Ironhorse

15

Dean was facing the door again. Virgil walked back up the aisle to where I stood by Emma and Abigail. They were seated in the front row. Lightning lit up the interior of the car as Virgil turned to face them.

“Do you know if your father was carrying a large amount of money?” Virgil asked.

Emma looked to Abigail. Abigail shook her head.

“Not that we are aware of,” Emma said. “No.”

“Where were you and your parents traveling?” I said.

“We are headed to our grandmother’s home,” Emma said. “In Kansas, near Wichita. Father, Mr. Lassiter, and Mr. Hobbs were going elsewhere on business.”

“Who are Mr. Lassiter and Mr. Hobbs,” Virgil asked.

“Friends of our father,” Emma said.

“You know where they were headed?” I said.

“No, I’m not sure, business meetings with businesspeople,” Emma said.

“I know this is not easy for you,” Virgil said, “but try and tell Everett and me what led up to you being in this predicament.”

Emma looked to her sister and then to Virgil.

“Well... I was sitting in a chair at the front of the carriage across from our berth, reading. Abby was sleeping. You were asleep, weren’t you, dear?”

“Yes,” Abigail said.

“And the others?” Virgil said.

“Father, Mr. Lassiter, and Mr. Hobbs were playing cards on the center table,” Emma said, “and Mother was in her berth.”

“Go on,” Virgil said.

“The conductor walked in from the rear of the carriage. He was talking to the Pinkerton man. The conductor’s back was to me. I think the conductor was telling a joke or something, because they were laughing. Then a hard-looking man stepped through the door, behind the Pinkerton man. He had a big knife. The Pinkerton man was stabbed.”

“What about the other Pinkerton guard?” I said.

“He rushed to his partner’s aid and then the conductor shot him,” Emma said. “He just shot him... It was loud.”

“What about your father?” Virgil said, “and the other two?”

“The conductor told them to keep their hands up,” Emma said.

“The conductor?” I said.

Emma shook her head.

“I have to say, I don’t think he was the conductor,” Emma said. “He was wearing a conductor’s cap, but... I don’t know, he and the man with the knife threw the Pinkerton men from the train. It all happened so fast.”

Emma stopped talking. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she started to cry. Abigail grabbed her hand. They both were crying.

“Okay,” Virgil said. “Okay...”

Emma stiffened up, determined to continue. “The man with the knife pulled Mother out of her berth. He was mean and rough with her. He put the knife to her throat.”

Abigail spoke up: “The conductor, or whoever he is, told Father to get his luggage down.”

“Then there were gunshots,” Emma said.

“That’s right,” Abigail said.

“There was gunfire coming from the car behind us,” Emma said, “and then a big Irishman came running through the rear door.”

“He was followed by two other men,” Abigail said.

“The Irishman told the conductor there were lawmen on board,” Emma said, “and they’d shot two of their men.”

“Then what,” Virgil said.

“The conductor told him to go back and kill them,” Emma said. “Kill the lawmen.”

Lightning cracked loudly. Abigail jumped. Emma grabbed my hand. Bright light briefly flooded the coach.

Virgil looked to the ceiling. He called to Ness and the dandy as he pointed up.

“You hear something?”

Ness looked to the dandy; the dandy shook his head. Ness looked back to Virgil and shook his head.