Loco Motive (8 page)

“This isn't a sightseeing tour,” Renie said, sounding agitated.

“Turn off by the football stadium.”

“You're giving me directions? We'll end up at the ferry dock. Checking in at the station's a snap compared to the airport, and
you only have to walk about fifty yards to get on board.” He glanced at the dashboard. “The clock says it's three thirty-two.”

“No!” Renie shrieked. “It's four thirty-two!”

“See for yourself,” Bill said. “You changed all the clocks to standard time.”

“Oh, my God!” Renie held her head. “I…I…did, but I changed them back again.”

Bill stared at Renie. “What?” he bellowed. “Are you crazy?”

“Look out!” Judith cried. “That motorcycle's cutting in…”

Renie gasped; Bill swore. But the Camry narrowly missed hitting the biker. Judith was shaking; Renie was sitting ramrod straight; Bill stepped on the gas, cut over two lanes, and headed for the stadium exit. None of them said another word until they pulled up in the no-parking zone at the depot's main entrance. The clock tower read 4:43.

Bill got out of the car first and opened the trunk. Renie had her big purse and carry-on with her. She ran inside the station while Bill hauled out the rest of the luggage. Judith tried to help him.

“Don't,” he snapped. “Just go.”

Judith obeyed, but she didn't dare hurry. She was too unsteady on her feet and her nerves were shredded. By chance, a wheelchair was just a few feet away from the door. A rosy-cheeked young man wearing an Amtrak uniform noticed that she seemed in distress. “Can I help you, ma'am?” he inquired.

“Yes.” She collapsed in the wheelchair. “Just push me out to the platform. Or has the Empire Builder left?”

“Not quite,” he replied. “Hang on.”

As they moved quickly through the almost empty station, Judith looked for Renie. She was at the check-in booth, apparently arguing with someone who looked like a conductor. Bill had already found a trolley, loaded the luggage, and was heading for the platform.

“There,” Judith said, pointing to Renie. “She must be checking us in. She has both of our tickets.”

Up close, Renie looked as if she were about to vault over the counter and attack the conductor. There was precedent, Judith recalled, grimacing at memories of her cousin flinging herself over obstacles to get at victims of her outrage.

“Coz!” Judith cried as the young man wheeled her up to the counter. “What's wrong?”

Renie swiveled around, her elbow knocking over a display of Amtrak information.

“We've been demoted!” she yelled. “This bozo says we can't have either of the downstairs rooms because some other passengers have priority. I'll sue! I'll call Bub! I'll set his suits on the whole damned railroad system!”

Judith's face began to twitch. “Please. Calm down. Please.” She turned to look up at the young man and saw his name tag identified him as Walter Robbins. “Thanks, Walter. Can you stand by?”

Walter shot Renie a wary glance. He shuddered slightly. “Yes, ma'am. I can stand by for you.”

The conductor, whose name tag identified him as D. C. Peterson, managed to keep his aplomb. Judith figured he was in his fifties. Gray hair showed from under his conductor's cap and his long face was deeply lined. “Your deluxe bedroom on the upper level has its own shower and toilet. It's also closer to the dining and dome cars. I'm sorry for the confusion, but when there's an emergency, we give the lower accessible accommodations to the most severely impaired passengers. A mother traveling with three small children had reserved the family room over a month ago,” he continued, moving from behind the counter, but keeping a safe distance from Renie. “Your request for the accessible bedroom stated that neither of you is confined to a wheelchair.” Mr. Peterson winced slightly. Judith wondered if he was thinking that Renie should be confined to a cage. “You realize that neither of the lower-level rooms have their own shower facilities. The bedroom upstairs has both.”

“Well…” Renie looked chagrined. “I forgot about that,” she mumbled. “Okay, fine.”

The conductor seemed relieved. “The person who requested the accessible bedroom is immobilized.” He glanced at his pocket watch. “We're ready to pull out.” He paused as his cell phone rang. “Excuse me. It's the engineer. I must answer this.”

Renie, whose wrath was usually explosive but short-lived, motioned at Judith. “Let's go before Bill kills somebody if he finds out we've been moved and our luggage has to go elsewhere.”

Judith's shoulders sagged. The last thing she needed was to suffer through another Jones All-World Tantrum. Not for the first time, she wondered how Bill and Renie had kept from killing each other.

Bill, however, was standing calmly on the platform two cars down and smoking a cigarette. “You made it,” he said above the noise of the train. “It's a good thing they had to wait for some VIP.”

“Did they tell you we've been moved?” Renie asked.

Bill nodded. “Same car, though.” He gestured at the attendant in the white shirt and black vest standing by the open door. Except for their sleeper, the long line of silver cars were already closed. Only a few Amtrak workers and well-wishers remained on the platform. “Need a hand?” Bill asked Judith.

