Vevi shrugged and did not answer. She remembered that Hanny had said she thought the FBI man might be investigating Mrs. Gabriel. But what could the woman have done wrong?
Riding along so comfortably in the big, powerful car, Vevi found herself liking Mrs. Gabriel a tiny bit. The next moment, though, the feeling was gone. Mrs. Gabriel spoke very harshly.
“A Federal investigator, I’ll warrant! The snoop!”
At the outskirts of Rosedale, Mrs. Gabriel pulled up at the curb.
“You will have to get out here,” she said shortly. “I can’t take you any farther.”
Vevi was surprised for she had expected that Mrs. Gabriel would carry her at least to within a few blocks of her home. She began to suspect that the woman had picked her up only so that she might ask questions.
“Thank you for bringing me this far,” Vevi nevertheless said politely. “I can walk the rest of the way. It is only six or eight blocks.”
Mrs. Gabriel swung open the car door, impatiently waiting for the little girl to alight.
“Oh, my tulip bulbs!” Vevi exclaimed, nearly forgetting them.
She picked up the bag from the floor, and started to thank Mrs. Gabriel again for the ride.