Mystery on the Train (4 page)

“If she has a room next to ours like she did last time, it will be easy to keep an eye on her,” Jessie said.

“But this is a much bigger train,” Henry said. “All the cars are double-deckers. She may not be right next door to us again.”

“Wherever she is, I think we should try and stick close,” Violet said. “She’s my friend and I want to help.”

They boarded the
California Zephyr
train and quickly discovered that Annie was not in their sleeping car. Their new compartments were on the bottom floor and there were only six rooms. The Aldens and Aunt Jane took three of them. There was a family of four in the bigger family bedroom at the end of the hall and a woman in a wheelchair at the other end. The one remaining compartment was occupied by an older couple.

“Let’s check and see if we can find Annie,” Benny said.

“There are several sleeping compartments,” Jessie reminded them. “Some are upstairs and some downstairs, so it will be a lot harder to find Annie.”

“We’ll find her,” Violet said. They immediately began to walk up and down the cars looking for Annie, but after about an hour’s search, they had to admit that Annie was nowhere around.

“Maybe we will see her at dinner,” Henry said. “Or later in the observation lounge.”

“Or maybe we can ask Vincent where she is,” Benny said.

Dinner that evening was in a much bigger, fancier dining room. The tablecloths were white linen and there were small silver vases with fresh flowers on each table.

“This train trip is really wonderful,” Jessie said. “Thank you for inviting us, Aunt Jane.”

“I’m glad you like it,” Aunt Jane said. “I want this to be a very special experience for you.”

“It is. We like everything,” Benny added. “We like our rooms and our beds and the way the train rattles and shakes. This is a great surprise present.”

Aunt Jane and Violet sat with another young couple. Henry, Jessie, and Benny sat at a table with a small man who was wearing a dark gray pinstriped suit. He was about the same age as Grandfather and seemed very glad to share a table with the children.

When they sat down, the man stood up and shook everyone’s hand and said, “Allow me to introduce myself. Reeves is the name, Herbert Reeves.”

The children introduced themselves and then they wrote down their orders for dinner. Henry and Jessie chose the broiled salmon. Benny decided he would order chicken.

As they waited for their dinners, Benny said, “We’re going all the way to San Francisco.”

“Quite a coincidence,” said Mr. Reeves. “Quite a coincidence. I am on my way to San Francisco as well. Going to an auction. Going to seek out some very special collector’s items. I have some private information that there will be some very exciting valuable things.”

“What do you collect?” Henry asked.

“I collect movie memorabilia,” Mr. Reeves said. He bit into a dinner roll and chewed and waved his hands as he talked. “Yes, indeed. I collect movie memorabilia.”

“What exactly is movie memorabilia?” Jessie asked.

“Memorabilia, my dear young lady? Why memorabilia is a catchall phrase for all sorts of items which pertain to the movies. Early movies, mostly. Some collectors like to pick up items from modern movies and hold them indefinitely. I specialize in memorabilia from silent pictures.”

“Silent pictures?” Benny asked. “What are they?”

“What
were
they,” Mr. Reeves corrected. “Silent pictures were the greatest art form ever invented. Ah, yes, the silver screen has never been the same.”

When Benny still looked confused, Henry explained, “Mr. Reeves is talking about the early days in the movies. At first they were just pictures on a screen and there was no sound.”

“There was sound,” Mr. Reeves corrected. “Music, that is. There was a piano player in the theater to add atmosphere to the movies. Have you ever even seen a silent movie on a large screen with a piano player keeping step with the action?”

When the Alden children admitted they had never seen a silent movie, Mr. Reeves shook his head sadly. “Shame. Pity, really. Too bad.”

“What
exactly
do you collect?” Jessie asked.

“Memorabilia,” Mr. Reeves said again, then he realized that he wasn’t being clear. “I collect old movie magazines, costumes, photographs of stars, and most of all—posters. I’m on my way to San Francisco because a little bird told me there were some one-of-a-kind old movie posters coming in. Signed Pickfords . . . that’s Mary Pickford the silent movie star, and posters of movies starring Charlie Chaplin which he has autographed.”

“Do they cost a lot?” Benny asked.

“The idea is to buy them from people who don’t know the true value. Some autographed posters are sold for as much as fifty thousand dollars. Others go for as little as two hundred fifty dollars. Of course, autographed Pickfords and Chaplins in good condition are worth a good deal. Good night. Pleasant chatting with you.” Mr. Reeves stood up abruptly and left the dining room.

“Wasn’t he an unusual man?” Jessie asked.

“I liked him,” Henry said.

“I really didn’t understand much that he said,” Benny admitted. “But I’ll tell you one thing. I’d never pay fifty thousand dollars for some old poster.”

“No, you wouldn’t,” Henry agreed, “but according to Mr. Reeves,
someone
would.”

The children soon began to talk of other things. When they finished their dinner, Aunt Jane went to read, and the others told Violet all about their dinner with Mr. Reeves. Then, they walked the entire length of the train again. As they walked, Violet said, “I wish we would run into Annie. I want to make sure she’s okay.”

“We could take another look in the observation lounge,” Jessie offered. “That’s where you talked with her last night on the other train. She may be there sketching.”

They went up the stairs to the lounge and sat for a while, listening to a piano player and looking out at the stars. The sky from the observation lounge was beautiful, but they didn’t see Annie. At about eight o’clock, Jessie began to yawn. She said, “I think traveling by train makes me sleepy.”

Violet nodded. “It’s the movement and the noise. It’s a lot like being rocked in a crib and hearing someone sing a lullaby.”

Benny yawned and said, “If makes me sleepy, too.”

“Maybe we should go to our compartments,” Violet said.

“Good idea,” Benny said. “I want to see the porter make up our beds again.”

