Sleuths by Bill Pronzini Read Free Book Online Page B

the smoker, where Quincannon climbed the iron ladder attached to the smoker's rear wall. From its top he could look along the roofs of the cars, protecting his eyes with an upraised arm: the coal-flavored smoke that rolled back from the locomotive's stack was peppered with hot cinders. As expected, he saw no sign of Gaunt. Except, that was, for marks in the thin layers of grit that coated the tops of both lounge car and smoker.
    "There's no doubt now that he climbed up," he said when he rejoined Bridges. "The marks on the grit are fresh."
    The conductor's answering nod was reluctant and pained.
    Quincannon used his handkerchief on his sweating face. It came away stained from the dirt and coal smoke, and when he saw the streaks, his mouth stretched in a thin smile. "Another fact: No matter how long Gaunt was above or how far he crawled, he had to be filthy when he came down. Someone may have seen him. And he won't have wandered far in that condition. Either he's hiding where he lighted, or he took the time to wash up and change clothes for some reason."
    "I still say it makes no sense. Not a lick of sense."
    "It does to him. And it will to us when we find him."
    They went to the rear of the train and began to work their way forward, Bridges alerting members of the crew and Quincannon asking questions of selected passengers. No one had seen Gaunt. By the time they reached the first-class Pullman, the urgency and frustration both men felt were taking a toll: preoccupied, Quincannon nearly bowled over a pudgy, bonneted matron outside the women's lavatory and Bridges snapped at a white-maned, senatorial gent who objected to having his drawing room searched. It took them ten minutes to comb the compartments there and the berths in the second-class Pullman: another exercise in fu tility.
    In the first of the day coaches, Quincannon beckoned Sabina to join them and quickly explained what had happened. She took the news stoically; unlike him, she met any crisis with a shield of calm. She said only, "He may be full of tricks, but he can't make himself invisible. Hiding is one thing; getting off this train is another. We'll find him."
    "He won't be in the other two coaches. That leaves the baggage car, the tender, and the locomotive; he has to be in one of them."
    "Shall I go with you and Mr. Bridges?"
    "I've another idea. Do you have your derringer with you or packed away in your grip?"
    "In here." She patted her reticule.
    "Backtrack on us, then; we may have somehow overlooked him. But don't take a moment's chance if he turns up."
    "I won't," she said. "And I'll warn you the same."
    The baggage master's office was empty. Beyond, the door to the baggage car stood open a few inches.
    Scowling, Bridges stepped up to the door. "Dan?" he called. "You in there?"
    No answer.
    Quincannon drew his revolver, shouldered Bridges aside, and widened the opening. The oil lamps were lighted; most of the interior was visible. Boxes, crates, stacks of luggage, and express parcels—but no sign of human habitation. "What do you see, Mr. Quincannon?"
    "Nothing. No one."
    "Oh, Lordy, I don't like this, none of this. Where's Dan? He's almost always here, and he never leaves the door open or unlocked when he isn't. Gaunt? Is he responsible for this? Oh, Lordy, I should've listened to you and held the train in Needles."
    Quincannon shut his ears to the conductor's babbling. He eased his body through the doorway, into an immediate crouch behind a packing crate. Peering out, he saw no evidence of disturbance. Three large crates and a pair of trunks were belted into place along the near wall. Against the far wall stood a wheeled luggage cart piled with carpetbags, grips, and war bags. More luggage rested in neat rows nearby; he recognized one of the larger grips, pale blue and floral-patterned, as Sabina's. None of it appeared to have been moved except by the natural motion of the train.
    Toward the front was a shadowed area into which he couldn't see