Strangers on a Train Read online

  “The spider?” I couldn’t help a slight shudder.

  “Uh-huh. Their room steward is taking care of the thing back on the ship while they’re gone, and Tobias is afraid she’ll get squashed or something.” She grinned. “Maybe Hazel should’ve tagged along. She could have had my seat. Now that would be a photo worth posting on my blog!”

  I smiled. “Speaking of your blog, I bet all your readers will love reading about your adventures in Denali.”

  “Yeah, I hope so.” A shadow passed across Wendy’s face. “They’re not exactly flocking to read about the trip so far.”

  “Really?” Apparently things hadn’t picked up since I’d last talked to her, a couple of days earlier.

  “Uh-huh.” She picked at the back of the seat in front of her. “I was really hoping that blogging this trip would grab me some attention out there. You know—get some buzz going, maybe attract some advertisers or get me some paying gigs, whatever. Make this writing thing happen, you know?”

  “Actually, I don’t know that much about how blogs work,” I said. “Do you mean you’re hoping someone will want to pay you to turn your blog into a book or magazine article or something?”

  “That would work.” She cracked a rueful smile. “But really, I was just hoping maybe one of my posts might go viral. If it’s big enough, something like that can lead to TV interviews or whatever, and then from there, who knows?”

  “Oh.” I wasn’t sure what to think. It sounded as if Wendy was doing everything she could to succeed at this blogging thing. Would that include helping a thief?

  “Yeah, so here I am in this supercool place—” She sighed and glanced out the window. “And I still can’t get anybody to pay attention. I’m starting to think this trip was a big, fat, expensive mistake.”

  “My friends and I won the cruise in a contest,” I said. “I guess I didn’t really think about how much it must cost.”

  “Let’s put it this way,” Wendy said. “My cousin works for one of the big travel websites and got me a serious discount. And I still had to sell my car to pay for it.”

  “Ouch.” So much for crossing Wendy off the list. In my experience, desperate people sometimes did desperate things. And based on what she was saying, Wendy was as desperate as they came.

  “Wah, wah, let me play the world’s tiniest violin, right?” Then she wiggled her shoulders, as if shaking off her gloomy thoughts. “What will be will be, as they say. Anyway, look at me, spilling my guts to someone I just met, like, a week ago!” She laughed. “Sorry about that.”

  “It’s okay,” I said. “I understand how money ­troubles can get you down.”

  “Yeah. But when you get right down to it, I’m lucky I get the chance to, like, follow my bliss. That’s enough reason to stay optimistic, right?” She grinned. “And hey, the trip’s not over yet. Who knows, maybe somebody’ll get eaten by a grizzly bear and I’ll be there to document it!”

  I noticed Tobias and his father making their way down the aisle. “Looks like your seatmate’s back,” I told Wendy. “I should go.”

  “Okay. But hey, thanks for listening.”

  “Anytime.” I got up, exchanging greetings with Tobias and his father as I passed them.

  Then I wandered up toward Hiro’s seat. I’d been just about ready to cross Wendy off the suspect list, but this changed everything. Was it time to move her to the top?

  Hiro was deep in conversation with another passenger. Not wanting to interrupt, I kept moving past his seat, planning to check the next car for Tatjana and Scott.

  Before I reached the door, Alan caught up with me. “Hey,” he said. “Glad I caught you. We heard we’re about to pass through an area where you can sometimes see moose grazing in a field right along the train tracks! Come check it out.”

  “Oh. Um . . .” That did sound cool. But I wasn’t really in the mood for wildlife watching.

  But I should have known better than to protest. Alan wouldn’t take no for an answer. Before I knew it, I was heading back toward our seats.

  When I got there, I saw that George had moved across the aisle to sit with Bess. “What are you doing over there?” I asked.

  George shrugged. “Bess had better snacks,” she said. “Anyway, this is your chance to snag that window seat for a while.”

  “Good point.” I glanced at Alan. “You don’t mind, do you?”

  “Go for it.” He waved a hand toward the seats.

  I sat down by the window, and he took the seat beside me. For the next few minutes we watched for moose, but there was no sign of them.

