Loco Motive (20 page)

“It was fine,” Dick Z replied. “We decided to take off early and drive over the pass. Pretty time of year with all the autumn foliage.”

“Yes,” Judith agreed, “though a bit late in the season. We came through the pass after dark, so we couldn't—”

“Excuse me,” Jane Z said, nudging Judith and moving next to her husband. “Do you need help? Maybe a walk in the brisk air would clear their heads.”

Dick Z smiled at his wife, revealing the gap between his teeth that Judith recalled from their first meeting. “Good thinking, hon. The clouds are lifting. There's supposed to be a full moon tonight.”

“Let's do it,” Jane Z said, moving to join the old couple. Judith, however, was dubious. “They aren't dressed for cold weather. Shouldn't you consult Dr. Chan?”

“He's busy,” Jane Z retorted. “We'll get their coats. Let's go, Dick.”

The oldsters seemed to protest. Judith couldn't hear what they were saying, except for something about Wolf Point.

“We won't get there until tonight,” Dick Z said, nudging the old couple toward the sleepers. “You have to get your circulation going. I was a medic in…”

A woman with two little girls was trying to get past Judith. The older girl was sulking and the younger one was sobbing. “Please,” the mother said, “I must let the doctor see my kids. They're scared to death.”

Judith realized that there wasn't anything else she could do to help. Sitting down next to Renie, she noticed that her cousin had almost finished eating. “How could you?” she asked incredulously.

“How could I not?” Renie responded, wiping her mouth with a napkin. “I hate cold food, and I'm useless in a crisis. I'm creative, not practical.”

“Oh, stick it!” Judith snapped. “You can also be utterly selfish.”

Renie was unmoved. “You know I get crabby when I don't eat.” She twirled her fork.

“You're the helpful type. I see you and Dick Z are now best friends. How 'bout that?”

Judith kept her gaze on the
Z
s and the old folks. “Mr. Z insists they drove through the pass to see the fall colors, but I don't trust him. Look.”

Renie saw the younger couple escorting the oldsters from the dining car. “They're taking them…where?”

“For a walk,” Judith said. “I don't like it.”

Renie shrugged. “The golden agers may be tarnished, but they're not made of tin. If they don't want to go, they can say so.”

Judith surveyed the dining car as order was restored. Only two adults and the mother with the little girls were clustered around Matt. “Can they?”

Renie looked puzzled. “You think the
Z
s cast a spell over
them?” She pointed at Judith's plate. “Are you waiting for your duck to fly south for the winter?”

“I've lost my appetite.” Judith picked up her purse. “I'm going to call Justin to see what he wanted. It's after five at home. He should be off work. I'll go out through the other sleeper.”

“Oh Lord!” Renie held her head. “Shall I come with you?” Judith was on her feet.

“No. Eat your dessert. I'll be back before you finish whatever you add to your trough.”

Renie shrugged. “Peach cobbler, maybe. Sounds good with duck.”

Judith started to walk away, but changed her mind about which way to go. “I'll do what I did before,” she said to Renie. “I'll see if Earl or somebody can open the window so I don't have to go outside.”

“Peachy keen,” Renie said, but gave her cousin a hard look.

“Please—don't do anything dumb and come right back, okay?”

“I'm not in a risk-taking mood.”

“Five minutes.” Renie was still solemn. “Then I send the posse.”

“Got it,” Judith said, and left on her mission.

She was immediately at a disadvantage. There was no one available to help between the dining and dome cars. Earl and the rest of the dining crew were busy, catching up on orders and working under cramped conditions. Standing between the cars, she considered opening one of the windows herself, but was afraid she might trigger an alarm and give the passengers yet another scare. The areas on both sides of the train were clear of human traffic, drunk or sober. Before she could decide what to do, a tall figure came out of the tavern. As he moved from the shadows and closer to the light, she recognized Trooper Purvis. He paused by the train, looking up at her and waving his arms. She pointed to the window; he nodded impatiently. After a brief struggle, she slid the glass pane up. “Are you locked out?” she called to him.

“Just open the danged door,” he yelled back.

“How?”

His instructions weren't complicated. In less than a minute, Judith unlocked the door. Purvis took one long leap onto the train.

“Thanks,” he said grumpily. “You get a free pass for now.” Judith was surprised.

“Why?”

“I couldn't get back on the train and I still don't have a cell. While I sorted out the drunks, Emily jammed the sleeper door. I don't think that kid likes me.” He took off his hat and smoothed his rumpled auburn hair. “We'll talk later.” Purvis put his hat back on and stalked off to the dining car.

