Wendell looked through the back window of Mr. Pryde's automobile as Samantha disappeared from his life. She had jumped from the moving vehicle for reasons he could not fathom. What had this Mrs. Milton told her to upset her so much?
"We have to go after her," Wendell said. He tried to open his door as Mr. Pryde stopped the automobile, but the door refused to budge.
"You two ain't going anywhere," Mr. Pryde said. "No sense in three of you running around like ninnies." Mr. Pryde reached over to close Samantha's door and then accelerated away from the waterfront. Wendell clawed at the door, trying to figure out how Mr. Pryde kept it locked from the front seat.
"We can't leave her!" Wendell shouted. To his embarrassment, tears came to his eyes. Samantha couldn't be gone, she couldn't be! There were still so many things he wanted to say to her. "We have to go back!"
"She ain't going to get too far on foot," Mr. Pryde said. He continued driving through the town and along the highway. In the backseat, Prudence stared out her window in shock. Despite what Mr. Pryde said, she knew Samantha was gone. If Samantha didn't want to be found, then no one would be able to find her.
The automobile climbed up the hill to Mr. Pryde's house. Prudence flinched as though struck when Mr. Pryde said, "Goddamn it! I told that boy not to take my truck." Prudence shivered at hearing someone take the Lord's name in vain so casually. "You kids go inside until I get back."
"I'm not leaving her. I'll help you look," Wendell said.
"I'll have an easier time finding her alone."
Wendell folded his arms across his chest. He wouldn't leave this automobile. He had to find Samantha and tell her everything. No matter what she'd found out from Mrs. Milton, it couldn't change how much he cared about her. Nothing could make him stop loving her, even if she grew as fat as Prudence or became as little as Molly. He had to tell her all this so she would stay and they could be together.
Mr. Pryde opened the door and glowered down at Wendell. "Come on, kid. Your friend will be fine. I'll bring her back and we'll figure all this out," Mr. Pryde said.
"I'm going with you," Wendell said. Prudence opened her door and climbed out of the automobile. Mr. Pryde was right: he had a better chance of finding Samantha without them along. Prudence put a hand on her stomach. She would only slow him down. If there was any chance of finding Samantha at all, they needed to work fast before she disappeared.