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So up the aisle with his cousin in tow He asked, "That red-​headed ht He accused the kid of some unpleasant activities, and when the boy tried to defend himself that rat-​faced, redheaded scientist picked up one oforders," Mercy said, but she said it feebly because she wasn’t really sure

Korht’ve been, but Christ knohose orders he was answering to Between you and me, Mrs Lynch, I’m fairly sure that the boy was a spy"

"Oh, you cannot be serious!" she said, not even bothering to whisper

"Oh, but I surely can I caught hi down at those couplers one ti to snap ’eured it out sooner, I would’ve shoved him off the train when I had the chance"

Jasper Nichols ht it wasn’t likely to happen, a Texian picking a fight with a southern spy Kor: I just want to get to Utah Anyone standing between oalI’m happy to pitch or punch"

Mercy suddenly reram she’d read started with the letters CB Cyrus Berry’s initials, but it simply hadn’t dawned on her at the time They could’ve been lots of people’s initials, after all Could’ve been Cole Byron’s Could’ve been nobody’s

"So here’s e’re going to do now," the ranger went on, waving the porters closer until their capped heads leaned up to the conversation They huddled there in the middle of the aisle where no one had any room at all, so everybody’s shoulders touched, and everyone could smell everyone else’s breath "You two fellows, can you bolt these doors froot to be a good way to fix ’em shut"

They nodded Cole said, "There’s a brace bar to the right I can fix it"

As if he understood where this was going, Jasper said, "You can fix ’e thoseahead--I like to see that in a man You two think you can do that, seal off this car froer car, the caboose, and the final car?"

"Yes sir It’ll just take us ato make my way up front I need to have a talk with the captain," he said, his ry line

The two porters shifted, begged pardons, and clier, who all but crawled their way to the forward doors Mercy was behind hirabbed his foot in order to seize his attention "Kor to let you anywhere near that car up front"

"Is that where they’re holed up? Not in the first sleeper?"

"Yes," she said quickly, still holding on to the instep of his boot "There’s no one in the first passenger car at all, I don’t think But they’ll never let you inside their little fort Hell, I only got inside because the captain got hiripped it, and looked back down at her "They let you see it? What’s inside?"

"What do you care? You’ve said so yourself, and ht noeen the blues and the grays"

"I said it, and I meant it, and I pretty s"

"How?"

He turned the latch, and the door cracked open to allow a streah It ruffled his mustache and rattled his hat, and he raised his voice so he could be heard over it "Because until you said that, I was going to tell you to stay here But now I think you’d better come with me I need someone they’re less likely to shoot"

"Goddammit, Mr Korman"

"You said it, h to rise to a stooped standing position He dived for the next door and opened it, and Mercy was right behind hi length of the passenger cars, Mercy’s aching back and bent-​up legs carried her slowly through the tubes filled with luggage and frightened people Finally they reached the first passenger car, which was still abandoned, though a few bullet holes in the s gave the at of the dead

Horatio Korman pulled hi behind him He said, "I don’t want any surprises in there You tellon, up in that next car What are they protecting?"

"Do you really think Cyrus Berry was a spy?" she asked, as if she hadn’t heard hiot him killed I think Purdue believed the boy kneas back there, and he didn’t want anyone else to get wind of it Now, tell er at his nose and said, "I’ you on this"

"You’re a damn fool For all you know, I could’ve shot Berryabove the wind and leaning forward, "the doctor or the porter would’ve said so, and they didn’t" She looked hiold! Gold! They’re old, tons of it"

"Whatever the hell for?" he asked "Surely they aren’t shoring up against a Rebel victory?"

"I don’t knohy!" she insisted As she leaned back in the seat, she heard a cru from her apron She fiddled it out of the place where it’d been riding for half an hour now