Travis saw the wisdom in not revealing what Zack had heard and seen. “We have the word of someone else—about Lester’s temper. Did she start the gossip?”
“No,” Rosie said. “Not Laura.”
“Miss Daisy?” Travis said.
Rosie said nothing, and he understood all three of the residents of Heaven’s Gate had been living an earthly hell. He concluded Lester had used all three of them to meet his physical needs. The words to delicately state the truth jumbled in his mind.
“Does he force all of you to conduct your lives as you once did?” he said.
“Yes, sir.”
“Are there other men involved?”
Rosie’s sobs kept her from speaking. Travis and Bonnie exchanged glances. Bonnie’s eyes moistened, and she blinked back the wetness.
Rosie lifted her tearstained face. “Yes. He makes the arrangements while we are in Bible study. Except for me.”
Travis’s stomach churned. He dug his fingers into his palms. The image of what Lester was doing made him want to stomp through the bank doors and haul him out into the middle of the street.
God might not appreciate Travis passing judgment and punishment, but the thought sure gave him a bucketful of satisfaction.
“Brother Travis and I would be happy to accompany the three of you to the sheriff’s office,” Bonnie said. “And from there, we’d go see Morgan to secure a safe place for you to stay until Lester is behind bars.”
She nodded as though another place to live was the answer. “You must understand that I can’t leave without Laura and Daisy. He’d be very hard on them.”
“Of course,” Travis said. “I’d like to talk to all three of you. When do you think that would be possible?”
She sighed. “Perhaps after church tomorrow night. We could talk there without Lester getting suspicious. But the sheriff might not appreciate us bothering him on a Sunday night—”
“Let me handle the sheriff, and I’ll alert Morgan to what is happening so he can make arrangements.”
“I don’t think any of us would feel comfortable staying at Heaven’s Gate because the . . . the men come here late at night.”
“We’ll take care of you.” Travis would help her deal with a probable baby once they were away from Lester. “And we’ll be praying. In fact, let’s pray right now for God to shelter you ladies with His protection and peace.” His attention rested on Bonnie. God help him, but he’d fallen in love with her. He prayed aloud as his mind and heart ushered him to the front door of the troubles that had caused him to leave Tennessee.
*****
For Travis, Sundays normally sped by with a worship service in the morning, a noon meal spent in the company of a church family, and then the evening service. Today, however, the time dragged at a snail’s pace. The day before, Rosie had stated she was ready to stop Lester’s tyranny at Heaven’s Gate. Oh, how he prayed she had convinced Laura and Daisy to join her.
One thought tormented him: How did Lester keep his actions from Sylvia? She was highly educated with a remarkable memory for names and places. Could she love him so much that she ignored his sinful ways? Travis shook his head. Sylvia was a plain woman, and Lester struck a fine image. Could it be she chose to abandon her conscience for the sake of keeping the role of Mrs. Lester Hillman?
As soon as the evening service concluded and the congregation slowly ambled from the church, Travis searched for Rosie, Laura, and Daisy. They sat in a pew near the middle of the church. Bonnie and Zack replaced hymnals while Morgan and Grant talked and laughed with their families. Unfortunately, Lester and Sylvia lingered beside him.
“I have a problem with my girls at Heaven’s Gate,” Sylvia said. “Oh dear, I don’t mean to be complaining. I simply need advice.”
“What is it?” Travis’s mind whirled with the three young women discussing the change in their future—their destiny.
Sylvia offered a thin smile. “All three of them work either for us or at the bank. Lester pays them handsomely for what they do, but none of them ever have any money. When Jenny Andrews asked me to oversee the home, our goal was for it to become self-sufficient.” She shrugged. “If I didn’t supply them with food, they’d have nothing to eat.”
“I advised her to let them go hungry,” Lester said. “A few days without eating would instill good stewardship in them.”
Travis barely contained his anger. He’d witnessed how Lester treated Rosie, and Zack had reported the same