A quick wash and change of clothes didn’t help much. It might if she was more like her sisters. Fashion, makeup, shoes, jewelry and glossy magazines. All those things made her sisters happy. She couldn’t care less about any of them. She couldn’t care less as to what Scooter Wilson thought, either.
An eerie sensation had Josie lifting her head to meet her own gaze in the mirror above the sink. Though her reflection looked the same as always, she might as well have been looking at a stranger. A brooding stranger. The likeness in the mirror was challenging her, telling her to think again. The mere fact she claimed she didn’t care what Scooter thought told her she did care. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t be standing there trying to convince herself that she didn’t. Slightly taken aback, she shook her head.
The next truth that hit her made her close her eyes and plant both hands on the rim of the sink. She’d seen this in others and couldn’t understand how they didn’t know. Or how they tried to pretend it wasn’t so. Yet here she was, doing the very same thing...and had been for a while.
Goodness, she was a hypocrite, just as Scooter had claimed. The very thing she’d told her sisters to face, she’d been denying.
Lifting her lids and once again staring at her reflection, she proclaimed aloud, “You’re right. You, Josie Nightingale, are in love with Scooter Wilson.” Then, just in case she still didn’t believe herself, she repeated, “You’re in love with Scooter. And have been for some time.”
Nothing changed in her reflection, but something inside of her shifted. Yes, she was in love with him. Probably had been since his father had died and he’d quit school to take care of his family. She’d missed him immensely those first few weeks.
Her mind, which didn’t need an image in a mirror to question things, pondered something else. What was she going to do about it? Tell him? Not tell him? Definitely not tell him. There wasn’t anything she could do about it, and there was no need for him to know. Ever. Once Norma Rose returned from her honeymoon and took over at the resort again, she’d head to Duluth as planned.
Standing there, reflecting on many things and thinking about the future, Josie came to another conclusion. Scooter was the reason she joined the Ladies Aid Society. When she’d learned of Maize’s absence that day, she’d offered to help. She’d wanted to help. Scooter had already had too many burdens.
A heavy sigh built deep in her chest, burning so intensely she had to let it out. Scooter had had a lot of burdens back then—he still did—and now she’d added several more to his shoulders.
“Josie?” Heavy rapping sounded on the door. “Josie, I know you’re in there.”
The sound of Gloria’s voice increased the burning sensation in Josie’s chest. Scooter was the reason she’d joined the crusade, but why had she continued? Freedom? That was a sham. Being under Gloria’s thumb was far worse than being under her father’s.
The lightbulb above the sink flickered. Maybe because of the pounding on the door, or perhaps because the light was signaling she knew that answer, too.
Giving her reflection one last solid stare, Josie nodded. She had experienced freedom—just in a difference sense. The society had given her an excuse, a reason for not caring about fashion or makeup or clothes or glossy magazines, which had transformed into a cause. Seeing all those girls who had nothing, and were doing what they could to survive, made her understand how lucky she and her sisters were.
Josie pulled the door open just as Gloria’s rapping started up again.
“Where have you been?” the other woman asked. “Duluth? I told you not to go today.”
Feeling more herself and more confident than she had felt in some time—since her arrest actually—Josie stepped into the hallway. “I know what you told me.”
“And you know the rules,” Gloria said, finger wagging. “They are to be followed at all times.”
Scooter had already passed out all the rules she could handle today. “Or what?” Josie asked. “You’ll tell my father?” Years of pent-up frustration rose inside her. It had to be released. There was no other option. “You’ll tell him I’ve been driving up to Duluth every Tuesday? You’ll tell him about the cases of condoms in my closet? You’ll tell him you wanted us to drive up there during Twyla’s wedding? You’ll tell him all of that?” The words were rolling inside her, tumbling out of her mouth, and there were more to come. “Go ahead and tell him. Because I’m ready to do it myself.”
“Josie,” Gloria spat in her listen-to-me-or-else tone. “Hush up. You want this entire place to hear you?”
