“Yes, I had just visited my friend, Jim McCoy, at the lighthouse. It’s most difficult to bury anything there because of so many rocks. He asked me to dispose of the scraps for him.”
“Oh,” Penny murmured, completely deflated.
“I’ve been watching you girls through the spyglass,” Mrs. Deline went on. “It really was amusing.”
“I can imagine,” Penny agreed grimly. “Oh, well, I’m glad to provide a little amusement for this dead place.”
She and Louise retreated until they were screened from the widow by a potted palm.
“I guess she scored on you that time, Penny,” Louise commented. “So we wasted our strength digging for garbage!”
“You needn’t rub it in.”
“But it’s all so silly. Why don’t we try to like Mrs. Deline, Penny?”
“I’ll leave that job up to you. Furthermore, how do I know she was telling the truth? Maybe she just handed us that story so we wouldn’t go on digging in the dunes!”
“That’s so!” Louise acknowledged. “Mrs. Deline isn’t the type to be doing gracious little jobs for anyone.”