  “So where are the meese?” George asked, sounding impatient.

  “Guess they’re not out today,” Alan said.

  “Don’t worry,” Bess put in. “Even if we don’t see any now, everyone says we’ll see tons of them on our tour through Denali tomorrow. The wildlife viewing is supposed to be spectacular there.”

  “Cool.” George grinned. “Think I’ll get to pet one?”

  “I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” Bess said. “Moose actually injure more people in Alaska every year than grizzly bears.”

  “Really?” George sounded skeptical. “Where’d you hear that?”

  “It’s one of the fun facts in the brochure about this land tour,” Bess said. “Didn’t you read it?”

  After a bit more bickering, the cousins went back to peering out their window, while Alan and I did the same. The two of us chitchatted about the scenery we were passing. But soon I was feeling restless again. The clock was ticking, and I didn’t want to miss my chance to check out our suspects while we were all trapped on the train together.

  “Excuse me,” I said. “Think I’ll go explore the train a little.”

  “No way, you can’t leave now,” Alan said with a grin. “We might still spot those moose!”

  “No, seriously.” I lowered my voice. “I want to go have a look around, if you know what I mean.”

  His eyes widened. “Oh!” he exclaimed. “Wait—do you have a new lead or something? Did one of the suspects do something suspicious?”

  He was whispering, sort of. But his voice still seemed way too loud. “Shh,” I cautioned, hoping the people in the seats nearby weren’t paying attention.

  “Oops. Sorry.” He pressed a couple of fingers to his mouth, pretending to lock his lips shut. “But seriously,” he whispered. “If you need help . . .”

  “No, it’s okay.” I sighed and leaned back in my seat. “Actually, it can probably wait.”

  We still hadn’t seen any moose—and I hadn’t done any more investigating—by the time Hiro stood up and said it was time for our section of the car to head downstairs for lunch. George hopped to her feet immediately.

  “Finally!” she exclaimed. “I’m starved!”

  “Really?” Bess raised one perfectly groomed eyebrow. “Even after eating all my pretzels and my granola bar?”

  George ignored that and stepped into the aisle. “Come on, let’s get down there.”

  Alan stood and moved into the aisle behind her. “After you, ladies,” he said, sweeping a hand forward in a little mock bow.

  Bess smiled. “So gallant!” she cooed.

  I crawled out of my seat and straightened up. “Thanks,” I told Alan. As he leaned down to grab his knapsack off the floor beneath the seat, I caught up with Bess and George. When we started down the stairs, we saw Tobias and his family ahead of us. The little boy turned and spotted us.

  “Hey, where’s Alan?” he demanded.

  “Right behind us.” Bess glanced over her shoulder. “At least I thought he was.”

  “Here I am,” Alan exclaimed, bursting into the stairwell. “Hey, Tobias. What’s up? How’s my girl Hazel?”

  Bess, George, and I traded a glance as Alan and Tobias started chattering away, mostly about ­Tobias’s pet spider. “
I guess they must have bonded at the climbing wall yesterday,” Bess murmured with a smile.

  We all continued downstairs together. There were plenty of windows in the dining car, so we were able to enjoy more scenic views as we ate. Tobias was at the next table, along with his parents and Wendy. The ­little boy kept turning around in his seat to talk to Alan.

  “What can I say?” Alan said with a grin. “I have a way with kids.”

  Tobias’s mother heard him and turned with a smile. “Sorry if he’s being a pest,” she said. “He was so excited when he found out you were an environmental studies major. He wants to be a zookeeper when he grows up.”

  After the meal, we all headed back upstairs. Tobias went past his seat, following Alan down the aisle. “So do you get to study tarantulas in your college classes?” he asked.

  “Dude, we study every kind of spider,” Alan said with a laugh. “It’s awesome!”

  I glanced around the car to see if Hiro was free. He was nowhere in sight, so I decided maybe it was time to look for Scott and Tatjana. Bess and George had already taken their seats together, but I hovered beside my row, realizing I couldn’t tell them what I was really doing. Not with Tobias hanging around and several other passengers close enough to hear.