“I've got Walter.” She smiled at the young man as she stood up.

“Thanks for your help, Walter.”

“No problem,” the young man replied.

Bill had tossed his cigarette and ground it out with his heel. He and Renie hugged and kissed. And hugged and kissed again. Judith smiled. No wonder Bill and Renie had stayed married—and alive—for forty years. With her own fifteenth anniversary on the horizon, Judith knew it was a good idea for the Flynns to keep up with the Joneses.

As Walter guided Judith to the step that led onto the train, Bill offered her a peck on the cheek. “Take it easy. See you in Boston.”

“Let me go first,” Renie said to Judith. “If you trip, I can cushion your fall.” She climbed up onto the train and waited.

Walter got Judith as far as the first step. “Oh-oh,” he said, looking back toward the station. “I'm needed by the late arrival.” He hurried off. The attendant took over, holding Judith steady as she got into the car.

“Another wheelchair,” Renie said, looking beyond Judith.

“This one's fancier. You got the no-frills model.”

Judith gazed out to the platform, where the conductor was leading the way for two people and someone in a sleek, upholstered high-tech wheelchair. The invalid's right arm sported a blue sling; the left leg was in a white plaster cast. “Oh, no!” she gasped. “I don't believe it!”

“What now?” Renie asked in alarm.

The attendant chuckled. “Your friend knows her celebrities. It's always a break in the routine to see famous people in person. My, my—back in the day, I was a big Wee Willie Weevil fan, too.”

J
udith and Renie almost fell over each other trying to get out of the way and up the steps to the next level.

“I can't believe it,” Judith said as they reached the corridor that led to their bedroom. “As soon as I saw Pepper's red hair, I wanted to jump out on the other side of the train.”

“Stop fussing,” Renie urged. “Willie's in a wheelchair. He's been rendered harmless by your pyracantha. I'll bet he won't be able to get to the dining room. With any luck you won't have to see him.”

Judith narrowed her eyes at Renie. “That's what I thought after he was hauled off by the medics.”

“Come on,” Renie urged. “Let's get settled before the train starts up. Once Willie gets on board, we're out of here. You should be grateful to him,” Renie continued, moving to the lighted number designating their room as A9. “If the train hadn't waited for him, we'd have missed it.”

“And whose fault was that?” Judith demanded.

“Oooh…” Renie threw up her hands. “Okay, I screwed up.” She slid the door open.

“This is fine. Two chairs, view window, upper and lower berth that come out at night, goodies basket with
snacks, small table, smaller bathroom. I don't mean the bathroom's smaller than the table, I mean it's—”

“Don't change the subject,” Judith snapped. “What did you do with the clocks?”

A shout from outside signaled the train's departure. “Sit,” Renie commanded. “We might lurch a bit at first.”

“You're evading the question,” Judith persisted, settling into one of the chairs.

Renie was bending over to look out the window. “Bill probably can't see me, but I'll wave anyway.” She paused. “I can't see him. I suppose he left to move the car out of the no-parking zone.”

“Let's hope so,” Judith murmured. “If he got towed, you might as well keep going straight across the Atlantic after we get to Boston. Talk, coz, before I throttle you.”

Renie flopped into the opposite chair just as the train began to move. “It's not easy to explain because I'm not sure what I did.”

Judith was confused. “What?”

“It had to do with the change from daylight to standard time,” Renie began. “I always change our clocks—all fifteen of them, which is yet another reason why I hate the whole stupid concept. The only timepiece I don't change is Bill's watch, even though he never remembers which way to move the hands. Mr. Science, he's not.”

“And you're not exactly Mrs. Science,” Judith pointed out.

“Yeah, right. But I do know it's ‘fall back' and ‘spring forward.'”

Judith nodded. “Go on.”

“What I did sounds confusing.” Renie shifted uncomfortably in her chair. “Well, it
is
confusing. I reset everything last night before I went to bed so that we'd be on time for Mass. If Bill wakes up before sunrise, he doesn't look at the digital clock on the armoire, but at his watch on the nightstand next to the bed. It glows in the dark.”

“The nightstand? The watch? Bill?”

Renie made a face. “You're not being your usual patient self. Now I'm even more muddled.” She frowned. “Where was I?”

“Watching Bill glow in the dark?”

Renie made a growling noise. “Stop it. When Bill got up this morning and went into the bathroom, I changed his watch, just in case he might check it later in the day, which he rarely does.”

