Blum shook her head obstinately. “I’m not leaving you to do this alone, Agent Pine. Like you said, we’re a unit, a team. I think we work well together.”
Pine eyed her.
“You don’t think so?” said Blum, frowning.
“I took an oath, you didn’t. I signed up for the danger part, you didn’t.”
Blum waved this off. “Oh, don’t worry about that. I know I’m not a special agent like you, but I did join the FBI, and I promised to do my job the best that I could. And I’m going to live up to my promise. Besides, I shepherded six kids to adulthood without losing any of them. So I can help you, too.”
Pine smiled. “You already saved my life once. Back at the airport.”
Blum leaned across the table and tapped Pine’s hand. “And if the need arises again, I will do so once more. We’re two badass women in a man’s world. What stronger incentive could we possibly have to stick together?”
Pine’s smile deepened. “Actually, I can’t think of a stronger one.”
CHAPTER
47
The Southwest Chief Train No. 3 headed out from Chicago with its twin P42 locomotives and nine trailing train cars pointed toward the southwest United States. It carried fourteen crew and 130 passengers. It had a max speed of ninety miles per hour, which it would hit on long stretches of the route. However, its average speed over the slightly more than twenty-two-hundred-mile trip to LA would be only about fifty-five miles per hour, when one factored in the thirty-one stops over eight states.
Pine and Blum settled into their seats as the train rocked and rolled out of the downtown Chicago area.
“Do you think anyone else at the Society for Good is in danger?” said Blum.
“I can’t rule out anyone,” said Pine. “I hope they’ll have taken note of what happened and lie low.”
“Do you think it makes sense for you to call anyone at the FBI? Anyone you might trust? I mean, if there is a nuke in the Grand Canyon, they would want to know about it.”
Pine didn’t answer right away. “This whole thing doesn’t make sense, Carol. If Roth is a weapons inspector and he found out about a nuke in the Grand Canyon, what would be the first thing he would do? Or Ben Priest, for that matter? I mean, I don’t think either of them are traitors.”
Blum looked puzzled. “They should have gone right to the authorities.”
“Only they didn’t. And an Army chopper carries away the Priest brothers. And what looked to me to be feds were going to take Simon Russell somewhere and torture him. Then we were nearly killed by two guys at the airport. And what looked to be our military raided Kurt Ferris’s home.”
“You’d think our people were the bad guys.”
“I don’t know if they know about the nuke and are just trying to contain any leaks so as not to panic the public. But right now our government is snatching people right and left and doing some really weird shit. The rule of law has apparently gone out the window.”
“My God, we might as well be in North Korea or Iran.”
“Or Russia,” added Pine. “Because they’re involved as well.” She paused, looking puzzled. “I didn’t think the Russians and the North Koreans were such great allies that they’d maybe work together to place a nuke on American soil. Are they looking to start World War III? If so, they’re not going to win. Not that anyone would against us.”
“But how in the world could the North Koreans, or the Russians, have gotten a nuke down there with no one aware of it? I mean really?”
“I guess they could have taken it down there in parts, over time. And assembled it in a cave off the beaten path that no one knows about. It’s not like you have to go through a security checkpoint and magnetometer to hike down.”
“Do you think the latitude and longitude lines mark where this cave is?”
“Yes.”
“What are we going to do when we get back to Arizona?”
“I’m not sure. But we have a long train ride to figure it out.”
Pine left the compartment and walked down to the train car that sold snacks and drinks. She bought a beer and some chips and sat by herself in the observation car.
She fingered her phone and then decided to make the call.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Sam, it’s Atlee.”
“Atlee, I didn’t recognize the number.”
“Yeah, I’m traveling. Using another phone. How are things?”
“Fine. Good. You coming back soon?”
“Yeah, I’m on my way, actually. How was the concert?”
“What?”
“Carlos Santana.”
“Oh, right. Hey, it was great. The dude can still bring it, that’s for damn sure. I took a buddy. Wasn’t as much fun as if you had gone instead.”
“Now, that’s what I like to hear. Hey, Sam, you hear anything else about Lambert or Rice?”
“No, just that they went to Utah.”
“Any replacements for them yet?”
“No, not yet. We’re having to pick up the slack for them until the new guys arrive. How’s your investigation going?”
“I’m making progress. Turned out to be a little more complicated than I thought.”
“Well, I hope you catch whoever killed the mule. I still can’t believe someone could be that cruel. I mean, what did that mule ever do to anybody?”
“Yeah, I know. You on duty the next few nights?”
“Yeah, I am. Hey, if you wanted to go out somewhere when you get back, I can see if I can switch with someone. It might not be possible because we’re shorthanded.”
“No, it’s not that. I, uh, I thought I might hike the Canyon one night.”
“Okay, let me know when, I’ll make sure we hook up down there.” He laughed. “I’ll bring you a beer.”
“Right, sounds good.”
“You’re not hiking alone, are you?” he said suddenly.
“Well, I’m a big girl. And I’ve done it solo before.”
“Doesn’t make it smart.”
