The Paper Daughters of Chinatown - Heather B. Moore Page 0,59
midnight. But she kept pounding and calling until an older man came out, rubbing at his face with one hand, spectacles in another.
“They’ve taken her.” Dolly choked back the threatening sob. “They’ve kidnapped her.”
The older man’s brows dipped. “Who was kidnapped?”
His calm voice pulled Dolly back to semi-reason. “Kum Quai. She’s a Chinese girl, and I’m her guardian.” She explained the events at the mission home, the charges and the impending trial, how they’d been in the jail cell just down the road. All the while, the man listened.
“I’m Dr. Hall,” he said. “Let’s get you to the hotel, and I’ll call the sheriff of San Jose and alert him about the traveling group.”
Dolly walked along the silent, dark streets with Dr. Hall to Larkin’s Hotel. Her head ached, her throat throbbed, and her body trembled. No matter. She had found someone who had listened to her and promised help.
Once they reached the hotel, the proprietor offered her a hotel room. On another day, or under other circumstances, she might have appreciated the room. But she couldn’t relax her vigil at the front entrance; she needed to hear news the moment it was received.
“I won’t be sleeping,” Dolly said. “I need to know what’s going on.”
The proprietor nodded. “I’ll fetch you a blanket, and you can wait on the sofa in the lobby.”
Dolly clutched the blanket to her as she listened to Dr. Hall telephoning the sheriff’s office. When the call was completed, Dr. Hall turned toward her. “The San Jose sheriff is sending a search party to recover your ward.”
Dolly’s knees nearly buckled. “Thank you. Thank you very much,” she whispered.
Dr. Hall only nodded, then led her to the sofa. “Rest here, Miss Cameron. Hopefully we’ll have news by the time the sun is up.”
Dolly waited on the sofa, curled up with the blanket. She wanted to run out of the hotel and continue running toward San Jose until her tired body completely gave out. Thoughts of what Kum Quai was experiencing at this very moment felt like a hammer against her heart. Dolly watched the changing shadows of the lobby as the night softened to gray, and finally the sun rose. Surely, there would be news by now. How had Kum Quai fared? Where was she now?
Dawn had lit the sky a brilliant orange by the time Dr. Hall strode into the hotel with another man. By the somber look on Dr. Hall’s face, she feared the worst.
“What is it?” she rasped. “Where is Kum Quai?”
Dr. Hall’s jaw tightened. “Her group was stopped last night by the Palo Alto justice of the peace.”
Wasn’t this good news? Then why was Dr. Hall not looking pleased?
“The Chinese men demanded a trial then and there,” Dr. Hall continued. “Right on the roadside.”
Dolly blinked. “W-what?”
“The trial was granted, and Kum Quai waived the right to trial and counsel.” Dr. Hall cleared his throat. “She pleaded guilty to the charge, and she was fined five dollars, which was paid by one of her . . . escorts.”
Dolly reached for the wall, or a table, anything to steady her wobbling legs.
Dr. Hall grasped her upper arm.
“She doesn’t even speak English,” Dolly whispered.
Dr. Hall’s expression remained grave. “One of the men with her interpreted.”
“Of course he did,” Dolly snapped, anger replacing her shock. “One of her abductors asked for a trial at two-thirty in the morning, was granted one, then she pled guilty to false charges, and now . . . now where is she? Abducted again!”
Dr. Hall released her arm and stepped back, nodding to the man next to him.
“We do not know, ma’am,” the second man said. “I’m a police officer here in Palo Alto, and that is what we are trying to figure out before . . .”
He didn’t need to finish, and perhaps the expression on Dolly’s face told him to stop speaking. Slave girls had been killed for deserting their owners.
“How can we help you, Miss Cameron?” Dr. Hall asked in a gentle, respectful tone. “Do you need to telephone anyone? Do you need a meal? Do you need an attorney?”
“I have an attorney,” Dolly said in a defeated tone. This could not be happening. If only this were a nightmare that she would soon awaken from. “I want every resource used,” she said, mostly to herself. “I want to know who is behind all of this. Who filed the charges on behalf of the Chinese owner?”
The two men before her promised they would do everything they could to help,