62
saddlebag dispatches
— JOHN ELLIS WASTED NO time after learning from the loose lipped Postmaster that Luanne Gilmore had received a letter from E. Jones in New Mexico. The following morning in Kansas City he boarded the westbound train. Although he didn’t know precisely where he might find Emmy in the little town, he intended to conduct a thorough and methodical search. Once he found her, she would be dealt with appropriately and then brought home to complete their nuptials as planned. The train made regular meal stops along the way. Occasionally, John observed the young women who staffed the restaurants and wondered if Emmy might be associated with the chain that operated them. If there was a Harvey House in Raton, it would be one of the first places he would search. — JOHN ELLIS’S SUDDEN, UNEXPLAINED trip to New Mexico was the main topic of speculation in Pleasant Hill. When Luanne heard the news, she sent a wire immediately. RATON NM HARVEY HOUSE E CARSON PLEASANT HILL MO L GILMORE JE FOUND YOU LEFT ON TRAIN TODAY HEADED THERE — EMMY REALIZED THAT HER only hope of evading John Ellis was to get protection from Harvey House. If they couldn’t or wouldn’t help her, there were no realistic alternatives. Her hand trembled as she knocked on her supervisor’s door. “Enter.”
“Hello, Mrs. Scott.” “Hello, Emmy. What brings you here today?” She took a deep breath and plunged in. “I’m in trouble and I need your help. When I came here, I wasn’t exactly running away from home.” “No. After the age of eighteen, that would be technically incorrect. You’re beyond that, obviously.” “However I did leave at a very… delicate time.” Mrs. Scott raised an eyebrow. “Delicate?” “I left my fiancé on our wedding day. I went to Kansas City, got hired as a Harvey Girl, and boarded the train coming west.” She looked down at Mrs. Scott’s desk. “A friend who was there wrote and told me what happened that day. Everyone showed up for my wedding... except me. The repercussions were disastrous—especially for my parents.” “Did your parents understand what had happened?” “Oh, yes. You see, Missouri is into its third year of a serious drought. Without irrigation water, my parents can’t hold out for another year. They’ll lose their farm.” Mrs. Scott asked, “How does this relate to your wedding?” “It hasn’t rained at all in fourteen months, and there’s no rain forecast for several more months. John Ellis, my ex-fiancé, controls the only remaining water in the area. There’s a small lake on his property. It isn’t nearly as large as it once was, but it’s enough to save the livestock and most of the crops in the region for another year. He can route that water wherever he chooses.” “Then there shouldn’t be a problem—at least not an immediate problem,” Mrs. Scott said. Emmy grimaced. “If John Ellis were a sane, decent, honorable man, you would be correct. Unfortunately, he isn’t any of those things.” “Are you afraid of him?” She placed her palms on Mrs. Scott’s desk and leaned forward. “Everyone is afraid of him. He uses that water to decide which of his neighbors will survive. He drives horrible, impossible bargains. Everyone knows he’s quite mad, but nothing can be done to stop him.” Mrs. Scott’s face froze. She said, “Emmy, were you a part of one of those bargains? Did Mr. Ellis offer your parents his water in exchange for you?”
