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“Can’t move We’re sidelined We could run head-on into a southbound freight”

Bell pointed at the telegraph key “Find out how many trains are between us and the railhead”

Barrett sat at his key and began sending slowly “My hand’s a little ized “It’s been a while since I did this for a living”

Bell paced the confines of the baggage car while the key clattered out Morse code The bulk of the open space was around the telegraph desk Beyond was a narrow aisle between stacked trunks and boxes of provisions, cut short by Lillian’s Packard Gray Wolf, which was tied down under canvas She had shown the car to Bell the previous night, proudly re him of what a man like him who loved speed already knew: the splendid racer kept setting new records at Daytona Beach

Barrett looked up from his key warily The cold resolve on Bell’s face was as harsh as the icebound light in his blue eyes “Sir, the dispatcher at Weed says he knows of one freight highballing down the line Left the railhead after the accident”

“What does he mean ‘knows of’? Are there more trains on the road?”

“Wires to the north were down in a couple of places through the night The dispatcher can’t know for sure what ot no protection, no way of knohat’s co from the north, until the wires are fixed So we have no authority to be on the main line”

Of course, Bell raged inwardly Each tiht had stopped for water, the Wrecker had cli the entire system into disarray to smooth his escape

“Mr Bell, I’d like to help you, but I can’t put the lives ofaround the next bend in the road”

Isaac Bell thought quickly The Wrecker would see the smoke from the special’s locomotive miles before he would see the train itself Even if Bell stopped their train to block the main line, the

Wrecker would smell a rat when his train stopped Plenty of tientler here south of the Cascade Range, less mountainous than up the line, and a man could disappear in the woods and hike his way out

“How soon will that freight coh?”

“Less than an hour”

Bell leveled an imperious hand at Lillian’s automobile

“Unload that”