“I never said I was smart, Sam.”
Later, Pine and Blum went to the dining car to eat. They had to sit with two other people and didn’t get a chance to talk during their meal.
At half past midnight, the train stopped in Lawrence, Kansas. Two passengers got on and none got off. The train headed out five minutes later.
Barely five minutes after that, the train began to slow.
“Another stop?” mumbled Blum, who had been dozing in her bunk.
Pine sat up and snagged her phone, where she’d downloaded the train schedule.
“Not until Topeka about thirty minutes from now.”
“Then why are we slowing down?”
Pine already had her gun out. “Good question.”
A minute later there was a screech of brakes, and the train decelerated so swiftly that they were flung against the wall.
That was followed by a jolt.
And then the mighty Southwest Chief came to a dead stop.
CHAPTER
48
What happened?” said Blum, rubbing her shoulder where it had struck the wall.
“I think we hit something,” said Pine. She climbed down from her bunk and slipped on her shoes. “You got your gun out?” she whispered to Blum.
“No.”
“Then get it out.”
“You don’t think . . . ?”
“I don’t know for sure, so the answer is yes.”
Pine pulled the curtain aside and looked out the window. It was too dark to see anything out there.
She heard the sounds of footsteps rushing down the train corridor. She slid open their compartment door and saw a train attendant hustling by.
“What happened?” she asked.
“Not sure, miss. Stay in your compartment. They’ll give everyone an update over the PA when they know for sure.”
He rushed on and disappeared from her sight.
Pine heard the whoosh of exterior doors opening. A few mo
ments later the train’s interior lights blinked twice and then went out, plunging them into darkness.
Pine heard several screams coming from other compartments.
She snagged her Maglite from her duffel, told Blum to stay put, and went back out into the corridor.
While it was true that trains occasionally hit things, she didn’t like the odds here. It was too much of a coincidence.
She moved down the corridor slowly, shining her light around and occasionally pointing it out the window into the Kansas night. She could see nothing, however. And no announcement came over the PA. And the lights stayed out and the train did not move.
Other than that, things were great.
Pine stiffened when she heard it.
The sounds of a child crying.
The train suddenly gave a jerk, but then almost immediately stopped once more. The movement nearly knocked Pine off her feet.
The cries picked up again.
Pine ran toward them, reached a door, and hit the open button. The door slid to the side with a hydraulic hiss, and she moved into the next sleeper car.
She shone her Maglite down the corridor. At first, Pine saw nothing.
Then the beam caught and held on a small figure.
It was a little girl, no more than six years old, who was standing in the middle of the aisle holding a tattered doll.
She looked stricken and was crying.
Pine put her gun away, moved the light away from the girl’s face, and hustled toward the child.
“Are you okay?” she asked, kneeling down by the child. “Where are your parents?”
The little girl shook her head, snuffled, and wiped her nose with her doll. “I don’t know. My mommy went to the bathroom. And . . . and then it got all dark. I went to find Mommy. But . . . but I don’t know where she is.”
“Okay, we’ll find her. What’s your name?”
“Debbie.”
“Okay, Debbie. We’ll go find your mom. Do you know which way she went?”
Debbie looked around. “I don’t know. It’s so dark.” She began to cry again.
Pine took her hand. “Okay, I came from this way, and I didn’t see anyone. So, I think your mom must be down this way. Let’s go see.”
They walked down the passage to the end. There was a restroom here.
“What’s your mom’s name?”
“Nancy.”
Pine knocked on the door. “Nancy? Are you in there? I have your daughter, Debbie.”
“Mommy! Mommy!” cried out Debbie. She pounded on the door.
Pine opened the door and glanced inside. It was empty.
She looked down at Debbie. “You’re sure she went to the bathroom?”
Debbie nodded. “That’s what she said. We didn’t have one in our room. She told me to stay there and she’d be right back. And then it got dark.”
“Let’s keep looking, Debbie, I’m sure she’s nearby.”
They passed through into the next train car, where they saw two elderly couples groping around in the dark.
“Do you know what’s happening?” one of the men asked, as he clutched the hand of the woman Pine assumed was his wife.
“The train might have hit something,” said Pine. “Have you seen a young woman pass through here? I have her daughter here. They got separated.”
One of the women said sympathetically, “Oh, you poor thing. But we’ve seen no one. We just came out of our compartment.”
The other man said, “I did hear someone pass by a bit ago. But I didn’t see who it was.”
“Thanks. You should go back to your compartment. You don’t want to fall down and hurt yourself out here.”
Pine and Debbie continued on into the next train car. Now Pine was getting worried. What if the mother had gone the other way and had come back only to find her daughter gone? She would be panicking by now.
There came a sound behind them. Pine whirled around, her hand going to her holster, but then relaxed as Blum stepped out of the darkness.
She tensed a moment later as she realized that Blum was not alone.
Someone was behind her. A short man, because Blum had neatly blocked Pine’s view of him.
Now he stepped to the side.
Sung Nam Chung had a hold of Blum’s neck.
