Back in the car once more, she could not bring herself to return home so early in the morning. Debating a moment, she drove to the homestead of the Widow Jones.
Dressed in a bright calico dress, the woman sat under a shade tree skillfully cutting up the meat of a turtle and dropping it into a pan of cold water.
As Penny walked across the weed-choked yard, she looked up in a startled way, but smiled as she recognized the girl.
“I’m fixin’ to have me a nice soup,” she explained. “Ye cook the turtle with diced carrots, potatoes, okra, and tomatoes and serve it piping hot. Ever et any?”
“No, I never have,” Penny replied, watching the preparations with interest. “It sounds good.”
“Ye kin stay and have dinner with me,” the woman invited. “I’ll fix some flour biscuits and we’ll have a right nice meal.”
“I’m afraid I’ll have to get back home,” Penny said regretfully. “My trip here today was a failure.”
Because the Widow Jones gave her an inquiring look of sympathy, she explained that Trapper Joe had refused to take her into the swamp. She went on to tell why the trip meant so much to her, and of her belief that a clever investigator who knew the area might find clues which would lead to the capture of Danny Deevers.
“So Joe wouldn’t take ye?” the Widow Jones inquired softly. “Why?”
“He says it’s dangerous.”