Page 60 of The Harvey Girls

Forty-Six

Billie latched on to her friend’s arm, the one that Simeon had so recently laid claim to, and for one terrible moment as their eyes met, Charlotte’s saucerlike with horror, Billie thought Charlotte might pull away from her, too.

“Charlotte,” Billie soothed. “It’s me.”

Charlotte let herself be guided to the safety of the trail and collapsed into Billie, quaking uncontrollably.

“I’ve got you,” Billie murmured into dust-caked hair. “You’re safe now.”

The two women sank unsteadily to the ground as Henny and Nora reached them.

“My God.” Henny sat down in the dirt and put her arms around both of them.

Nora peered over the edge and muttered, “Holy feckin’ Christ, who in the hell was that ?”

Will and Leif ran down the trail panting, and Will dropped to his knees. Charlotte reached out a hand to clasp his.

“Where is he?” demanded Leif as he prepared to fend off a madman.

“Bloody bugger’s gone.” Nora tipped her head toward the chasm.

A crowd had gathered, and someone called out to a park ranger.

“Step aside, please. Ma’am, step aside.”

Billie turned toward the voice only to find Robert staring down at her. “What on earth?” he demanded.

“Someone fell.”

Robert took charge: he commanded bystanders to move away from the scene and ordered a young man to run ahead to the park administration building and inform them of the accident, all while herding Billie, Leif, Will, Nora, Henny, and Charlotte back up the trail.

As the bedraggled group made their way down the service road, rangers ran past them toward the trail.

“Will they find him?” Charlotte asked Robert.

“They’ll do their best,” he said gently.

As this involved several of his Harvey Girls, Mr. Patrillo was summoned.

“Your husband ?” he said to Charlotte once he’d heard all of it.

She nodded. Billie wondered why she didn’t lie and say it was an old suitor or some such tale. But it was clear that Charlotte needed to tell the truth. To say it publicly. To confess.

Patrillo glared at her. “You understand this is cause for termination.”

Charlotte nodded again.

He shook his head. “I had such hopes for you,” he muttered.

Will was standing behind Charlotte’s chair. “Is it any wonder she lied? That animal tracked her across half the country. She nearly lost her life today, and all you can think of are your staffing needs?”

“You knew.”

“I did.”

“Now you’re both fired,” said Patrillo. His gaze scanned the others in the room. “Did any of the rest of you know she was married?”

Billie was about to admit that she did, but hesitated because she knew Leif would follow suit. Then Charlotte drilled her with such a fierce look, Billie stayed quiet.

Patrillo turned back to Will and Charlotte. “You have twenty-four hours.”

“We’ll need to get the Williams police up here to take statements,” said Mr. Eakin, the park superintendent. “They can’t leave before that’s done.”

“Fine. Everybody better show up at work tomorrow,” Patrillo warned them. “Except you two. You start packing your bags.”

Everyone stood up to go, but Robert pulled Billie aside. “Are you okay?” he murmured.

She was not in any way okay; she had watched as her friend was nearly murdered and a man had fallen to his death, but she knew that if she gave into her feelings now, it would keep her from what she would need to do in the coming days. She nodded. “Robert—”

“Yes?” The hope in his eyes pained her.

“Thank you for taking charge like you did and getting us all out of there safely.”

He stiffened. “That’s my job.”

“Of course. You did it well, and I’m grateful.”

He gazed at her a moment. “Is he your new beau?”

“Leif? No, we’re just good friends.”

He made a skeptical little grunt and turned back to Superintendent Eakin. “I’ll go and help with retrieval, sir.”

Body retrieval.

Billie hurried after the others.

Henny was pale as a sheet and said her head was throbbing. The hike out of the canyon had been so hot and then…

“You need water,” said Nora, and walked her back toward the dorm.

Except for answering Eakin’s and Patrillo’s questions, Charlotte had been mute. Now that Nora and Henny were out of earshot, she turned to Billie and Leif, eyes blazing. “You will not admit that you knew.”

“The police—”

“Absolutely not. A man died today.” Charlotte bit her lip to keep from crying. “Will has lost his living. I will not be the cause of any more destruction. Promise me. Both of you promise me this minute .”

“She’s right,” said Will. “It won’t help her case, and it certainly won’t help yours.”

Billie looked at Leif. He would follow her lead, and he’d have nowhere to go if he were fired. “I promise,” she told them.

“Me, too,” said Leif.

“Why don’t we all go back to my cabin,” said Will, “and figure out what to do.”

Charlotte hesitated. “Is it safe for Billie and Leif to be seen with us, now that we’ve been fired?”

“Wherever you go, I’m going with you!” said Billie.

“She’s your roommate, Charlotte,” said Will, “and we were all there. I believe that horse has left the barn.”