Loco Motive (9 page)

Judith shook her head. “How do you know it was him?”

“I don't,” Renie admitted, “but he came from that direction. Roy told us the last compartment's passengers haven't boarded yet and I think the car in front of ours is for baggage or employees.”

“What did he look like?”

Renie shrugged. “Blond, six-foot, thirties, trim, average looks.”

Judith frowned. “That's not Kloppenburg. Roy described the couple as middle-aged. I hardly consider people in their thirties middle-aged.”

“Hey,” Renie retorted, “the older I get, the more I think middle age starts at sixty-five. So what if he's not Kloppenburg?”

“Oh…it's something nagging at me since I got on the train.” Renie shook her head.

“This trip is to get you away from it all. What extra baggage are you hauling along to defeat the purpose?”

“Be honest. The real reason I'm here is to keep you company because you're too chicken to fly without getting soused. I haven't asked how much I owe for my share. I figure it's better that way. I won't have to spend time worrying about paying you back.”

“You don't owe me a dime,” Renie asserted. “Train travel isn't cheap, but meals are included. Joe gets the price of my airfare reimbursed. Bill flies for free because he's a conference participant. Our hotel bills are covered because I insisted on a suite with two bedrooms, claiming Bill snored. Or that I snore.” She frowned. “I guess we both do, but I never hear either of us because I'm asleep. Anyway, there's room for all of us. The only expense is the train, and I won't accept your money.” She sipped her drink and eyed Judith curiously. “Well?”

“Your Kloppenburg went by again while you were shooting your mouth off,” Judith said smugly. “He's Wayne Fielding, Willie's publicist.”

Renie frowned. “You mean the guy who was taking pictures when Willie crashed into the shrubbery?”

“Yes.” Judith added more water to her drink. “As I said, something's been nagging at me since we came aboard. I saw Pepper's red hair and Willie in the wheelchair, but I didn't really take in the third person. My subconscious must've recognized Wayne. Why shouldn't I be curious?”

“Curious, yes,” Renie said. “Obsessed, no. I never saw the Weevil bunch during their stay at the B&B.”

“But,” Judith countered, “why did he come down our corridor? The Kloppenburgs are the only other passengers at this end. What's their connection with Wayne?”

Renie groaned. “Maybe he got lost. Who cares?”

Judith sipped her drink. “Isn't the train due to stop before we head east through the mountains?”

Renie glanced out the window. “You're right. We're slowing down.” She sighed and stood up. “I'll go look if only to shut you up.”

“Thanks, coz,” Judith said sheepishly.

“Yeah, right, fine.” She stepped into the corridor just as the last call for the first dinner sitting came over the intercom.

Less than a minute later, Renie returned. “No luck,” she said, sitting down again. “The Kloppenburgs have their door closed and the curtains pulled. For all I know, Hansel and Gretel may be in there.”

“Maybe they're eating bread crumbs,” Judith said. “We'd have seen them go to the dining car if they chose the early sitting.”

“Let's not discuss this anymore. Let's pretend we're normal people taking a pleasant train trip to an historic and interesting city.”

“Okay,” Judith said meekly.

“Good,” Renie said, though she sounded skeptical. “I'll close our door so we can have some privacy, too.”

Judith set her drink down on the table. “Let me. I have to go to the bathroom first. The train's almost stopped.”

The bathroom was small, with a shower and toilet, but that suited Judith just fine. There wasn't room enough to fall down. She emerged, washed her hands in the sink, and closed the door to their compartment. Just as she was about to sit, the train suddenly lurched. Judith lost her balance, but Renie grabbed her arm. In the process, their drinks fell off the table.

“Are you okay?” Renie asked, still holding on to her cousin.

“I think so,” Judith said.

Renie helped Judith ease into her chair. “Take it easy. I'll clean up the mess.” She took several paper towels out of the dispenser by the sink and began dabbing at the floor. “I'll get refills,” she said, checking her watch. “We've got a good half hour before the second dinner call.”

“I'm sorry you get cleanup duty because I'm a klutz,” Judith said.

