Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1946-11-29
CHAPTER XII

terS OF nre between them. Her Ia
ther stiffened with little jerk. His
face was white and hard and his
eyes were yelled, so that she could
not guess his thoughts.
For a moment that seemed a CEN
fury long his eyes met hers, and
then he said very softly, mo, my
dear-did your"
"Father!" It was shocked, in
credulus gasp that came scarcely
above her breath. "How-how can
you even-think-''
Her father lifted his shoulders in
gesture that was not quite Shrug
and drawled coolly, why not? You
seemed perfectly willing to believe
I had!"
"Oh, no, Dad" In that breathless
moment the endearing diminutive
came easily from her tongue. IT
didn't think you had-I couldn't ever
believe you had"
"Yet you put the question very
easily" he reminded her dryly.
Tit was only that heard you
come in last night-a little after
one"
"A few minutes after you came
In, If I remember" said her father
calmly, his eyes never leaving her
white, ravaged face.
Suppose we make bargain, my
dear Megan." Her fathers voice
came softly, low-pitched, scarcely
above whisper, in the tone of one
conspirator to another.
"a "a bargain, Father?" she
managed family.
He nodded. "You forget that I was
out of the house-I'll forget that you
were-er-trysting with Tom Fallon
on the RIDGE" he said in that gen.
tie, yet somehow terrifying drawl.
hot tide of crimson poured over
her face and reached from the collar
of her neat cotton print frock to the
very roots of her hair.
II wasn't-trysting with Tom Fall
lon!" Her mouth twisted with dis
taste at the thought, and the impli-
cation.
but you did meet him there"
Purely by accident!" she flashed.
Her father smiled thinly. 81 be-
ieve you, my dear-though I am a
little doubtful as to whether other
people would, if it ever became nee
essary for other people to know of
that-er-accidental meeting"
She put her face in her hands for
moment and her father watched
her with curious tensity.
But, of course, I can see no rea-
son why anyone save the two of US
should know anything about it," he
went on smoothly. Surely if my
daughter and I wish to 60 for a
walk in the fresh night air, it is no
body's business but our own. I'm
fortunately, in murder investiga-
ton great many seemingly unre-
lated facts come out. Of course,
there's no likelihood that we should
be in any way connected with this
terrible affair. Neither of us had
any motive to want Alicia out of the
way-that is, I had none. I hoped
to marry her!"
She stared at him, caught by some
odd note in his voice. And after a
moment he answered the look in her
eyes, "Of course if it should become
known that you were violently OPP
posed to me marrying her, that you
resented the thought Of having her
here in the house, and had been un-
able to persuade me to give up my
plans to marry her-well-" Once
again he lifted his shoulders in that
gesture that was not quite shrug,
but that was an effective dismissal.
Megan drew long, hard breath.
"You know I couldn't possibly
have" She set her breath against
the sob that clutched at her throat.
"Of course, my dear-I know that
you are completely incapable of any
such deed of violence!" her father
assured her, and there was a
warmth that was very close to ten
derness in his voice. "But it won't
be what I know that will count, Me-
CAN'T will be what we can prove
or disprove!"
He let her sit huddled in a heap
for a moment as though to think
that over. And then he said quiet
ly, "That's why I say there is no
reason why anyone should be told
that you and I were out of the house
though, unfortunately, not togeth-
er-for several hours last night!''
"Whom did you think I'd be likely
to tell?" she asked him huskily,
after a moment in which she fought
to pull herself together so that
speech was at all possible.
"There will be an inquest, of
course" he reminded her. "Un-
doubleday we, as her closest neigh
bors-and I suppose her closest &C.
quaintances-will be called to testi-
fly. And if we simply say that we
went to bed a little after ten"