Judith didn't mention that the hat was on backward. She dialed directory assistance for Justin's number. Moments later, her call was put through. Justin answered on the fifth ring. “Hello,” he said breathlessly.

“Hi,” she began, “it's Judith. Joe told me you'd called, but my phone hasn't been on. Am I coming through okay?”

“You're a bit faint, but I can hear,” he replied. “How do I sound?”

“Fine. The problem's at this end. Before you tell me why you called, I'm afraid I have some bad news. Your uncle—”

“I know,” Justin broke in. “That's why I tried to reach you this morning.”

Judith wondered if she'd heard Justin clearly. “I don't get it. Your uncle didn't pass away until later in the day.”

A pause was followed by crackling on the line. “No,” Justin said. “Mom told me this morning that Uncle Willie died…” His voice faded completely.

“What?” Judith shouted.

“I said,” Justin answered, also shouting, “my mother says whoever is on that train isn't Uncle Willie. He's been dead for five years.”

J
udith almost dropped the phone. “Could you repeat that?” Justin's voice had grown faint. “Sorry—I'm losing you.”

The stepstool was by the opposite door. If she could set it outside and get off the train, the reception might be better. Cradling the cell with her chin, Judith tried to lift the stool, but it was heavier than it looked. “Hang on,” she shouted to Justin. “I'm going to see if I can…”

A harsh buzzing noise assaulted her ear. Judith cringed and moved the phone away. The buzz stopped. “Justin?” There was no response. “Justin?” she repeated louder. The line was dead. Judith redialed his number, but heard only silence. She was wondering what to do when Renie came out of the dining car.

“Any luck?” she asked.

“No.” Judith turned the phone off. “I mean, yes.”

Renie sighed. “Are you having another fit?”

“No. I need some answers. Let's get out of here.”

“Okay,” Renie said, opening the dining-car door. “I ordered you some peach cobbler, too. While we eat dessert, you can tell me about your questions.”

“No,” Judith snapped. “I don't have time for that. Let's go.”

“Where?” Renie asked, annoyed. “You look like bird doo. Sit
down until you pull yourself together.” She opened the door to usher her cousin inside. The dining car seemed back to normal except for Matt Chan, who was tending to a stout man by the other door. The Johnstons were ordering dessert. There was no sign of Jim and Sharon. Apparently, they'd given up on dinner.

“Well?” Renie said when they reached their vacant table. “Are you going to sit or stand there like a stuffed moose?”

Judith slid over to her previous place by the window. Renie sat down beside her. “Okay, what's got you in such a tizzy?”

It took a moment for Judith to respond. Maybe she was mistaken; maybe she had misunderstood. But she had to confide in Renie. “Justin told me Wee Willie Weevil has been dead for five years.”

Renie was scowling at her leftover cobbler crumbs. “Why didn't I ask for à la mode? Their ice cream…” She gaped at Judith. “What?”

“You heard me,” Judith snapped. “Dead Willie isn't the real dead Willie. Justin wanted us to know that.”

Renie stared in disbelief. “But Justin called you this morning before Willie…I mean, the Willie we knew as Willie…” She tossed her napkin aside. “Never mind. You know what I mean.”

“I do,” Judith said, careful to keep her voice down. “But why did Justin apparently learn about his uncle's actual death from his mother earlier today? Neither of them could've known that the bogus Willie was dying. Unless…”

Renie regarded her cousin with a perceptive gaze. “Are you implying that Germaine Weevil was involved in this mess?”

Judith grimaced. “No, but her timing is odd. Justin's mother was so annoyed with her former in-laws that she left town for a few days to avoid seeing them.”

“Germaine and her ex weren't close. Why would she stay in touch with his family?”

Judith tried to piece together what little she knew about the Weevil family's relationships. “She didn't, not in recent years. But
her ex's father—and Willie's—was a World War Two veteran and a semi-invalid. He'd been a dive-bomber pilot in the Pacific. Justin told us his grandfather's plane had been shot down during the Battle of Midway. Despite being injured, he managed to stay afloat until he was rescued. Germaine and Justin enjoyed hearing Grandpa Kermit's war stories. The old guy was a daredevil in his day, especially flying. He'd been a crop duster before the war and flew in air shows. Willie inherited his dad's lust for thrills. The old man died some twenty years ago, soon after Justin graduated from college. Willie's real name was Wilbur. His brother is…Winston.”