“Forget it.” Renie stuffed the cups and paper towels in the waste receptacle. “I'm no gazelle, but I've got real hip joints.”

Judith opened the gift basket. “I'll nibble on crackers and cheese.”

“Be my guest,” Renie said. “Back in a semiflash.” She disappeared into the corridor.

Judith was relieved that she didn't seem to have any lingering effects from her mishap. She ate crackers and cheese while taking in the steady passage of the train. After about five minutes she sensed that something was missing. The realization dawned on her when she heard children's voices that faded after only a few seconds. She assumed they had been coming up from the lower level to the front section of the sleeper.
It's so quiet,
she thought, smiling to herself. No guests going and coming, no phones ringing, no Phyliss Rackley jabbering about God and goiters, no endless complaints from her mother, no doorbells signaling parcel deliveries, no one expecting her to cook meals, not even Joe shouting from some other part of the house.
Maybe I should feel guilty,
she told herself.

Or maybe Renie's right—I need a break to recharge my batteries. Even social animals like me sometimes have to hibernate.
She leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes.

A few minutes later Renie returned with the cocktail items. “You finally look relaxed,” she asked, settling into her chair.

“I am.”

“Good.”

The cousins mixed their drinks. “I wish we were going through the pass in daylight,” Judith said. “It must be beautiful this time of year.”

“We'll see it on the return trip.”

“Maybe there'll be new snow by then.”

“Could be.”

“Was it busy in the club car?”

“Yes. I had to wait in line.”

Judith stared at Renie, realizing that her cousin hadn't made eye contact since returning to their compartment. “What's wrong?”

“Wrong?” Renie finally looked at her cousin. “Nothing. Why?”

“Coz.” Judith cradled the plastic cup in her hands and leaned forward. “You seem…on edge.”

“No.” Renie shrugged. “I'm hungry, that's all.”

“Have some crackers and cheese,” Judith said. “They're good.” Renie was looking out the window. “I'll wait for dinner.”

The response bothered Judith. Her cousin's mood had changed after the first hunger pang, but usually she became cranky instead of tense. For the next few minutes they sat in atypical silence, sipping their drinks and watching the train's darkening passage toward the mountain pass.

At six-thirty they heard the announcement for their dinner sitting. “I'll go first,” Renie said. “I can open the doors between the cars for you.”

“Aren't they heavy? Will that screw up your bum shoulder?”

“If you press the doors in the right place, there's no problem.” The cousins reached the front of their coach, where Roy was standing with a stack of bedding. “There you are,” he said in a chipper tone. “Shall I make up your beds while you have dinner?”

Judith glanced at Renie; Renie shrugged.

Roy smiled. “Let's take another vote.”

“We may go to the dome car after dinner,” Judith said.

“I'll wait a bit, then.” Glancing at Renie, Roy's face fell. “Oh,
Mrs. Jones, I couldn't get Mr. Weevil's autograph. He was asleep when I went to his room.”

“Don't worry about it,” Renie said. “It was a whim.”

Roy looked relieved. “Mrs. Weevil—I assume she's his missus—told me his condition is worsening. She says his mind wanders and he's delusional. They're suing the party who was responsible for the tragedy. It's so sad for someone like him to end up in such a helpless state.”

Judith tried to hide her dismay. “Is Mrs. Weevil serious about a lawsuit?”

Roy shrugged. “I guess so. The attack was criminal. I hope the police were called in.”

“Um. Yes.” Judith wished she could tell Roy that the police had already been there, at least in the form of a retired homicide detective named Joe Flynn. “I'd better catch up with my cousin,” she said, realizing that Renie had drifted off down the corridor. “Thanks, Roy.”

By the time Judith caught up with her cousin, there were a half-dozen people lined up ahead of them. “Pepper's crazy,” she said under her breath. “If she sues me, she'll be laughed out of court. How can a broken arm and leg put Willie at death's door?”

“Drop it,” Renie murmured. “If someone hears you, they'll think you're nuts. Why do you want to go to the dome car after dinner?”

Judith tried to shake off Roy's unsettling account of Pepper's threats. As an elderly couple moved into line behind the cousins, she offered them what she hoped was a cheerful smile before turning back to Renie. “Neither of us likes to go to bed early. Maybe we can find somebody who plays cards.”