“Wow,” Judith remarked drily. “The things I never knew about you and Bill. Cut to the chase before my head explodes,”

“Cammy's dashboard clock was tricky,” Renie said. “I didn't dare change it until Mass was over. Bill and Joe were chatting outside. I hurried to the car and moved the clock just as he was about to get in.”

“Can you finish this story before we get to Idaho?” Judith asked wearily.

Renie looked irked. “I'm almost done. After we got home, I realized the clocks should be set back two hours, but I couldn't remember if I'd done that last night.” Frowning, she paused. “Let's start over. I'm telling this all wrong.”

“That could describe it,” Judith murmured.

“The point was to make Bill think we were leaving when he said we would.” Renie fingered her chin, apparently sorting through her addlepated scheme. “I knew Bill wouldn't agree to go later,” she finally said. “It's not how he operates.”

“Right. So what did you do with your clocks at the house?”

“I…” Renie scowled. “I'm not sure. You know how confused I get with anything that has to do with numbers.”

“Oh, good Lord!” Judith leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. “Never mind. I wish I'd never asked.”

“That probably was a bad idea on your part,” Renie conceded.

“Don't be so grumpy about it. Whatever I did, it was for you. Frankly, it wasn't worth the effort. Your family adventure sounds like a fiasco.”

“It was,” Judith admitted. “Mike and Kristin should've made sure we knew they were coming for Halloween. I couldn't change
my plans, but I'd have warned them I had to leave this afternoon and spared myself a near nervous breakdown.”

“Skip the regrets,” Renie advised. “It turned out for the best. You showed Kristin you're not really spineless.”

“We'll see,” Judith murmured, realizing that they were suddenly in the dark. “Have you got me so confused that I'm going blind?”

“No. We have to go through a tunnel under the downtown area before we take the northern route across the mountains.”

Judith shook her head. “I think you've infected this train. Who knows where we'll end up? Alaska? Peru? Jupiter?”

Renie shrugged. “I'm not the engineer. Let's get organized while we're still going slow. What do you want from your carry-on?”

“Nothing now,” Judith replied. “Where's the rest of my luggage?”

“Our other stuff's in the downstairs luggage rack,” Renie said.

“I saw it when we boarded because ours was loaded last.”

“Where's Willie?”

“In the accessible room to our left as we got on,” Renie replied.

“He needs it more than we do,” Judith said, feeling the train pick up speed after its snail's pace through the tunnel. She looked out the window where the setting sun glinted off the bay. “I didn't realize this route goes along the water.”

Renie leaned forward as the attendant who'd been standing outside the sleeper knocked softly. “Hi,” she said. “When do we eat?”

“Can you wait until the first sitting at five-thirty?” the attendant replied with a smile that revealed perfect white teeth. “I'm Roy Kingsley. We'll announce when the dining car opens in about half an hour.”

Judith smiled. “Hi, Roy. I'm Judith Flynn and that's my cousin Serena Jones. Her nickname's Renie. Will you be with us all the way to Boston?”

“I'm afraid not,” Roy replied. “When you change trains in Chicago, you get a new crew. Don't worry. Whoever takes my place will be just fine. Meanwhile, don't hesitate to ask for anything. I see you have your bottled water and your snack basket. The newspaper will be at your door in the morning. I'll make up your beds whenever you want. Coffee, hot water for tea, and orange juice are available by the stairwell after six a.m. if you need a jump start before breakfast. I'll show you how to control the temperature, the sound, and the lights.”

Judith paid close attention. Renie looked as if she was listening, but as a seasoned train traveler, Judith figured her cousin was enjoying the scenery as the train picked up more speed.

When Roy had finished giving his instructions, Renie finally spoke up. “How about a six-thirty dinner call?”

Roy smiled again. “That sounds just fine. Shall I put you down for the second sitting?”

Renie nodded. “Sure. My cousin and I have to get tanked first so we can stagger to the dining car.”

Roy cocked his head to one side. “My, my—I think you ladies will make this trip even livelier. I take it you're a Wee Willie Weevil fan, too?”

“Ah…my son is,” Judith replied.

“Poor man,” Roy said with a shake of his head. “A terrible thing happened to him. Some maniac pushed him out of a sixth-floor hotel window. He broke his leg and his arm. Only Willie could survive something like that at his age.”

“Uh…” Judith felt her face freeze. “Very resilient,” she said after a pause. “Will you be his attendant?”

“Yes,” Roy said, looking pleased. “Our conductor, Mr. Peterson, told me Mr. Weevil and his companions are heading for Wolf Point, Montana, to discuss events at the big rodeo held there every year.” He shook his head. “Maybe their plans changed since the accident. I'd hate to be the one who put him in such a sorry state.”

“Some people enjoy mayhem,” Renie said, darting a venom
ous glance at her cousin. “They like the excitement of big fire engines and ambulances and police cars and medics arriving at their house.”

