“She might have done it,” the fisherman admitted reluctantly. “You won’t tell Reilly, will you?”
“If you can keep her away from here so she won’t scare us out of our wits again, we won’t,” Terry agreed. For the girls still believed in their hearts that Melissa was to be pitied and, though he said not, they felt that her father was a hard man to deal with.
“When she comes back I’ll——” Clayton began but never finished, for there was Melissa herself walking toward them along the little path. Her pale pink cotton dress was a mass of wrinkles, and her hair in uncouth disarray. One white string of her sneakers flapped as she walked.
Instantly her father was a changed man. As soon as he saw her he drew himself up to his full height and assumed an aggressive manner.
“Melissa!” he shouted. “Come here!”
“Yes, Pa,” she answered meekly and came slowly forward with one arm held up near her face as though to ward off a blow.
“Where wuz you last night?” he demanded.
“Here, Pa. I slept in the car in the garage,” came the surprising reply.
“Why didn’t you come home?” he shouted at her.
“I was afraid to. The lady took me for such a nice ride, it was late when I got back.” Poor Melissa, thought the girls.