Seeing them, Mrs. Rhodes looked startled. “Have you been here long?” she inquired with a show of friendliness.
“Not long,” Jack answered.
“We lost our party and have been wandering around through the rows,” War added. “Have you seen Mr. Livingston?”
“No, I haven’t. Not since early this morning.”
“Didn’t we see someone leave the shed a few minutes ago?” Jack inquired.
Mrs. Rhodes shot a quick look at him as if to read any hidden meaning behind his words. The Scout’s expression of innocence reassured her.
“Only one of the workmen,” she replied indifferently. “I’m waiting for the banana train.”
The woman’s deliberate lie made Jack and War more than ever suspicious. Wisely, however, they did not show their true feelings.
War picked up a discarded banana and began to strip the peelings.
“Have one?” he invited, offering another to Mrs. Rhodes.