Judith refrained from glaring back at her cousin. Instead, she changed the subject. “I understand Willie lives in Montana.”

Roy nodded. “I know he's originally from Montana—Butte, I think. Someone mentioned he has a home on Flathead Lake.”

Judith nodded. “I haven't followed his life and times. I assume the pretty red-haired woman is Mrs. Weevil.”

Roy cleared his throat. “You never know these days. A young man is also accompanying Mr. Weevil.”

“By the way,” Renie interjected, “do you know our next-door neighbors' names? Mrs. Friendly here may want to chat them up.”

“There are only two other bedrooms at this end of the train,” Roy said. “Next to you is a middle-aged couple named…” He made a face. “Kloppenburg. The end bedroom is for two passengers boarding at our midnight stop. The last name is Johnson or Johnston. Don't forget to change your watches. We'll be on Mountain Standard Time after midnight.”

Judith shot Renie a prickly glance. “I'll be in charge of that. My cousin has difficulty telling time. She's always been…a little backward.”

Roy looked sympathetic. “I see.” He smiled kindly at Renie. “We'll take good care of her, won't we, Mrs. Flynn?” He gave the cousins a casual salute before returning to the corridor.

“Great,” Renie said. “Roy thinks I'm an imbecile because you—”

She stopped as Roy poked his head back inside the roomette. “I'm going to Mr. Weevil's room in a few minutes,” he said. “Would you like his autograph?”

“Oh,” Judith responded, “that's kind of you, but I'm not a collector.”

Renie gave Roy a cockeyed smile. “I'd like his autograph.
Could he sign it for ‘Teenie Weenie Renie and her not-so-mighty brain'?”

“I'll try,” Roy promised, and disappeared again.

“I wish you hadn't done that,” Judith said.

“I wish you hadn't told Roy that I'm an idiot,” Renie retorted.

“Okay, we're even.” Judith leaned forward to look through the window across the corridor. “We're in the suburbs, but still by the water.” She checked her watch. “Drat. I forgot we're not on daylight…never mind.”

“Aha!” Renie cried. “Admit it—you're confused, too.”

“No, I'm not,” Judith insisted. “It's dark earlier than I'm used to.”

Renie smirked. “Right.”

“I'm enjoying the sunset.”

“Right.”

“The last time I took this route was when we went to Canada.”

“Right.”

“It's certainly more comfortable to go by train.”

“Right.”

“Stop it!” Judith shrieked. “You're driving me nuts!”

Renie put a finger to her lips and pointed to the sound system, which was turned to its lowest setting. “The bar's open,” she said, standing up. “I'll get our drinks. Do you need anything else?”

Judith eyed the gift basket. “I see crackers and cheese. I'm good.”

Renie left just as the train slowed for its first stop. The suburban station call was brief. Judith sat back and enjoyed the twilight scenery. Lights had been turned on in most of the buildings along the water's edge. Across the sound she could see scattered homes, some clustered near the beach, others built among the trees on the sloping hills of the peninsula. Renie was right, she thought. Traveling by train was far more pleasant than coping with airports, being treated as a possible terrorist, and getting jammed
into a seat designed for midgets. It was quiet, too, with only the muted rhythm of rails on tracks. Renie had left their door open, but no one had come by or spoken since Roy went off on the rest of his rounds. Judith felt so relaxed that she started to nod off.

“Bar service,” Renie announced, returning with a cardboard container holding two plastic glasses, ice, water, two small bottles of their whiskeys, a can of 7UP, napkins, and plastic stirrers.

“Did I wake you?” she asked, setting the container on the table between their chairs.

Judith felt sheepish. “Almost. I should've opened the snack basket. I guess I'm already feeling liberated.”

“I hope so,” Renie said, handing the basket to Judith. “You are.” Judith opened the Scotch. “How far away is the dining car?” Renie sat down. “Just beyond the other sleeper. The dome or sightseer car is on the other side of the diner, with snacks and liquor on the lower level. The coach cars are toward the rear.”

Judith nodded. “I can manage walking the length of one car.” Renie held up her glass. “To the cozzes. To relaxing. To being isolated from the rest of the world that always seems out to get us.”

“Amen,” Judith said, touching her plastic glass to Renie's.

“It beats being crushed between two sumo wrestlers on a plane.”

Judith laughed. “I'd forgotten the pleasures of train travel.”

“People are in such a hurry,” Renie said. “Going from one airport to another, with no sense of the changing countryside. Business travelers often have meetings at airport hotels so they don't…” She peered into the corridor. “Speaking of hurrying, Mr. Kloppenburg just rushed by. Did you see him?”