“I don’t care who hears me,” she answered. “You do.”
“Don’t threaten me, young lady.”
“Why not?” Josie asked. “You’ve been threatening me for three years.”
“I have not.” Gloria’s wrinkled neck was beetroot-red and her nostrils were flaring. “I’ve been the one covering for you.”
“Covering for me? You were the one making me go.” She hated arguing. That part of her would never change. “I’m sorry, Gloria, I—”
“As you should be,” the other woman snapped. “I’ve never been so rudely spoken to in my life.”
“I’m not sorry about that,” Josie said, her anger renewing itself. “I’m sorry your husband slept with his patients. I’m sorry he became infected and ultimately died. I’m sorry you were hurt by it all, but none of that had anything to do with me. Not then, and not now.” Shaking her head, she pointed out a fact they both needed to realize. “None of this is about either of us anymore.”
Gloria’s eyes turned beady and cold. “It’s that Wilson boy, isn’t it? He’s gotten to you. I told Shirley to put a stop to him.”
The fire returned to Josie’s belly. None of this was Scooter’s problem, either, or at least it wouldn’t have been if he hadn’t poked his nose in. “Put a stop to him? No one can stop Scooter when he puts his mind to something.”
“Men,” Gloria grumbled. “They’re all alike.”
“Are they?” Josie challenged. “What about my father? Where would you be if he hadn’t given you a place to live when your house burned down?”
“I work for your father,” Gloria retorted harshly.
“You write out prescriptions for people to obtain alcohol.” The utter shock on Gloria’s face made Josie flinch. The other woman was an excellent physician. People searched out her care for miles around. “I didn’t mean to sound so cruel,” she whispered. “I’m just so frustrated. What you’ve done, what we’ve done, has helped. Condoms are more widely used and protecting both women and men, but it’s not enough. Our weekly visits haven’t been enough for some time now.” The danger she’d put herself and Scooter in today made her stomach gurgle. “There has to be another way, Gloria. Maybe it’s time we tell Father. Maybe he could help us save those girls and—”
“No,” Gloria said. “We can’t.”
Although she hated to admit it, Josie said, “We’re in over our heads. I almost got caught today.”
Gloria’s curse could have rattled the windows. “That’s exactly what I was afraid of. Where? What happened?”
“At the docks.” Afraid to reveal too much, Josie said, “I got away and no one followed me.” She also buried the guilt swarming inside her. Whether she’d promised Scooter or not, she couldn’t sit around waiting for his phone call. There wasn’t time for that. “We have to get those girls out of there, and stop Francine from kidnapping more. My father—”
“Your father’s a bootlegger,” Gloria said. “The men backing Francine are mobsters. Ones who make Galen Reynolds look like an angel. Why do you think I’ve worked so hard to make sure no one connected what we did at the docks to this place? Francine’s men will target anyone involved.”
Josie shivered. “What are we going to do?”
“Not panic,” Gloria said. “And not tell your father. But we are going to have to act fast. That fireball the other night says the connection has been made. The only reason for you not to be followed today was the
fact they already know where you live.”
Fear once again welled inside Josie. The resort was well guarded, but Scooter’s station wasn’t.
The door at the end of the hall opened and Norma Rose strolled in. “There you are. We’re going to be late. Will you be joining us, Gloria?”
“No, thank you,” Gloria answered. “I told your father I’d see to the guests here.”
Lost, Josie glanced between the other two women. “Late for what?”
“We’re going to Twyla’s for dinner tonight,” Norma Rose said. “Ty and Father are waiting downstairs.”
“Go on,” Gloria said, giving Josie a little shove as she lowered her voice and whispered, “We’ll talk first thing in the morning. I’ll have come up with a plan by then.”
Norma Rose had stopped several feet away and was now frowning. “Are you all right, Josie?”
“I’m fine,” Josie lied. Searching for an excuse, she added, “I’m just surprised. I thought Father and Ty moved Twyla’s furniture to town today.”