“Maybe Vincent will make up the beds and we can ask him if he’s seen Annie,” Violet said.

But the porter who made up their beds that night was called Tim and he didn’t even know Vincent. He hadn’t seen any red-haired girls named Annie, either.

That night it was Henry’s turn to sleep in the top bunk. As they climbed into their beds, Henry said, “We had a big day. We saw Chicago and went to a German restaurant. We learned all about movie posters and when we wake up in the morning we’ll be in Colorado.”

“We will sleep all the way through Nebraska,” Benny said sadly. “I wonder what Nebraska looks like?”

“Flat,” Henry promised him. “That’s why we can travel so far so fast. But tomorrow we’ll be in the Rocky Mountains. Aunt Jane says it’s some of the most beautiful scenery in the world.”

“Where will we be when we wake up?” Benny asked.

“Outside of Denver. We’ll have breakfast in Denver.”

“But I like eating in the dining car,” Benny said.

Henry laughed softly and explained. “I meant the
train
will be in Denver.
You’ll
eat in the dining car.”

They fell asleep very quickly. Henry was dreaming of his dog Watch when he heard a sharp knocking on the door. He called out, “Who is it?”

“It’s Annie,” a voice called. “Oh, please, I need your help. Please wake up!”

B
enny sat up and asked, “Who is it?”

Then Henry called down from the top bunk. “Annie? Wait a minute.” He jumped down as Benny slid the door open.

Annie was standing in the corridor in a bright blue robe and yellow slippers. She said, “I’m sorry to wake you, I didn’t have anyone else to come to. Can you please help me?”

The door of the girls’ compartment opened and Jessie asked, “What’s going on?” When she saw that Henry and Benny and Annie were in the corridor, she said, “Just a minute.”

In a few seconds, she and Violet were out of their compartment and also standing in the corridor. They had long sweaters over their pajamas. “What’s wrong, Annie?” Violet asked.

“Please help! My portfolio was stolen and we’re coming to a stop. I need you to watch the doors and make sure no one takes my portfolio off the train.”

“Where are we?” Jessie asked.

Henry looked at his watch and said, “It’s almost midnight. We were due to stop in Omaha, Nebraska, at midnight.”

“So we get to see Nebraska after all,” Benny said.

“I left my room for just a second,” Annie explained, “and when I came back, the portfolio was gone! We’re coming into Omaha and whoever stole my portfolio may try to take it off the train. Will you help?”

“First
you
must tell us,” Jessie said. “What’s
really
in that portfolio? It must be something valuable if you are so upset.”

Annie nodded her head. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth earlier. The portfolio is filled with my collection of old movie posters—not artwork. My aunt and I inherited them and I planned to sell them once I got to California. Now they’re gone!”

“Old movie posters!” Benny cried.

“We met a man who collects old movie posters,” Henry said slowly. “I wonder if Mr. Reeves knew about your collection.”

“I don’t think anyone knows I have the posters with me except my Aunt Ellen and my Uncle Bob,” Annie said. “It was Uncle Bob who suggested I bring them to California to sell. When my aunt found out, she was furious.”

“Would your aunt hire someone to steal them from you?” Jessie asked.

“Never!” Annie answered. She seemed quite upset at the question. “She would
never
do that.”

Soon the children were all dressed and standing in the corridor of the sleeping car. The train began to slow down and Henry said, “We’d better spread out. Jessie, you and I are the fastest runners so we’ll go as far down the train as we can. Benny, you stay here and Violet and Annie can stop halfway. Let’s go before the train stops.”

“What do we do if we see someone with the portfolio?” Violet asked.

“Just call for help and notice what the thief looks like,” Henry said. “If we can’t get help fast enough to stop him, we’ll call the police and let them take care of it.”

The children nodded and began running to their various stations. Henry was almost at the end of the train by the time it stopped and he stood on the steps watching carefully. Only a few people got off. They were a family with three sleeping children and several suitcases. All the suitcases were small and square, nothing that looked like a portfolio.

When the train started moving again, Henry went back toward his sleeping car and on the way he met Annie. “Did you see anyone suspicious?” she asked.

“No one,” Henry admitted.

“Neither did I,” Annie said. She was a little calmer now. “I guess there’s nothing more to do until morning. Thanks anyway.”

“Don’t you want to talk to the others?” Henry asked.

“I could see the whole platform,” Annie said. “No one got off except a little old lady with a bird cage. I’m going to go back to my room now.”

“Where is your room?” Henry asked.

“Up there.” Annie pointed toward the second floor and down the corridor.

“Are you in this car?” Henry asked.

“No, I’m a couple of cars down,” Annie answered quickly.

“What is your room number?” Henry asked.

“I’ve forgotten,” Annie said. Then she laughed and shrugged her shoulders. “I’m sure I’ll find my room, but I was so upset when I discovered the portfolio was gone, I just forgot to look at my room number.”

“I’ll walk you to your room,” Henry offered. “But first, we need to talk to the others. Maybe they saw something suspicious.”

They found the other children waiting in the corridor. When they said they had seen nothing, Annie turned and started for the door of the sleeping car.

“Really, I’ll be all right. You don’t have to walk me to my room,” Annie said. She turned her head, smiled, and put her hand on Henry’s shoulder. “Thanks so much for your help. Now that I know the portfolio is still on the train, I can sleep.”

Annie disappeared into the next car. Henry wondered what was making Annie behave so strangely. Had she seen something she didn’t want to talk about? She seemed very anxious to get away from them. He decided it would be best to talk things over with the others. Henry found Jessie, Violet, and Benny waiting for him in the corridor and he suggested they go to the club car where they could talk some more.

There were only a few people still up and the four children sat in the corner and talked. “Something was funny about Annie,” Henry said. “The minute the train started up again, she tried to get rid of me. Then she said she didn’t remember her room number.”