A tall, lean bald man in front of Renie turned around. “Did someone mention cards?”

“Yes,” Judith said. “What do you play?”

The man put an arm around a petite woman with gray streaks in her short black hair. “My wife and I play everything except
the hi-lo poker games. You name it, we play it.” He squeezed his wife's shoulders. “Don't we, Sharon?”

When Sharon smiled at Judith, her sharp features softened and her oval face lighted up. “If you want a foursome, we're on.”

Judith, Renie, and the cardplayers stepped aside as a couple with two young children exited the dining car. “I brought four decks,” Judith said. “One set's for pinochle, the other's for bridge or whatever else.”

“I'm Jim Downey,” the man said, putting out his hand. “We're from Milwaukee.”

Noting that Renie hadn't responded to Jim's friendly gesture, Judith hurriedly shook his hand. “Judith Flynn,” she said, “and my cousin Serena Jones, nicknamed Renie.”

Without enthusiasm, Renie shook hands with the Downeys. “Hi,” she said with a strained smile.

“The dome car after dinner?” Jim said.

“Yes,” Judith replied, noticing that the line had extended around the corner of the second sleeper. “It looks like you two are next. More of the early birds are leaving at the other end of the car.”

“Maybe,” Sharon said, “we can sit together. The tables seat four.”

“That'd be nice,” Judith responded. “Are you heading home?” Jim nodded. “We got on at that last stop. Our son's stationed at the nearby naval base. We did some exploring in the area. It's really beautiful. The only part of the West Coast we'd been in before was Southern California. This is our first train trip. It's a great way to travel, though I wish the beds were longer.”

“Jim,” Sharon said in mild reproach, “stop fussing. You're only six-two. Didn't Roy tell us you'd have plenty of room?”

“Roy's five-ten,” Jim said. “How could he be sure?”

Sharon's expression was droll. “Face it, Jim. You're all over the place even in our king-size bed at home.” She turned back to Judith. “Are you in this sleeper or the next one?”

“The next one,” Judith replied.

“So are we,” Sharon said. “The second roomette from the stairwell in the middle of the car.” She poked her husband. “We're next,” she said, gesturing at the waiter who was beckoning to them.

Jim smiled at Judith. “Let's see if they call you folks, too,” he said before following his wife into the dining car.

Judith watched as the Downeys were seated at a vacant table. The waiter reappeared, this time motioning to the cousins. Renie stepped aside, giving the golden agers behind them a phony smile. “Let these folks go first,” she said before Judith could move. “We can wait.”

The elderly man and woman thanked Renie. Judith glared at her cousin after the couple went into the dining car. “What's wrong with you?” she whispered. “Do you think the Downeys are crooks?”

“No,” Renie said. “I don't feel sociable, that's all.”

“So you're going to act like you're made of stone? Please—let me have an enjoyable meal. The Downeys seem like nice people.”

“They probably are,” Renie conceded.

“Now I'll feel embarrassed when I make eye contact with them,” Judith complained.

“They must think you're a head case.”

Renie scowled at Judith. “Be quiet or everybody in line will think we both are. In fact,” she went on hurriedly, “go to the bathroom.”

“What?”

“Do it.” Renie pointed to the restroom across the corridor.

“Now!” She virtually shoved Judith against the door.

It was too late. Judith saw Pepper and Wayne Fielding come out of the dining car. Renie dropped her purse in front of Pepper. “Oh!” she cried. “Sorry! Can you grab that mascara wand? It's rolling away. So are my horse chestnuts.”

Judith couldn't maneuver fast enough to get into the restroom, but the waiter was speaking to Renie while Pepper and Wayne
retrieved the items on the floor. Realizing what her cousin was up to, Judith managed to squeeze past everyone in the crowded corridor and escape into the dining car. As the waiter showed her to an empty table, she heard Renie call out a loud “thank you!” to Pepper and Wayne.

“I know why you've been acting peculiar,” Judith said as a disheveled Renie flopped down next to her. “You didn't want those two to recognize me.”