Read The Train for Free Online Page B

wonder who it was? Why would anyone want to kill Lolly Slocum?"
        She means, Hannah thought with sadness, that Lolly wasn't interesting enough or important enough to have something like that happen to her. How awful. Hannah sighed, and slowly began to unpack her small suitcase.
        
        

Chapter 8
        
        It seemed to Hannah that it was taking Kerry forever to get ready for dinner. Mack and Lewis came to get them twice. Both times, Kerry sent them back to their own compartment, insisting that she needed a few more minutes. They left grudgingly.
        "Kerry," Hannah finally said, "you've changed your hair four times. After what's happened, how can you stand there fussing with your hair as if life were totally normal? It's Scot."
        But, in truth, she was grateful… The thought of leaving the safety of the compartment for those dark, narrow corridors made her palms sweat. There would be no bright sunshine relieving the darkness now. The windows and skylights would reflect only empty darkness. The corridors would seem airless, confining…
        "You're right, Hannah. I'm being petty and shallow and silly." But in the next second, Kerry peered into the mirror over the small sink and cried, "Look at this purple eye shadow. Purple! I feel like a peacock. Wait just one minute, let me try this beige.
        The salesgirl at Bonham's talked me into the purple. I could strangle her."
        The word "strangle" hung in the air and Kerry's eyes widened as she realized what she had just said. "Oh," she said softly, glancing guiltily at Hannah, "sorry. I wasn't…"
        "It's all right. Just hurry up, okay? Mack and Lewis must be starving. If you send them away one more time, they'll go without us." And I don't want that, Hannah added to herself. I definitely don't want that.
        The minute Kerry finally finished primping, she became impatient. "Where are those guys, anyway?" she complained. "I've been ready for five minutes and they're still not here. Let's go get them."
        Lolly's swollen, purpled face danced before Hannah's eyes. "You know what Ms. Quick said. And you told the guys to give you more time. They'll be here. If we leave first, we could miss them."
        "Hannah. There is only one way to get from their compartment at the other end of the car to ours. It's not like the train has side streets. C'rnon, we'll surprise them. It'll be fun."
        "No. Ms. Quick said - "
        "Hannah, the guy who tried to throttle Lolly left the train when she did, I'm sure of it. Why would he hang around here?"
        "Okay," Hannah said, "you're right. We'll probably run into Mack and Lewis on the way."
        But as they left the compartment, her stomach began churning again. The corridor was so dark, and completely empty. Kerry had taken so long making herself beautiful that everyone else had already left for the dining car.
        They had gone only a few steps when Kerry let out a piercing shriek and stopped in her tracks.
        Hannah gasped and whirled, expecting to see a crazed maniac holding a knife against her best friend's throat.
        "I forgot my gold chain," Kerry cried. "The one Lewis gave me for my birthday. I never go anywhere without it. I promised him I wouldn't. But I took it off when I was brushing my teeth because it kept dangling over the stupid little sink and I didn't want to get toothpaste gunk all over it. Wait here. I'll be right back."
        "I am not waiting in this hall alone," Hannah said, "and do not ever, ever shriek like that again on this train.
        "Sorry. It was dumb. You okay?"
        "Yes. But I'm coming with you."
        "Hannah, don't be silly." Kerry was already backing away. "Our compartment is only a few inches away. I'll be right back. I know exactly where my chain is. And Mack and Lewis should come along any minute now."
        Their compartment was more than "a few inches" away. More like a few hundred