  “I’ll be back in a bit,” I said, patting my purse. “I’m going to the restroom to brush my teeth.”

  “Are you kidding?” Alan exclaimed. “Didn’t you hear what our waiter told us just now? He said we’ll be coming up on a great view of Mount McKinley soon. You don’t want to miss that!”

  His voice was loud and enthusiastic, as usual. I cringed as several nearby passengers turned to stare at us. So far, letting Alan in on our real purpose hadn’t helped much with the undercover stuff.

  “Um, okay,” I said, figuring I could whisper my real plans to him once we sat down. “Want the window seat this time?”

  “Nah, you can have it. I’m taller—I can see past you just fine.” Alan stood back to let me by.

  Stepping past him, I dropped into my seat. “Ow!” I cried as I felt something jab into my skin. I leaped up again, almost hitting my head on the curved glass of the window.

  “What’s wrong, Nancy?” Bess exclaimed.

  I stared down in horror. “Glass! Shards of broken glass all over my seat!”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Narrowing the Field

  “GLASS?” BESS CRIED. “WHAT DO YOU MEAN?”

  I was bending down, examining the gleaming shards on my seat. They were silver, almost invisible against the upholstery. But they were definitely there.

  Alan leaned closer. “Glass?” he exclaimed. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I’m sure.” I rubbed my backside. “Trust me.”

  The commotion from our seats was attracting attention. Tobias was still hanging around, and he pushed past Alan to peer at me.

  “Hey, did the glass poke you in the behind?” he asked loudly.

  I ignored him, carefully cleaning up the seat. Meanwhile Wendy appeared by our seats as well.

  “Nancy?” she said. “What’s going on? I heard you yell.”

  She sounded a little too eager. I glanced up and saw a camera in her hand. Could she have done this? Maybe set up a situation she thought could win her that breakthrough blog post she wanted?

  “Someone dropped smashed glass on Nancy’s seat,” Bess told Wendy.

  “What? You’re kidding, right?” Wendy asked.

  “I don’t know.” I forced a laugh. “But don’t worry, everyone. I think I’ll recover.”

  “Let me see those.” Alan grabbed my hand for a closer look at the shards. “It looks like a glass was smashed—maybe from the dining car.”

  I squeezed my eyes shut. This situation was spinning out of control. The last thing I needed was to become some kind of mini-celebrity on this train. If everyone was watching me, it would be that much harder to do any investigating.

  When I opened my eyes, Hiro was making his way toward us. “What’s going on back here?” he asked.

  “Nothing. I’m fine,” I assured him.

  “Nothing,” Alan said quickly. “Except that someone put slivers of glass all over Nancy’s seat. Anyone who would do that must be a sick person. Who knows what he or she might do?”

  Hiro looked confused and concerned. “Okay, somebody had better fill me in here.”

  When he heard the story, Hiro insisted on contacting the train’s security team. Several officers arrived moments later, shooing everyone in our car back down to the dining car while they searched the entire upper level. Finally we got the all clear and returned to our seats.

  “Thanks for taking that glass for me, Nancy,” George said, clearly trying to lighten the mood. “That was technically my seat, you know.”

  “I know. And you’re welcome.” I stuck out my tongue at her. “You want it back?”

  “No way,” Alan spoke up. “Go ahead and sit down, Nancy. After what you’ve just been through, you deserve the window seat. I’ll sit right here with you and keep an eye out for any more trouble.”

  “Um, thanks.” I sat down.

  Across the aisle, I could see Bess and George with their heads bent close together, talking in whispers. I wished I could be over there with them, discussing this latest twist in the case. Because it had to be related, didn’t it? There was no way it was a coincidence that broken glass had turned up on my seat.

  A moment later my phone buzzed. I pulled it out and found a text from George.

  BESS & I THINK U SHOULD GET CHECKED OUT BY A MEDIC WHEN WE GET TO DENALI, JUST IN CASE.

