“Hello?” a voice called from the open door. “Anyone in here?”
“Yes, I’m here,” Kyle answered.
The person who called started to climb down into the car.
“No need to come in here, the car is empty,” Kyle said.
“Who are you?”
“I’m United States Marshal Ben Kyle. And you are?”
“I’m Hodge Deckert with the United Bank Exchange,” Deckert said. “We are responsible for transferring large amounts of money between banks, and we had a shipment on this train. I’ve come to retrieve the money.”
“Good luck,” Kyle said.
“Good luck? What an odd thing to say,” Deckert replied as he started looking. “Oh, oh,” he said after a moment. “This isn’t good.”
“What isn’t good?”
Deckert held up a small piece of paper. “Here is the transfer document,” he said. “This was in the bag with the money.”
“Maybe it just fell out in the wreck,” Kyle suggested.
“No,” Deckert said, looking around. “I don’t see the bag, and if the transfer slip just fell out in the wreck, some of the money would be here as well.” Deckert sighed. “The money is gone.”
“How much money are we talking about?” Kyle asked.
“Twenty thousand dollars.”
“That’s a lot of money.”
“Yes, sir, it is. And it was on this train, which means one of these passengers had to have come in here and took it.”
“Maybe,” Kyle answered.
“What do you mean maybe? Who else could have done it?”
“The train was also transporting a deputy and his prisoner,” Kyle said. “Both were riding in the express car. Right now, the prisoner seems to be missing.”
“A deputy and his prisoner were riding in the express car? There should be only one person in this car—and that would be Mr. Kingsley, the express agent.”
“I guess the railroad made an exception in this case,” Kyle said.
“This is unconscionable,” Deckert said. “My company shall certainly send a strongly worded message to the railroad for this breach of security.”
Finding no one in the car, Kyle decided to have a look at all the bodies to see if there might be one in chains. He had the conductor point out Kingsley and Hayes. That was when he saw the small bullet hole in Hayes’s forehead.
“I’ll be damn,” Kyle said.
“What is it?” the conductor asked.
“The deputy,” Kyle replied. “He’s been shot. I guess that solves the mystery as to who took the money.”
The officials who were running the rescue operation broke the passengers down into three groups. Those who were not injured, or were only slightly injured, were allowed to board the train on their own. Those who were seriously injured were put into a car that was being converted into a hospital, while the last car was serving as a morgue-on-wheels.
Matt walked with Louise Dobbs as she and her son, Jerry, went to board the first car. Then one of the officials saw that the little girl Mrs. Dobbs was carrying was dead. He reached for her.
“I’ll take care of her for you, ma’am,” he said.
Louise jerked the little girl back and glared angrily at the railroad official. “No, she stays with me.”
“She can’t stay will you, madam.”
“But she must!” Louise insisted. “Suzie would be terrified if she is separated from me!”
“Madam, your little girl is dead,” one of the railroad officials said. “It will not matter to her whether she is with you or not.”
“It matters to the lady,” Matt said. “Let the girl stay with her, it can’t hurt anything.”
“Who are you?” the official asked.
“It doesn’t matter who I am. I’m someone who knows right from wrong,” Matt answered. “Let the girl stay with her mother.”
“This is not railroad policy,” the official said.
“How about train wrecks?” Matt asked. “Are train wrecks railroad policy?”
“No, of course not.”
“Maybe not, but you had one, didn’t you?”
“Sir, I fail to see how that is relevant.”