Renie smiled. “If Gramps loved airplanes so much, I thought it might be Orville. But what's with this impostor? He had to be a daredevil, too, or he wouldn't have jumped off your roof.”

Judith nodded. “He also ran up and down the Counterbalance. Joe saw him doing it. The non-Willie had to be in terrific shape.”

“You don't think…” Renie stopped. “Never mind.”

“I know what you're wondering,” Judith said. “Could the dead man be Winston Weevil? But Justin described his father as completely opposite from Willie. Winnie was more artistic. He's the one who got Germaine interested in becoming an interior decorator.”

“Germaine ended up with two good things from that marriage—a highly marketable skill and a wonderful son,” Renie said.

“But she obviously has talent when it comes to taste and design.”

“Definitely. She's a natural, but her ex must've recognized that—” She stopped as movement outside caught her eye. Four people were walking slowly in front of the motel. There was something familiar about them. The tallest person seemed to be holding up someone who was barely shuffling along the sidewalk. They moved past the weathered motel sign with its single floodlight. Judith thought she recognized the
Z
s with the elderly couple from the dining car. “Coz,” she whispered in an urgent voice, “do you see what I see?”

Renie leaned around Judith to look outside. “The tavern drunks? A couple of them look wobbly.”

“No. Try again.”

Inching closer, Renie watched the foursome move on to the parking lot. “I can't make out much except that one couple's elderly and the other isn't.”

“It's the
Z
s with the old folks I was helping. They were going for a walk.”

Renie shrugged. “That's what they're doing. Why do we care?” She jabbed her fork at Judith's cobbler. “Eat. It's good, even without ice cream.”

“I'm not hungry,” Judith said, her gaze still fixed on the quartet as they neared the motel's tiny office. “I'm too upset. I want to talk to—”

A sudden jolt of the train jarred both cousins. “What the hell?” Renie said, bracing herself on the table edge. “Ah.” She laughed in relief. “We're moving.”

“We can't be!” Judith looked out where the motel view had been replaced by a decrepit water tower. “What about the oldsters and the
Z
s? Where's Earl?”

Renie turned to search for their waiter. “He's talking to Matt, who seems about to leave. The doctor's office hours must be over.”

“Let's go,” Judith urged. “We can talk to Earl on our way out.”

“What about your cobbler?”

“No. All I want is some answers from Pepper and to let Earl know about the
Z
s and the old coots we left behind. Move!”

“Sheesh,” Renie said under her breath. “Okay, okay, I'm moving.”

As they headed down the aisle, Judith saw Matt leave the dining car. Earl, who was about to reset the table that had served as the doctor's consultation area, had his back to the cousins. He turned when Judith called his name.

“Ah!” the waiter exclaimed with a smile. “Did you want your dinner, Mrs. Flynn? I saved it for you.”

“Thanks, but no,” Judith said hurriedly in a low voice. “I think we've left some passengers behind.”

Earl looked startled. “What do you mean?”

“The couple who were sitting across from the Johnstons whose last name begins with
Z
,” Judith said, “and that older couple, the ones Mr. Z and I were trying to help after the gunshot panic.”

“Oh, of course.” Earl's expression was kindly. “Nice folks,” he said, “but up in years and very frail.” He sobered quickly. “Are you saying Mr. and Mrs. Gundy have been left behind?”

“Gundy?” Judith said, surprised.

Earl nodded. “They've made this trip several times when I've been working. They live in Wolf Point, but one of their children is in Kalispell.” He had lost his usual bonhomie.

“I don't understand. Why did they get off?”

“The
Z
s thought the fresh air would do them good,” Judith replied, trying not to let nearby passengers listen in. “Did you say ‘Gundy'?”

“Yes.” Earl was trying to acknowledge another waiter, who apparently needed backup.

“Sorry, I have to go. I'll pass on what you thought you saw to Mr. Peterson about the Gundys and the other pair.”

“He thinks I'm nuts,” Judith murmured after they left the dining car.

“You're not,” Renie said. “If that foursome got left behind, we're going so slow that if they could get a ride, they'll be in Malta before we will. What I don't understand is the Gundy connection. Are they related to Pepper?”

“That's another question,” Judith said grimly. She glanced out the window of the first sleeper as the train crawled eastward across desolate, snow-dusted terrain. “Purvis called her Dorothy May Gundy. By the way,” she added as Renie opened the door to their sleeper, “did you see the trooper in the dining car?”

“Yes,” Renie replied. “He was in a rush. I meant to ask if you'd
talked to him. He must've passed by while you were talking to Justin.”