  I didn’t bother to text back; I just leaned forward so I could see past Alan to their seat. Both Bess and George were staring back at me. I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

  A moment later, another text came:

  SRSLY, NANCY. WHAT IF A. IS RIGHT AND SOMEONE PUT SOMETHING ON THE SHARDS? COULD BE THE SAME PERSON WHO PUSHED U OFF THE WALKWAY IN K.

  This time I typed a return text: LIKE U SAID, G, THE GLASS WASN’T ON MY SEAT. IT WAS ON YOURS.

  George texted back again: HM, GOOD POINT. MAYBE THE BAD GUY IS AFTER ALL OF US NOW.

  I realized I hadn’t thought of that. Just then Alan glanced over.

  “Who are you texting?” His voice sounded impossibly loud.

  “Um, nobody,” I said. “I mean, I’m just sending a note to Ned. My boyfriend.”

  “Oh, right.” Alan nodded. “I met him that time we all went out to dinner together, remember? Nice dude.”

  I smiled weakly until he turned his attention back to the scenery. Then my fingers flew over the tiny keyboard. WHY WOULD SOMEONE BE AFTER U GUYS NOW?

  The response came quickly: MAYBE WE R GETTING TOO CLOSE TO THE TRUTH.

  I leaned back, feeling troubled. Could my friends be right? Were we all in danger now?

  After a moment I texted them again: SO WHAT SHOULD WE DO?

  The response: U SHOULD STAY PUT. B & I ARE GOING TO INVESTIGATE.

  I frowned and texted: NO! IF SOMEONE IS AFTER U TOO, IT’S TOO DANGEROUS. WE NEED TO COME UP W/A PLAN.

  I sent the text and waited for the response. Instead I heard the sounds of activity across the aisle. Glancing over, I saw Bess and George getting up.

  “Where are you two going?” Alan asked before I could.

  “Just taking a walk,” Bess said sweetly. “Keep an eye on Nancy while we’re gone, okay? She needs to relax and recover.”

  “Absolutely.” Alan reached up and squeezed her arm as she went past.

  “Hey!” I called as my friends hurried up the aisle. But neither of them responded. “Let me out,” I told Alan. “I’m going with them.”

  “Ah, ah, ah!” He shook a playful finger in my face. “You heard the lady. Relax and recover time.”

  I gritted my teeth, tempted to kick him in the k
neecap and make my escape. But I held myself back. He was only trying to help. Besides, how much trouble could my friends get into on this train? I decided to let them go. Maybe I could convince Alan to lower his voice enough for the two of us to discuss the case. A fresh perspective might be just what I needed.

  “Okay,” I said, turning to glance out the window. “If anything can help me relax, it’s looking at all this.”

  “I know, right? Beautiful.”

  We spent the next few minutes chatting about the scenery we were passing. At some point I realized it was probably the first time I’d ever had a real conversation with him, just the two of us. It was kind of weird. But kind of nice, too.

  After a while Tobias appeared. Seeing my friends’ empty seats across from us, he flopped into the aisle seat. “Hey, Alan,” he said. “My dad says Mount McKinley is the tallest mountain on the whole continent. Is that true?”

  Alan grinned at him. “Hey there, little man,” he said. “I bet your dad is right.”

  “Oh.” Tobias looked impressed. “Do you study mountains and stuff in your classes, or just animals?”

  “We study it all,” Alan replied. “The whole shebang.”

  I looked at him. For a while, I’d almost forgotten that he wasn’t on this trip only because of Bess. He was also supposed to be getting a head start on his college research project for the next year.

  “That reminds me,” I said. “Have you had any ideas for your big sophomore project yet?”

  “Not really,” he said. “But it’ll come. I’m just taking it all in, letting it simmer.”

  “Need any help brainstorming?” I offered. “I’m usually pretty good at coming up with ideas for stuff like that. What are the parameters of the project?”

  Tobias sat up and perched on the edge of the seat. “Do you have to write a report for school?” he asked Alan. “You should write about spiders! I got an A on the report I did about Hazel.”

  “Cool,” Alan told him. Then he glanced at me. “And thanks. Maybe sometime, I guess.”

  “Wait! I have a better idea.” Tobias swung his leg around, kicking the seat in front of him. “You could write about the bone smugglers!”