Hushed Up--Myrtle Clover Mystery #15

Chapter Nine

Miles peered down the aisle. "I suppose so. She sort of looks like her, anyway."

"Martin said his mother had some sort of falling out with Tallulah, remember? We should talk to her."

Miles winced. "We're accosting suspects in the grocery store now?"

"We have to make our opportunities where we can find them! Seize the day and all that," said Myrtle firmly. She walked with determination toward the woman with Miles reluctantly trailing behind with the grocery cart.

When the woman spotted Myrtle, she lit up and hurried toward her with just as much determination.

"You were at Lillian's house yesterday morning, weren't you?" the woman asked.

"Yes. I'm Myrtle Clover and this is my friend, Miles Bradford. You were Lillian's neighbor, is that right?"

The woman nodded. "Yes, I was. Such a terrible tragedy." But her eyes were gleaming. "I'm Tallulah Porter. Lillian right lived next-door to me."

Myrtle said, "A tragedy, for sure. Was Lillian a good neighbor? I know her yard was very nice, at least. I have a neighbor who does not keep her yard up and it's a constant aggravation. It would be lovely to have a neighbor with a green thumb, like Lillian."

Tallulah tilted her head doubtfully. "I suppose you could say she had a green thumb. But it wasn't like she was a farmer or owned a garden center or anything. She arranged flowers—that didn't mean she grew them. But I guess she did all right with her yard. She was kind of funny about it. Real particular."

She turned her attention to Miles and he shifted away slightly. "From what I hear, you found Lillian. Is that right?"

Miles said stiffly, "Unfortunately. It was a terrible day. Mostly for Lillian."

Tallulah looked disappointed that Miles didn't appear open to sharing gory details.

Myrtle asked, "You must have known Lillian pretty well, being such a close neighbor."

Tallulah looked pleased to be the resident expert on a murder victim. "In some ways. Like I said, she was real particular about things. I've seen her outside many a day with a pair of scissors clipping any grass blades the yard man had missed."

Myrtle said wryly, "It's a good thing she didn't have my yard man, Dusty. She'd have been out there for hours."

Miles said, "Was Lillian a difficult neighbor to have? I always think it's hard when one has a difficult neighbor." He cut his eyes sideways at Myrtle and Myrtle glowered at him.

Tallulah pursed her lips. "I don't know that I'd say she was always difficult. We did have a slight squabble between us . . . nothing important, you understand. I got 'Yard of the Month' from the neighborhood association and Lillian was very upset." Tallulah smiled faintly at the memory.

"You must keep a very nice yard, yourself," said Myrtle. She reflected darkly on Dusty again.

"I have a nice collection of roses and daylilies," said Tallulah. "I think Lillian envied them, I really do. I'm not going to say Lillian didn't have a nice yard. But the truth is that she spent a lot of time at work and that didn't leave a lot of extra time for her to tinker with her plants. As for me, I was left enough money from my husband when he died to keep me comfortable. And then only thing I have to distract me from my yard is golf."

"You're a golfer?" asked Myrtle. Somehow, Tallulah didn't seem to match Myrtle's vision of a golfer. However, she figured her vision of a golfer was hopelessly outdated since it involved pudgy old men in loud clothing. Or Crazy Dan with his very own version of the classic sport.