'Son of a bitch, ' Cooper shouted.
Rebecca panicked. She spotted Donald's pistol on the bench an arm's
length away from her and rolled to her side, grabbed hold of the
weapon, and fired.
Cooper was going for his gun when the bullet struck him. The force was
so powerful, he was thrown backward into the corridor against the
windowpane. The glass shuddered from the impact.
Rebecca scrambled to her feet. To keep from screaming, she covered her
mouth with her hand and fired once again. She'd aimed too high the
second time. Cooper was already crumbling to the floor. The bullet
missed him but shattered the glass. It rained down on top of his prone
body.
'Oh, God . . . Oh, God, ' she whimpered. 'Did I kill him? Make sure
I killed him. Hurry, Donald.' Growling low in his throat like a
cornered animal, Donald rushed into the hallway. His eyes darted from
side to side to make sure no one else was coming down the aisle. 'If
he isn't dead, he will be, ' Donald muttered. 'Stop crying and get
dressed. We have to get off the train.'
'Yes, yes, ' she whimpered before turning to do as he ordered.
Donald quickly dragged the unconscious lawman to the door connecting
the cars, leaving a smeared trail of blood in his wake. The train was
slowing to take the curved trestle above a yawning black lake when
Donald opened the door. He could see a small town looming up in the
distance on the other side of the lake. He bent down, half lifted
Cooper, grunting from his weight, and then shoved and kicked him out.
He stood there watching as the train clattered on around the bend,
smiling when the marshal hit the water.
No one had seen him. He was sure of it, and he doubted that anyone had
heard the gunshots either, for the sound the train made as it thundered
along the tracks muffled any other noises.
Once again he had gotten away with murder. Excitement surged through
his blood, and he began to pant with euphoria. He thought he saw a
movement out of the corner of his eye, but he couldn't be certain. He
turned away as a precaution so that his face wouldn't be seen, and then
took his time strolling back to Rebecca's compartment. The carpet had
already absorbed the blood, and it looked as though the stains had been
there for some time. No one would know how fresh they were unless he
got down on his knees and felt the wetness.
