom out of us—it’s just crazy, that’s all. You’re a lunatic.”

Lizzy was listening with amazement. The famous Lily Dare was
broke
? The woman who flew stunts for the movies? The fastest woman in the world? But maybe that’s where Roger Kilgore’s nine hundred dollars had gone—to keep the Flying Circus in the air.

“Well, if you’re broke, you manage to hide it pretty well,” Charlie said wryly. “Nobody would guess. And crazy or not, here’s what’s happening. I’m taking you to the movie tonight. I’ve also arranged for a couple of ladies—Liz Lacy and Verna Tidwell—to keep an eye on you. They’ll be staying at the Kilgores’ while you’re here. But don’t worry, they won’t get in your way. You won’t even know they’re there.”

“Keep an eye on me?” Miss Dare gave an unpleasant laugh. “That’s sweet, but really, Charlie. I may be down and out, but I can take care of myself. I always have, you know.”

“And I’ll be out at the airfield overnight, with the planes,” Charlie went on, as if she hadn’t spoken. “If that dirty trickster follows you to Darling, he’s not going to get a chance at a repeat performance.”

Lizzy remembered that Rex Hart planned to stay at the airfield, too, and understood that Charlie would be watching him, as well as the planes.

Miss Dare shook her head. “I really don’t think this is necessary, Charlie. I—”

But Charlie was firm. “You can risk your life in the air all you want, Lily. That’s your business. But regardless of what happened between us—or maybe
because
of it—when you’re on the ground here in Darling, I’m making you my responsibility.
You and your airplane. And that’s all there is to it.” He grinned. “If you want to, you can chalk it up to my being crazy.”

Miss Dare gave in, grudgingly. “Well, if you put it that way, I suppose I’ll have to accept. You’re sweet, Charlie. Regardless of the past, you’ll always have a special spot in my heart.”

She leaned forward and kissed him lightly, and then again, her arms around his neck, her lips against his. Charlie pulled back, which seemed to surprise her.

“What’s the matter, Charlie?” she teased. “You’ve found yourself another girl? One of your local pretties, I suppose. Is she letting you off your leash for the weekend?”

With a sinking feeling, Lizzy thought again of Fannie Champaign. How was she going to feel when she saw Charlie squiring Miss Dare around town?

Charlie chuckled without amusement. “Now, now, Lily, don’t be catty. It’s not becoming.” He glanced up at the clock, then out the window. “Hey, it’s time we got you something to eat. Anything special you have in mind? We don’t have a lot of options, though,” he added. “Darling is pretty small.”

Miss Dare had a ready answer. “Well, to tell the truth, it’s been a while since I’ve had a decent meal. Do you suppose I could get a pulled pork sandwich? I used to know a hotel chef who made that, with some sort of white sauce, and it was delicious.”

Charlie put the whiskey bottle and empty glasses back in the drawer, and stood up. “I like pulled pork, too, but we’d have to drive over to Buzz’s Barbeque in Monroeville to get it. It’s not on the menu at the diner, and anyway, their regular cook quit. Dunno who’s cooking there today—probably won’t be much good.” He glanced toward the window. “Looks like the rain has let up. We could walk across the square to the Old Alabama Hotel. I’m sure we can get something decent there.”

Lizzy stood, too, glad to take a lunch break. Breakfast seemed like a long time ago and she was hungry. “The diner has a new cook,” she offered, stepping forward. “I’m told she’s very good. Even better than Euphoria.”

Charlie and Miss Dare both looked startled, and Lizzy knew that they had indeed forgotten that she was there.

“Better than Euphoria?” Charlie repeated with a skeptical lift of his eyebrow. “I’ll have to see that for myself.”

“I’ll eat anything,” Miss Dare said hungrily. “Just so I get some food.”

And a change of subject, Lizzy thought. It was obvious that the Texas Star didn’t want to talk about the people who might have a serious grudge against her—might even be angry enough to try to kill her. And from what she had heard, the list could be a long one.

Usually, a hard rain settled Darling’s dust, washed and cooled the air, and brought relief from the summer heat. But this rain seemed to have been poured out of a teakettle that had been sitting on the back of the stove all day, keeping warm. The puddles steamed, the sun peered resentfully through a sweltering haze, and the air was so oppressively hot that Lizzy could scarcely get her breath. The flag on the courthouse pole across the street hung limply as a wet dishrag.

The diner was nearly empty when the three of them walked in. The Dr Pepper clock on the wall under the neon Coca-Cola sign announced that it was one fifteen. Earlynne Biddle’s boy Bennie was still clearing the tables, Myra May was straightening up after what looked to have been a very busy noon meal, and in the kitchen, Lizzy could hear the murmur of voices and the clatter of china plates being washed in the sink. There was a delectable smell of roasting meat in the air.

While Charlie and Miss Dare sat down at the table in front of the window, Lizzy went to the counter. “I hear that you and Violet have found a new cook already,” she said to Myra May. “What’s she serving today?”

Myra May wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand. She looked frazzled. “I don’t know what we’ve got left back there, Liz, but I’m sure we can come up with something. Seems like everybody in town turned out to give Raylene—that’s our new cook—a trial run. Every table was full and all the counter stools, too.” She grinned. “For a while there, it was almost more than we could handle. It was
wonderful.
”

“How’d your new cook do?” Lizzy asked, thinking of Donna Sue’s praise for the grits and sausage casserole she’d had for breakfast.

“She’s a big hit. I think we’re all going to love her.” Myra May leaned forward. In a low whisper, she said, “Who’s that sexy dish with Charlie Dickens?”

“Miss Lily Dare, the Texas Star,” Lizzy replied. “The fastest woman in the world.”

“Some broad,” Myra May said, straightening up. “That fast, huh?”

“You’d be amazed.” Lizzy grinned. “Bring a menu and come over to the table. Charlie will introduce her.”

“I’m afraid we’re all out of everything on the menu. How about grilled cheese sandwiches with fried green tomatoes?” At the disappointed look on Lizzy’s face, she grinned. “Just kidding. I think Raylene has already started supper. Let me check and see what she has on the stove.”

Lizzy went back to the table. A moment later, Myra May followed with three glasses of water on a tray. Charlie introduced her to Miss Dare. “Sorry we’re late,” he said. “I guess we missed out on the fried chicken, huh?”

Myra May nodded briskly. “As I was telling Liz, the noon crowd pretty much picked us clean. We’re out of fried chicken and the meat loaf is gone, too. All we have is what Raylene is working on for tonight’s supper.” She grinned hospitably. “Or grilled cheese sandwiches with fried green tomatoes. If you want, I can whip those up in a jiffy.”