“That's a long and stupid story in itself,” Judith said. “He'd come out of the tavern, where I assume he was trying to find out who or what started the brawl. The bottom line is that Emily had locked him out of the train and I had to help him get back on.”

Jax was coming out of the roomette next to the Downeys. “Oh—hi,” she said, looking frazzled. “I'm doing bed checks. When do you want yours ready?”

The cousins exchanged glances. “Later,” Judith replied. “Around ten? By the way, which sleeper are the Gundys in?”

Jax looked puzzled. “Ms. Gundy is still in the bedroom downstairs. She insisted on taking Mr. Weevil's body to Wolf Point, rather than into Malta.”

“No, not that Gundy. I mean the elderly couple who came from Kalispell. Were they in this sleeper or the other one?”

“Sorry,” Jax said. “I didn't realize there were any other Gundys on board. The only Gundy I know is the one downstairs. Are you sure about the name?”

“That's what Earl told us,” Judith said. “He knows them because they travel frequently between Kalispell and their home in Wolf Point.”

Jax nodded. “Now I understand. The other Gundys would've gotten on at Whitefish early this morning. There are connecting buses between Kalispell, Missoula, and Whitefish. If we were on time, we'd have been in Wolf Point around four-thirty this afternoon. They wouldn't book a sleeper for a day trip.”

“I should've known that,” Renie said, disgusted. “I've taken this route several times, but I didn't realize Kalispell and Whitefish are so close together.”

Jax smiled faintly. “Montana's a big state. It's hard to know distances between the towns and cities.” She started to turn away, but Judith stopped her.

“Wait.” She saw Jax tense. “I hate to burden you with bad news, but the Gundys—the old folks—and another couple may've been left behind in Scuttle. I've told Earl, the waiter, and he was going to alert Mr. Peterson, but just in case, I thought you could make sure the conductor knows.”

Jax looked horrified. “Oh, no! How could such a thing happen?”

“They got off to get some fresh air,” Judith explained. “I saw them outside—just as we started to move again. Do you know where Mr. Peterson is?”

Jax took a moment to compose herself. “Probably with the engineer now that we're under way again.” She shut her eyes tight and pressed her lips together. “This trip has been a disaster,” she finally said. “First Roy disappears, then there's the collision with the pickup truck, poor Mr. Weevil dies, and now we've got four passengers stranded in Scuttle. I feel as if we're hexed.” She looked close to tears.

“I understand how upsetting this must be to you,” Judith said. Jax waved a dismissive hand. “I shouldn't blab. This route is usually uneventful.” She smiled weakly. “As a rule, the problems are minor, like the people next to you who wouldn't open the door when I asked about their beds.”

“The Kloppenburgs?” Judith asked.

“Yes,” Jax said. “They yelled at me to go away, they'd do it themselves.” She squared her shoulders. “Sometimes passengers have strange little ways. That's fine. It's one less chore for me.” She shrugged and moved on.

After Jax disappeared, Judith poked Renie. “Let's see the other Gundy. If Pepper wants to go nuclear again, that's fine, but she better have some answers.”

Renie took her time to reach the stairs. “Is viewing of the body optional?”

“It wouldn't be a first, would it?” Judith snapped.

Renie shrugged. “Seen one dead body, seen too damned many.”

There was no sign of activity downstairs. Renie had qualms. “Keep on guard. Emily may be lying in ambush. What's your opening line for Pepper?”

“Truce for truth.” Judith rapped on the accessible room's door, but there was no response. Listening for any sound inside, she heard nothing. “Too quiet?”

“Well,” Renie said, “the dead guy probably can't hear you.”

“I suppose it wouldn't be pleasant to spend the day with a corpse,” Judith said, more to herself than to Renie. “Pepper and Wayne could be in the bar or the dome car.” She stared at the door. “Dare I?”

Renie sucked in her breath. “You wouldn't!”

“I shouldn't.”

But Judith opened the door anyway.

There was no one—dead or alive—in the accessible bedroom.

“Where's the body?” Renie asked.

“I've no idea.” Judith was surprised to see that the accessible bedroom was so small. Two beds—both unmade—and a sink and toilet were the only furnishings. “Where's the wheelchair?”

“Maybe,” Renie suggested, “they put the phony Willie in it and wheeled him to the baggage car.”

“I wouldn't want to spend time in here with a corpse.” Judith studied the room. It was neither tidy nor trashed. “Watch for anyone coming downstairs. I wonder where Wayne slept. There's only room for two.”