His traitorous mind chose that moment to point out that nothing bad had happened to Brock, or Forrest, or Ty Bradshaw. Telling himself that was like comparing a Ford to a Buick, so he forced his attention back to what she’d said. Secrecy. That was an understatement. He hadn’t been able to crack much from his mother or Gloria. He’d considered asking Maize, but he couldn’t do that to her. It had taken too long for the haunted dullness to leave her eyes. She still wasn’t the person she’d been before that night, and he feared she might never be the same.
“Sworn to secrecy after Maize was taken,” he ventured.
She nodded.
“How’d you get involved?”
* * *
Josie had no idea what made her want to tell him everything. Other than that she was at her wits’ end. Scooter was relentless. Her only hope was to make him understand why she couldn’t stop. Not right now. She didn’t have to tell him everything, just enough to make him see things her way.
Water still dripped off his hair, off the hat she’d purposely plunked on his head without emptying. The smile that wanted to appear on her lips was stifled by the frustration inside her. His handsomeness had never affected her before, not like it was now. For a split second, when they’d been in the water together, she’d thought he might kiss her again. She hadn’t just thought it. She’d wanted it to happen. That couldn’t happen any more than he could help her. Last night had been a fluke. She’d been caught up in all that was happening around her. The kissing, the dancing, the companionship her sisters were all experiencing. She’d wanted that, too, and because Scooter was close at hand—had never left her side—she’d used him to experience it.
That was as good an excuse as any. She’d come up with that reasoning while sitting across from him in the kitchen, eating the lunch Moe had prepared for them. Now, though, she knew it had gone far enough. She had to put a cork in it. She had no desire to get married—not that kissing Scooter would lead to marriage. Moe’s comment had been a startling revelation. People would now start questioning when she’d be getting married. She couldn’t rule it out entirely, but it certainly wasn’t going to be today, or this summer. Nor would it be with Scooter. When she finally fell in love, it would not be with a man who continuously threatened to tell her father about every little move she made.
In fact, her plan for the future put her far away from Scooter. From the resort and all the suffocating expectations that went along with being Roger Nightingale’s daughter. She’d remain in close contact with her family, for she did love them, but she’d be doing more with her life than she ever could around here. She’d be saving lives.
“How’d you get involved?” Scooter repeated. He’d moved closer and was now sitting beside her with his long legs stretched out. His gaze went across the lake to the shore that they’d eventually drift to if neither one of them climbed in the boat and started paddling. “I know Gloria masterminded Maize’s escape plan, but how’d you get dragged into it?”
“Maize told you I was there?” Josie snapped her mouth shut, realizing she was gaping. Everyone had been sworn to secrecy and she’d never, ever, have expected Maize to be the one to reveal anyone’s involvement.
“No,” he said. “Maize has never said a word about any of it. I discovered your involvement on my own.”
“How?”
He let out a loud exhale before turning to look at her. “Unlike your father, I know it doesn’t take that much gas to drive little old ladies to and from society meetings.”
She pinched her lips together. Only Scooter would piece that together.
“Don’t worry. No one else has figured it out, and I haven’t told anyone.”
She considered asking how he could be sure of that, but instead pointed out, “Except for Gloria and your mother. You’ve told both of them.”
“Yes, I have.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s dangerous. Both Gloria and my mother need to know their lives are going to change drastically when your father discovers all that’s happened. Gloria is going to end up homeless and my mother is going to put us all back in the poorhouse.”
The shiver that rippled her insides had nothing to do with her wet clothing. In fact, sitting out here with the sun reflecting off the water was getting hot, even with damp clothes. The chill she felt was deep inside. She’d just been given an answer she hadn’t known she was seeking. Scooter wasn’t demanding that she stop going to Duluth because he was worried about her—he was worried about himself. Not everyone knew he slept in the upstairs of his gas station, but she did. And she knew why. The bootleggers who drove whiskey for her father filled their gas tanks late at night, or early in the morning, after their runs, and they all used Scooter’s station. It was located four miles from town and was the ideal place for such late-night activities. However, one word from her father and they’d use a different station.
She couldn’t fault him for looking out for himself, for his family, but deep down she had a sickening feeling, as if she’d hoped he’d been so insistent for a different reason.
“Your father will find out,” Scooter said. “It’s gone on long enough. Too long actually.”
That couldn’t be denied, and the fact settled within her. With her sisters married, she’d no longer be able to hide in their shadows. Her father would be keeping a much closer tab on her whereabouts. That was where the urgency inside her sprang from. If she could rescue those captive girls before Norma Rose got married, things would be settled enough that someone else could take over her trips to Duluth for a few weeks. Afterward, when everyone was settled back at the resort, she could announce her plan to move to Duluth.
Scooter was sure to be happy about that. He’d never have to worry about her calling him again. Or having to come to her rescue. She’d probably rarely see him, only if she chose to come home for one reason or another. He’d be too busy with his station to ever travel that far.
“Are you going to tell me or not?”
