The Harvey Girl - Part 13
Quick Recap:
Willa convinced herself to set a trap, using the treasure map, to flush out her father—and any would-be assassins. However, an acquaintance from home stopped at the Harvey House and spotted her. He was full of evil gossip about her father being wanted for murder. The shock led to her belief that Fin knew and was secretly tracking her dad!
LINKS: Start Here, Last Part (#12), Harvey Girl Page
Short on time? Scan the story and just read the Bold parts to get the gist of the story. Then come back later and read the whole thing!
“Fin is a traitor!”
I threw out the accusation, not willing to hear it contradicted.
Dori sighed. “How can you believe such a thing? It originated from a man you called a toad.”
It was not the first time that Dori had argued on Fin’s behalf. I would not listen. After two days of talking up the treasure map, I felt ready to spring my trap. Time was running out. Fin would be back soon, and he was yet another element standing against my father.
A hard rapping sounded on our door. I shared a look with my roommate, and she quickly slipped under her covers. Ready for bed, she left it to me to answer the insistent knocks. I didn’t blame her. The harsh sound signaled trouble, but I opened the door anyway.
Mrs. Agnes Q. Downs filled the doorframe. Her unwelcoming frown marked a setback. I really felt we’d made progress, and she admired all my hard work at the Harvey House. None of that shone in her steely glare.
“Talk of Spanish gold has been riling up guests and girls,” she said, pinning me with another withering look. “It seems to be originating from you.” She insinuated catastrophe with her tone of disgust.
A fib might be expected in the situation, as it worked for me on other occasions. However, I recognized the tone. She wasn’t asking. She knew. I had hardly been discreet, as time was not on my side.
“Is it really all that bad?” I asked with an innocent smile. “I have been seeking advice and a bit of local history.”
Mrs. Downs scoffed, looking at Dori, whose shock appeared genuine. She sat up in bed, a patchwork quilt pulled around her for comfort, more than warmth. Showing uncanny instincts, my roommate maintained a neutral expression. I doubted she’d speak unless directly questioned.
“Is that wrong?” I feigned confusion, hoping I could pull it off. “I was only trying to find out more of the town’s history to aid in the search for my father. He, unfortunately, seems to be caught up in the Spanish treasure.”
“Pitty-pat, missy.” Mrs. Downs flapped a hand at me. “You will resist any more talk on the subject. It is unbecoming of a Harvey Girl.”
Having evoked the ultimate evil for anyone working at the Harvey House, I had little recourse. My head bowed. I tried to look contrite, wheels turning on how to outmaneuver the accusation. Nothing viable came to mind. Drat!
“You are stirring up a hornet’s nest,” Mrs. Downs said. She wagged a finger at me.
I used the gesture to stare at her shoes. They came to a dramatic point, making me worry for her toes. It was rather hard to think in the face of the matron’s feet, and rage.
“You’ve disrupted the whole town,” she continued. “I fear it will erupt in a fury of speculators, as it once did. A very shameful, trying time for Kansas City. We look down on fortune hunters. No good will come of it!”
I made an uh-oh face, as I did not wish to spark more treasure hunters. I just wanted to lure out the one related to me. I knew it to be a consequence, but Mrs. Downs did not need to know that I knew.
“Beg my pardon, ma’am,” I said.
Her ample chest puffed out. “If I hear another word, you will be out. Do you understand?”
I nodded, and seeing as how the Harvey House was central to my plans, I would heed her warning. Besides, I’d already spread the treasure map’s existence to enough people. If word did not reach my father, he was not nearby.
“I expected more from you,” Mrs. Downs finished. “And I hope that lumpy mess is not how your bed usually appears.” She squinted at the lumps under my bedcover. Without another word, she turned on one heel and stomped down the hallway.
Several doors carefully closed, reopening in her wake. Wisely, no one wanted to face her in such a mood. I peeked out, catching a few annoyed looks my way. No one appreciated my efforts to stir up trouble. I smiled at the girls and shut my door as if nothing was wrong.
“Well, if that doesn’t convince you,” Dori stammered, “nothing will.”
It seemed rude to contradict her. I went to my lumpy bed and flung back the quilt. Under it, bedsheets were tied together, one end knotted to the bed frame’s metal foot. I tugged at it, dragging the whole bed to the window.
Dori sighed. “You’re still going?”
I opened the window and threw my makeshift bedsheet rope out the opening. “I couldn’t possibly quit now.” The very idea was inconceivable.
“Yes, you could,” Dori wailed.
I found her caution disheartening since she’d had my back so many other times. “I must go tonight. Father could be waiting at the house.”
“Trouble could be waiting,” Dori corrected me.
“Perhaps both,” I said, “since I did my best to let everyone know I had a Spanish treasure map and would be at the house tonight.”
I never said it was a clever plan.
Rushing over to Dori’s bed, I gave her a quick hug. “Never fear,” I told her.
“What should I do if you don’t return before morning?” Dori blinked at me.
She seemed to be conjuring the worst results. Possibly ones that had me beheaded or trapped by a hoard of treasure hunters. Neither appealed to me, so I forced such negative thoughts out of my mind.
“I promise not to do anything silly,” I assured her.
Dori choked: “You are already the most reckless girl I know!”
While that might be the case, I saluted her and shimmied out the window. The wind swirled my skirts, but my carefully knotted sheets held firm. Within seconds, I landed on both feet, just another bit of darkness, ready to sneak away in the night. Looking up, Dori gave me a little wave and pulled the sheets back up and out of sight. I really owed her some consideration, as she was the most loyal of roommates.
“Psst!” Dori whistled.
I looked up again, and she tossed down the rolled-up treasure map. I’d almost forgotten it!
My smile was quite genuine as I hurried toward my father’s house. The distance did not bother me, but the moon remained hidden, heavy clouds working against my vision. Only the street lamps and light from nearby homes helped to show the way. They were all pitiful, though. The darkness of the hour cloaked the neighborhood. The only positive—it hid my approach.
Taking care not to stumble, I jogged, breathing deeply, but eventually slowed to a walk. The mansion loomed ahead. Dark. Waiting.
I wondered how to approach it without being seen. Despite the night sky, no direction would completely hide me, not if someone waited within. It could not be helped. Pushing care aside, I walked up the front stone path. However, before I even reached the front steps, voices drifted out to me. Bickering male voices.
Hunching down, I snuck closer. One of the voices sounded peeved. It rang a bit louder, gruffly repeating one point over and over: “The map,” he said. “The map.”
The other voice was lower. Calm. Calculating. “She will come, and the map will be ours.”
A shiver ran down my spine. The man was correct. I’d come with the map. But that’s not why I felt like a fool. The male voice rang with a British accent. It struck me that I’d lured notorious con men to my father’s house. The ones I’d learned about on the train ride to Kansas City. Men that everyone, especially Fin, had warned me to avoid.
Not that I knew for sure, but I didn’t want to find out by rushing into the house and right into their arms. Slinking backward, I made as little noise as possible.
The mansion’s front door swung wide. A bear of a man filled the opening. And here I thought Mrs. Agnes Q. Downs was intimidating in such a stance, but the con man won the prize.
“Do come in,” the bear growled.
The British one pushed past his companion. “We have much to discuss, lovey.” His accent dripped with innuendo.
I had the distinct impression that Dori’s worst fears would become reality—unless I acted fast!
Come back next Wednesday for another episode!