“They did,” Norma Rose said. “It took several trips with Ty’s truck and she wants to feed them dinner as a thank-you.”
Gloria gave Josie another little push. “You two best get going. Don’t want to keep the men waiting.”
In a matter of minutes, Josie found herself in the backseat of her sister’s Cadillac. Norma Rose sat beside her while Ty drove and their father rode in the front passenger seat.
“That’s good,” she responded to Norma Rose’s glowing report of how well Maize had handled things as Ty drove out of the parking lot.
Norma Rose frowned. “Are you sure you’re feeling all right?”
“I just have a headache,” Josie answered. She did. A pounding one.
“I can see why,” her father said.
Her insides hiccupped.
Chuckling, he added, “Spending all day with a dozen old biddies would give anyone a headache.”
She nodded while discreetly exhaling a breath of relief.
“Where was your meeting today?” he asked.
“Anita Weatherby’s,” she answered by default. It was her regular explanation. “I must have gotten too much sun. I weeded her rose beds after the luncheon.” Actually, that was probably why she had a headache. She hadn’t eaten all day.
“Did you ask Gloria to give you something?” her father asked, concerned.
“Yes,” she answered. Another lie, but Norma Rose had been frowning ever since finding her and Gloria in the hallway. “It’s already easing up.”
Father reached over the seat to pat her knee. “Driving Dave’s car could have brought on a headache. It’s a rough-riding thing.”
Josie throat locked tight.
“Dave said yours wouldn’t start so you took his to your society meeting. He had to call Scooter to get yours running.”
That explained how Scooter knew she’d gone.
“I’ve called Big Al. He promised to have several for you to look at by the end of the week.”
Telling fibs in order to cover up her activities had never been easy, and she hadn’t liked it, but the sincerity on her father’s face filled her with such guilt her hands trembled. She couldn’t continue this. Just couldn’t. “Daddy—”
“No arguing, now, Josie-girl,” he said, twisting back to look out of the windshield. “I know you don’t care about such things, but I do. I can’t have you driving around in a car that’s not dependable. Any number of things could happen. Besides, those old ladies you’re friends with depend on you to haul them around.” Turning toward Ty, he continued, “Speaking of cars, Ty, isn’t it about time you got rid of that old Model T? That thing about rattled the teeth right out of my head today.”
Norma Rose was still frowning and Josie pretended to be interested in the discussion taking place between Ty and her father. There was a deep layer of trust between the two men. It was clear by the way they were so relaxed and comfortable talking with one another, even when arguing about Henry Ford’s thoughts on producing only black automobiles. Father trusted Norma Rose, too—that was evident by the way he always drew her into the conversation. Josie’s empty stomach revolted, sending bile up her throat.
Once he learned about all she’d done, her father would never trust her again. Not the same way he trusted Norma Rose. Not like he’d trusted her at one time, too.
She turned her gaze to the window, and her heart skipped a beat as Scooter’s station came into view. Dread filled her, caused by the danger she knew he was in because of her. Nothing looked unusual. The Closed sign hung on the door, but he was always closed by this time of the evening. He was probably at his mother’s house eating supper. It was a mile up the road that curved behind his gas station.
Another jolt of fear made her tremble. Scooter, his mother, Maize and little Jonas were all in danger because of her. Josie glanced around the car, taking in the other passengers. Everyone was in danger because of her, and by morning it might be too late. No matter what Gloria or Scooter had said, there wasn’t time to wait. Something had to be done now.
Chapter Fourteen
Anticipating a call, Scooter was halfway down the stairs before the phone jangled a second time. He’d left a message for Ty to call him as soon as possible. It was his only hope of making sure Josie didn’t leave the resort. Increasing his speed, he grabbed the earpiece just as the third ring started. “Scooter here.”
“Eric? Eric Wilson, is that you?”
Hope floundered when he didn’t recognize the voice. “Yes, it’s Eric. Who’s this?”
“It’s Clyde Odell. The cops just raided Francine Wilks’s warehouse. They took the girls and Francine and her men downtown, but, Eric, there are some things I think you need to see before the cops clean out the joint. How fast can you be here?”