A sigh had built to mammoth proportions in her chest. After letting it out, she drew in a fresh breath and settled her gaze on the far shore of the lake. “I’ll tell you what I can.”
He lifted a brow.
She sighed again, and then launched into an explanation she hoped he’d accept. “For the most part, the shipping of girls stopped shortly after Maize was rescued. Congress passed several acts to prevent immigrants from entering the United States and that pretty much put a stop to Galen selling girls out of Duluth. That’s when he started transporting them to California, claiming they worked for his film company. In reality, he was selling the girls to Mexico.”
“That’s when your father got involved.”
She nodded. “For different reasons, but yes. Gloria’s house had burned down, and she blamed Galen.”
“As did many others,” Scooter said. “It was right up Galen’s alley. From the time Maize went to work serving drinks at the Plantation, she said Galen wanted her to sing at a nightclub in Duluth. Mother and I both said he was playing her, but she was convinced it was the real deal and she wouldn’t listen.”
The frustration in his tone said he’d been more affected by what had happened than she’d given credence to. “They met at the resort the next morning,” she said. “Probably because they didn’t want to be spotted together in town.”
“Who met?”
“Gloria and your mother. The rest of the Ladies Aid Society was there, too, but not at the same table. I served them brunch.” Josie let her gaze wander back to the lake. “I think they had the idea to recruit one of us girls when they arrived. Ginger was too young, Norma Rose too stubborn, Twyla too...”
“Wild,” Scooter stated.
“For lack of a better word, yes,” Josie admitted.
“So they chose you.”
She nodded.
“They probably had you in mind all along.” His sigh hung in the air before he added, “You fit the bill perfectly.”
Josie held her
gaze, focusing on the tall oaks on the shore, how their leaves fluttered in the breeze, rather than how unsettled the gravity in his tone left her feeling.
“So what happened that day?” he asked. “The day Maize was rescued?”
“We found her and brought her home.”
“I know that,” he said dryly. “I want details.”
He would just have to get details from someone else. She was done. Had to stop. The more she told him, the more she wanted to tell him, and that couldn’t happen. There was no betting on what he’d do if she let it slip that Maize had been naked when they’d found her. No one ever made mention of that, but she remembered it pointedly. “We should get in the boat and tow this raft to shore,” Josie said. “If we just keep floating we’re going to end up on the other side of the lake.”
“Yes, we will,” he answered.
Josie waited for him to move first, not overly eager to return to the resort. Her gaze shifted to the island off to their left. A boat was pushed up on the beach, near a tent. Discontent like she’d never known rose up inside her. Twyla and Forrest were still on the island, celebrating their marriage. Ginger was visiting her new in-laws and Norma Rose and Ty were off having fun together. They were all content. All happy. And here she was...
“What happened that day, Josie?”
He wouldn’t give up, nor would he row them back to shore, until she gave in. She knew how to row, and could easily climb into the boat and grab the oars, but she didn’t want to. Her gaze was still on the island and she was recalling her conversation with Twyla shortly after her arrest. Twyla and Forrest had almost been kidnapped, a harrowing experience full of Tommy guns and fast cars, especially the way Twyla told it. Josie was remembering something else Twyla had said then. Her sister had said she wished Josie had someone like Forrest. Someone who would erase all of her fears, even while being shot at.
Perhaps that was when she’d started to wish for that exact same thing. Except she didn’t need that. Didn’t want that.
She did, however, want to release some of the weight dragging her down. Scooter had kept her secrets this long because he had just as much to lose as she did. Perhaps more. One word from her father and his business would be wiped out. She wasn’t afraid of her father’s wrath. Her fears came from not rescuing those young girls in time.
Father would forgive her, eventually, but he rarely forgave someone who put his daughters in danger. That was the reason Galen Reynolds was finally arrested. The charges against him had been for counterfeiting, but everyone knew Galen had been sent to jail so he’d never threaten Norma Rose again.
The dread inside her grew larger than ever. Scooter could lose everything because of her. The weight of that was more of a burden than she could carry.
“Josie?”
Pulling her eyes away from the island, she said, “We left the resort that day as soon as brunch was over. Gloria, your mother, a couple of other women from the society and me. It was before noon. Once in Duluth, I walked along the piers, waiting to be approached.”
“You walked the piers? Alone?”
Ignoring the anger in his tone, she continued, “Once I was propositioned—”
“Propositioned?”
Unable to ignore his shout, Josie shot a glare his way and snapped, “Do you want to hear what happened or not?” Her insides had become a tangled mess. Her life was a tangled mess.
His glare was as sharp as hers, but he gave in. “Go on.”
“I let the man lead me toward the warehouse. The other women were hiding and watching. I knew they’d follow.” The confidence she’d gained that day, at how easily their plan had worked, renewed itself inside her. “All went exactly as planned. As soon as he unlocked the door, the rest of the women charged forward. The plan was for me to run for the car. Colene was the driver and waiting just around the corner. While I ran, Gloria, your mother and the others found Maize. It wasn’t too hard. The men never expected a hoard of umbrella-wielding women to charge at them, especially not in broad daylight. Colene pulled the car around the corner and everyone ran across the parking lot and climbed in.” Pausing, she pointed out, “We had Gloria’s big Buick so there was plenty of room. She won’t be seen in a Ford, you know.”