He tightened his grip when he saw Pine’s hand again go toward her gun.
“That would be unwise, for your friend’s sake.”
“I’m sorry, Agent Pine,” said Blum. “He got the drop on me.”
“What’s . . . happening?” asked Debbie. “Who is that man?”
“Just somebody I know, Debbie,” said Pine.
“Is . . . is he hurting her?”
Chung reached into his pocket and pulled out a pistol.
Debbie cried out and shrank back. Pine stepped in front of Debbie, putting her body between the little girl and Chung’s weapon.
“She’s just looking for her mother. She’s not part of this. We’ll come with you. But she needs to stay here.”
Chung did not seem amenable to this.
“She’s just a kid,” added Pine. “She can’t do anything.”
Chung looked Pine up and down, then gave a curt nod.
Pine turned and faced Debbie. “Okay, I think your mom is probably just up in the next car. But I want you to wait right here until either your mom comes to get you, or one of the train people do. They’ll be in uniform. You know what they look like, right?”
Debbie stared up at Pine and nodded. “You’re . . . you’re going to leave me?”
She clutched at Pine’s arm.
“Just for a little bit. We need to go somewhere with this man.”
“Is he a bad man?”
“Debbie, I just want you to stay right here, okay? Will you be brave and do that for me?”
Debbie finally gave a tearful nod.
Pine glanced down at the doll in Debbie’s hand. “What’s your doll’s name?”
“Hermione.”
“Like from Harry Potter?”
Debbie nodded.
Pine knelt down and gave her a hug. “I’ll be back to check on you.”
“Promise?” said Debbie.
“Promise.”
Then Pine stood and faced Chung. “Let’s go.”
CHAPTER
49
They walked back to their compartment without seeing anyone else, though they did hear people talking in their rooms as they passed by.
Pine went in first, followed by Blum and Chung. He closed the door behind him.
“Sit,” he said.
Pine and Blum sat on the lower bunk.
“Take your gun out and put it on the floor,” ordered Chung as he kept his weapon pointed at Pine’s head.
Pine did as he said.
“Kick it over to me,” he said.
She did so. He bent down and picked it up, placing it on a small metal desk behind him. Next to it was Blum’s pistol, Pine saw.
“Your other pistol too, please,” said Chung. “I know that you carry a spare.”
Pine took off her ankle holster and slid it across the floor.
Chung pushed it behind him.
“How did you know we were on the train?” asked Pine.
“This is the only train that goes to Arizona. And you two are the only passengers who paid cash for your tickets. And, apparently, you did not provide names to the ticketing person. So, she simply named you Jane and Judy Doe. Quite the red flag.”
Pine grimaced at this. “You had the train stop somehow. Did you put a car on the track or something?”
“Completely irrelevant.”
“Okay, then what do you want?”
Chung reached into his pocket and held up something. “This man.”
He tossed the piece of paper over to Pine, who caught it.
She used her Maglite to look at the object.
It was a photograph.
Of David Roth.
Pine and Blum looked up at Chung.
> “I don’t know where he is.”
Again, the Korean moved so fast, Pine had no time to even try to block his blow. She went heels over ass against the wall.
When Blum stood and tried to lash out at Chung, he merely grabbed her wrist and twisted it until Blum cried out in pain and collapsed to the floor, holding her hand and gasping for breath.
Pine slowly sat up, rubbing blood off her mouth.
“I did not come all this way for you to tell me that you do not know things that you do know,” Chung said.
“I’m looking for Roth, it’s true,” said Pine, spitting blood out of her mouth. “But I haven’t found him. Yet.”
“But you have an idea where he is?” said Chung.
“I think I do.”
“Where?”
Pine looked down at Blum. “If I agree to tell you, will you let her go?”
Chung shook his head. “She is not a little girl.”
Blum struggled up and plopped down next to Pine.
“Well, good, because I’m not going anywhere.” Blum brushed off her clothes, set her hands in her lap, and said pleasantly, “Now tell the nice man where you think Mr. Roth is, Agent Pine.”
Pine said nothing.
“Well, then, I guess I’ll have to do the honors.” She looked at Chung. “We believe that Mr. Roth is in Flagstaff. That’s where we’re headed. You already know that because you checked on our tickets.”
“Why this Flagstaff?”
“There’s an FBI office there. It’s the largest one near the Grand Canyon. We think he’s going to turn himself in there.”
“Why turn himself in?” said Chung tightly.
“We think he’s afraid,” said Blum. “He doesn’t want to die. He thinks the FBI can protect him.”
“Can they?” Pine finally said, looking at Chung.
“You ask me? It’s your employer, not mine.”
“Irrelevant to my question,” said Pine, mimicking the Korean’s earlier statements. “I want to know what you think about that.”
Chung mulled this over. “I do not think anyone can protect him. Least of all your people.”
“Well, then we agree on something. Why do you want him?”
“I think it obvious.”
“Not to me, it’s not. Unless you want your nuke back.”
Chung appraised her. “The world is complicated, Agent Pine. Far more complicated than you seem to give it credit to be.”
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