The Left Leg

About “The Left Leg”

It's a winter day in Dalton, a New England town near Boston. Leonidas Witherall, known for looking like Shakespeare, steps off a bus after being accused of bothering a young woman in a scarlet wimple, later called the Scarlet Wimpernel. He takes shelter in a hardware store owned by Lincoln Potter, a former student. Potter is initially helpful, but when the Wimpernel's purse is found in Witherall's pocket, and Witherall admits to seeing a man in a green satin suit with a small harp emptying the cash register, Potter becomes involved. Witherall goes to visit Marcus Meredith, a former colleague, only to find him murdered and missing his artificial left leg. Potter and Topsey Beaton, an intrepid housewife, help Witherall solve the case. They deceive a rummage sale, involve the Scarlet Wimpernel in a role, find the man in green satin, locate the leg, and uncover the truth. The story is a mystery novel by Phoebe Atwood Taylor.