Virgil spoke to the dandy and Ness as he walked back up the aisle toward the front of the coach.
“You two keep your guns pointed at that door and be ready to shoot,” Virgil said.
“Thought you told that man to have another man come and talk with you?” Ness said.
Virgil shook his head.
“There is not gonna be anybody come through that door interested in talking,” Virgil said. “Just be ready.”
Ness and the dandy trained their pistols to the door.
Besides the fact Virgil was tired of Dean’s stupidity and his inability to offer much in the way of worthy information, his ploy of releasing Dean was only to buy us time. He knew it would give Vince and the others some fat to chew on as they figured out what they should do.
“What did he, this conductor, look like?” I asked.
“He was rather tall and slender,” Emma said. “He wore spectacles and had a thick drooping mustache.”
“I’m not certain, but he might have been crippled,” Abigail said. “Or injured. His left arm seemed limp.”
“And he was educated,” Emma said. “He spoke very proper.”
“What about the other man with the knife?” I said. “What did he look like?”
“Well... he looked as if he were a trapper,” Emma said.
“Yes,” Abigail said. “He was wearing full buckskin with fringe.”
“His hair was long,” Emma said. “Shoulder length. He had a long beard, and he wasn’t wearing a hat.”
“He had one of those beaded parfleche pouches on his waist, like Indians carry,” Abigail said. “But he was not an Indian.”
“No, he spoke English,” Emma said. “His voice was very rough and raspy.”
Virgil looked at me. He narrowed his eyes slightly.
Emma looked at Virgil and back to me.
“I know you will do everything in your power to help us,” Emma said, “and for that we will be forever grateful.”
“It’s what we do,” Virgil said.
Virgil walked out the door. I turned to follow Virgil to the platform, and Emma reached out, taking my hand.
“Thank you,” she said.
I looked at Emma’s hand holding mine, then looked into her eyes. She squeezed my hand and remained looking at me for a time. I touched the top of her hand in my hand, then walked out the door.