He nodded and asked, “What happened then?”
Josie scooted forward and lowered her bare feet into the water. “We drove home and never spoke about it again.”
“When did you start making regular trips to Duluth?”
Josie held in another sigh. She’d opened a can of worms, and wasn’t sure how to put the lid back on. “After Gloria’s house burned down, she moved here to the resort, and started passing out condoms to the girls who rent out rooms during large parties. Some of them were from Duluth and wanted to take condoms back to other women they knew, especially after Gloria pointed out all the benefits. How they not only prevent pregnancy, but the spread of disease. Up until last year you still had to have a prescription to buy them and even now, most places only allow men to purchase them.” Josie splashed her feet into the water, hoping it might help alleviate the sting in her cheeks. The subject usually didn’t embarrass her, but discussing condoms with Scooter was different than discussing it with the ladies from the society or her sisters.
“And?”
She took a deep breath. “Gloria started purchasing cases of them and Colene and Hester Williams started making regular trips to Duluth to give them to the girls, but walking the piers and streets near the docks became too exhausting for them. They are both rather elderly.”
“That’s when you started dressing up as Anita Weatherby?”
She nodded. “It was Colene’s idea.”
“What happened then?” he asked.
“Nothing. I drove up there a couple of times a month at first, then weekly.”
“Why?”
She shrugged. “Because it got me out of here. By then Father was deep in his war with Galen and kept us all close to home, but because I was attending with Gloria, he let me go to the society meetings.”
“That’s a long drive,” he said. “It takes over three hours to get to Duluth.”
“I know. I’d leave around eight in the morning and be home in time for supper.”
“So what changed?” he asked. “When did it become more than passing out condoms?”
“Shortly after Galen was arrested last fall, Francine Wilks moved to Duluth. She’d lived in St. Paul and New York before that. Francine has someone behind her, someone with a lot of power, because she’s taken over the entire prostitution ring up there.” Josie’s cheeks were no longer burning. Her insides were now on fire because of the number of girls that had become involved since Francine had moved to Duluth. “Believe it or not, Scooter, she’s worse than Galen Reynolds ever was.”
“How so?”
“Girls are no longer being shipped in and out of Duluth, but the port is busier than ever with J. P. Morgan’s US Steel company booming. In order to keep up with the demand, Francine found a new supply of girls.”
Scooter was frowning. “I don’t follow you. A new supply from where?”
“Francine is hauling in young girls from the reservations near there. No more than thirteen and fourteen years old. It’s awful,” Josie said. “And the law won’t do anything about it.”
“So you’ve set your mind to do something,” he stated.
“Someone has to.” Turning to face him, she explained, “We’d set up a secret code of sorts. If the girls asked me for two boxes, I knew either they or someone they knew wanted to escape. I’d give them one regular box and another box that contained a train ticket to Cloquet. There’s a woman there who will transport the girls back to the reservation, or help them get a different job.” Josie stopped herself from saying that’s what she intended to do, set up another safe house, right in Duluth.
“And?”
“Somehow Francine learned about that,” Josie said. “The day I was arrested, I’d asked a regular why no one had wanted t
wo boxes for several weeks. She told me it was because Francine was keeping the new girls locked up in a warehouse. Wouldn’t let anyone get close to them until they were ready.”
“And you decided to try and rescue them by yourself.”
“No,” she said. “I just wanted to figure out which warehouse they were in, but one of Francine’s men saw me. I ran to my car. He jumped in a car and started to chase me. I was afraid he’d catch me, so I drove past the police station, going as fast as I could, hoping I’d get arrested for speeding. And I did.”
“So this guy saw you, he knows what you look like,” Scooter said.
“No, I took off my Anita disguise before I started snooping around the warehouses and put on my young-boy clothes.”
“Young-boy clothes?”
“Yes, I have a hat with brown hair sewn into it and a flannel shirt. I didn’t take them off until I got inside the police station. The officers were surprised. It works as well as the Anita disguise does.” Rehashing all the details aloud made her stomach churn. “It seemed like a good plan at the time, but when the officer stopped me, the man in the car just pulled over. Like he was waiting for them to let me drive away. That’s when I said the gas pedal was stuck and I had to call you to come and get me.”
Scooter’s expression changed, went from frowning to—well, she couldn’t quite describe the way his face grew distorted and his eyes darted around nervously.
A shiver raced up her spine. “What?”
“That fireball, being locked in the boathouse, that wasn’t because they recognized you.”
“I know,” she said. “There was no way they could have. I was still in disguise.”
“I wasn’t,” Scooter said solemnly. “They must have seen me working on your car on the side of the road, and they recognized me last night.”
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