“I can be there in a couple of hours,” Scooter answered.
“Meet me in the US Steel parking lot,” Clyde said, and then the line went dead.
Scooter’s blood turned icy. Clyde wouldn’t have called unless it was serious. It had to be about Josie. Francine must have had something on Josie.
Taking the stairs two at a time, Scooter raced upstairs to grab his coat, hat with earflaps and goggles. It would be well past midnight before he arrived in Duluth and even in the summer months riding the motorbike at night was chilly. In the winter months he drove his delivery truck, but it was as slow as driving through molasses.
In mere minutes, he was on the road, heading north. There was next to no traffic and he expected there wouldn’t be all the way at this time of the evening. That wasn’t a good thing. The desolate road would give him plenty of time to think.
Josie was his main topic of thought, which wasn’t unusual. Not lately anyway. She’d occupied a good portion of his thoughts, both when he was awake and sleeping, for days on end. Actually, she’d lived in his mind for years. There was this whole little corner there that had been reserved just for her.
He would have to do something about that.
Kissing her had made her presence in his mind bigger. If only she wasn’t so unique. So one-of-a-kind. Josie stood out from her sisters like a peach in a barrel of apples. Or a Buick in a line of Model Ts. Quality. That was what Josie was. With fine lines, and smooth and precise curves, she had showroom shine like no other. Josie was no assembly-line car. She was built solid, inside and out. He probably couldn’t count the number of eyes she’d caught or the heads she’d turned. She probably couldn’t, either, but only because she never would have noticed.
Josie didn’t want to catch anyone’s attention. Didn’t need to. Her mind was on other things. Things she believed in. He couldn’t fault her on that. Her heart was in the right place. Her head usually was, too. This whole saving-the-world thing had just gotten bigger than she could handle.
He understood that trying to get a grip on something so big, so large, could easily take over a person’s life. If they let it. A person had to take life one step at a time. Things didn’t seem so bi
g then, so consuming. Pretty soon, almost before they realized it, a milestone could be reached. Then another one. And another one.
Maybe if he had explained all that to Josie, she’d understand it more. He didn’t want to stop her from doing the things that mattered to her. She just needed to be safe while doing them.
Then again, maybe if he wasn’t so stupidly stubborn, she would have accepted his help. After all, no one wants to eat when someone is shoving food into their mouth.
That was just him. He saw a problem and wanted to fix it. If a car was misfiring he wanted to know why, and he wanted to know how to make it run smoothly again. He’d stayed up many a night tinkering on engines until they were running perfectly. People, though, weren’t like cars.
He wasn’t like Josie, either. He didn’t want to save the world. He just wanted to save her. But she’d never asked him to, and wasn’t impressed by his actions. She’d pointed out the problem he was trying to fix wasn’t hers. It was his.
Riding down the highway, which was growing darker by the minute, with nothing to draw his attention away from all that was going on inside him, admitting she was right was easy. It was his problem. The moment Ty Bradshaw had pulled into the gas station with Norma Rose sitting next to him, Scooter’s heart had started backfiring. Up until then he hadn’t worried much about all the men who visited the resort. Roger hadn’t let any of them near his daughters. Ty’s arrival had changed that and now Josie was the only Nightingale girl not claimed.
Why did he have to love her? Of all the women in the world, why her? It was a problem he couldn’t solve, and it was driving him crazy.
With so many questions rambling around in his head, he arrived in Duluth before he knew it. The streets were quiet, but the dock area was humming. Clyde was right where he’d said he’d be. Scooter cut the engine and removed his hat and goggles.
“We’ll take my car,” Clyde said. “Francine’s place is several blocks from here. No sense walking when we can drive.”
Scooter climbed in the Buick, and within minutes they arrived at their destination. The warehouse was old, and the first thing that assaulted Scooter’s senses was the smell. He coughed and spat.
The Forgotten Daughter Page 18
