Thursday, February 22, 2007


The Woman at the Window

Constable Dassios flipped open her notebook. "So where did you say this, er, body was, Dinah?"

I pointed at the Dubuques' flowerbed, sprouting bright orange zinnias whose black centers seemed to be winking knowingly at us. "That patch of pink in the middle of them is no sprig of posies, Constable. That's Mrs. Dubuque's housedress. I haven't seen her here in weeks. Her hubby's bumped her off and buried her."

Constable Dassios chewed the end of her pen. "Hasn't been seen for weeks, huh? Let me have a talk with Mr. Dubuque."

Talbot and Pantelli were sitting on top of the fence between my house and the Dubuques'. Talbot looked quite pale beneath his soulful dark forelock; he'd got along well with Mrs. Dubuque. But then Talbot got along well with all adults. Pantelli, meanwhile, was crunching his way through a bag of popcorn. He'd microwaved it specially for this "entertainment," as he called it.

"Hey -- there's Green Eyes!" he shouted, pointing to the window.

The green-eyed babe stared out at us for a moment, then let the curtain fall in front of her face.

"She's why Mr. D. killed his wife. Dead," I added pointedly, because the Constable did not look as impressed as she ought to. A tiny doubt entered my mind. Should I have waited till Mother was home to call the police? Talbot thought so. He feared I was being impulsive.

Me, impulsive? Donuts, holey?

"I'll handle this," said Constable Dassios. She started to walk up the deck steps to the Dubuques' back door.

I shrugged at Talbot and Pantelli. Mr. D. and Green Eyes would simply deny any accusations. I would just have to take matters in hand, so to speak. Grasping the pink patch of cloth, I gave a yank --

And toppled backward on the grass. I was holding Mrs. Dubuque's trademark pink housedress all right.

But there was no Mrs. Dubuque in it.

4 comments:

Jacquie said...

Hi Dinah,

I love your blog! My theory is that Mrs. D isn't dead afterall, and that her so-called trip was for an extreme make-over. Could the mysterious green-eyed lady really be Mrs. D? I can hardly wait to find out the truth....

Jacquie

Melanie Jackson, author, editor, piano student said...

Hi Jacquie,

Pantelli, Talbot and I loved your book The Truth about Rats (and Dogs). The guys, especially, are really hyped about anything that crawls and slithers, so yeah. Anyhow, you have an interesting theory. We'll just see about this ... maybe you're right ... or maybe Mrs. Dubuque is sleeping The Big Sleep, if ya know what I mean ...
Your friend,
Dinah

Melanie Jackson, author, editor, piano student said...

Hi Dinah,
I talked to our school librarian, TS, about your blog site. She put up a huge display on the bulletin board out side the library. I hope lots of kids will visit the site! About the Dubuque Mystery, dad and Mouse and I worked on a theory. We think that Mr.Dubuque is on a diet, and is not following it. He feels guilty that he ate other stuff [fast food, candy, and so on] so he buries the evidence. About the night gown? Mr.Dubuque wrapped up some veggies it the gown... Brussels sprouts? and then put it in the garbage. The crows tore apart the garbage, and Mr. Dubuque went out to pick it up when he saw the night gown+ Brussels sprouts package and panicked! To hide it from his wife, he buried it in the garden. We think Ms.Dubuque went on a vacation and Mr.Dubuque misses her so much that he does not want to talk about her.

Cat and Mouse

Melanie Jackson, author, editor, piano student said...

Hi Cat and Mouse,
Hey, say hi to TS for me! I happen to know she and Melanie went for sushi last spring. Like, WHY WASN'T I INVITED? Anyhow, your theory is very intriguing. The plot thickens -- just like Mr. Dubuque's waist, maybe? Oh, and give your mom kudos about her recipe for tuna with lime sauce. NUM-ERAMA.
Yours hungrily,
Dinah