Mystery on the Train (7 page)

“Where is Vincent?” Jessie asked.

“He went back on the train,” Henry said. “I am not even sure he saw us.”

“We can talk about it in the morning,” Violet said. “Let’s get back to bed now before Aunt Jane misses us.”

But when they got back to their compartment, Aunt Jane was sitting up on the side of her bed waiting for them. She asked, “Where have you been? I was beginning to worry.”

“We caught the man who stole some posters,” Benny said. Then he corrected himself. “We caught the posters but the man got away.”

“What happened?” Aunt Jane asked.

“Annie has some valuable movie posters,” Violet answered. “She said they were stolen and they weren’t. Then later they
were
stolen and now we’ve recovered them.”

Aunt Jane smiled and said, “It sounds complicated. Maybe you can explain in the morning.”

“Tomorrow morning, we’ll tell you the whole story. It
is
complicated,” Henry said.

The next morning, the Alden children told Aunt Jane all about their adventures with Annie and the posters. When Henry got to the part about following Vincent, she nodded. “I knew something was going on but I thought it was some sort of a game you were playing.”

“No, it wasn’t a game,” Henry explained. Then he added, “But I still want to talk to Vincent. I think it is odd he talked so often to the bearded man. Maybe he knows more than he is telling.”

“I want to talk to Annie,” Aunt Jane said.

“Do you think we should wake her and tell her we’ve recovered the posters?” Violet asked.

“Let her sleep as long as she can,” Aunt Jane said. “Her ankle will heal faster if she is resting.”

They agreed that Annie would be very happy to have her posters back. Then Jessie said, “But there is still so much we don’t know.”

“Yes,” Violet said. “How could the bearded man know that she had the posters? Do you think Annie’s aunt could have anything to do with it?”

“It doesn’t seem like that could happen,” Jessie said. “On the other hand, how did Mr. Reeves know about the old posters coming into San Francisco?”

“We can probably find out more when Annie wakes up,” Benny said.

A
nnie found them in the observation lounge when she woke up. Benny said, “I told you we’d get your posters back!”

The Aldens told her all about the bearded man and recovering the posters. Annie listened carefully and then she shook her head. “I still don’t know how he knew what I had in my portfolio.”

“Someone must have told him,” Henry said. “Maybe you told a friend and you’ve forgotten.”

Annie shook her head. “I didn’t tell anyone.”

“Aunt Jane would like to talk to you,” Jessie said. “She asked us to let her know when you were up.”

Annie looked a little frightened as she stood up.

“I’ll go get her,” Benny said. “She doesn’t want you to walk on that ankle.”

Very soon, Aunt Jane and Benny came back. Annie and Aunt Jane went to a small table in a corner to talk. The Aldens sat a long way from them. They talked about their trip and about their adventure in Salt Lake City. From time to time, one of them glanced over at the table where Aunt Jane and Annie sat alone.

Jessie said, “Annie looks pretty upset and she isn’t saying much.”

“I hope they don’t quarrel,” Violet said. “I want Annie to be my friend for always.”

“We’ll just have to wait and see,” Jessie said. “Where are we?”

“We’re in Nevada,” Henry answered. “We’re on our way to Reno.”

“Nevada is beautiful,” Violet answered. “Look over there at those purple hills. And see those mountains in the distance? They are all reds and purples and blues.”

“I’ll be glad to see San Francisco,” Benny said. “But I wish the train ride was even longer.”

“Three nights and three days went fast, didn’t they?” Jessie said.

“The day is early,” Henry said. “We’re still in Nevada and we have a whole day of California coming up.”

The children looked out the window at the beautiful landscape and hoped that Aunt Jane and Annie would be finished talking soon. Then Annie stood up and walked out of the dining room.

Finally, Violet could stand no more suspense. She went to Aunt Jane’s table and asked, “Where’s Annie?”

Aunt Jane smiled. “She’s gone to rest. She’s decided to telephone her aunt at the next stop. She doesn’t want to wait until we get to San Francisco to make her apology. She is also going to see if she can find out who her aunt talked to about her trip. We just can’t understand how anyone knew she would be on the train with her posters.”

The other Alden children came over to Aunt Jane’s table and she said, “Annie is very grateful for your help. And I want you to know how proud I am of you. You are very kind and brave children—and smart, too. I’m proud of my nieces and nephews.”

“I still want to know who that man with the beard is,” Benny said. “The mystery won’t be solved until we figure that out.”

“Don’t forget about Vincent and Mr. Reeves,” Jessie said.

Annie came back to the dining room. She was smiling and she seemed quite happy. “I had a nice talk with my aunt and she’s not angry anymore. But she says she didn’t tell anyone I was taking this trip. She says she kept thinking I would change my mind. I don’t understand how, but that bearded man must have learned about the posters some other way.” Annie shrugged. “The important thing is that I have the posters back. Thanks to you.” She hugged each of the Boxcar Children.

“Are we going to sit in the dining room until lunch?” Aunt Jane teased. “Don’t you want to go up to the observation lounge this morning? Most people think this is the best scenery of our trip.”

“The Sierra Nevadas,” Benny said proudly. “Mile-high mountains.”

“Let’s go,” Violet said. “I want to see everything I can on this trip.”

They left the dining car and went to the observation lounge. Aunt Jane found a group of bridge players and joined their game. The Aldens sat watching the Sierra Nevada mountains roll by their window. Violet tried to sketch the tall pine trees but soon gave up. “I’ll have to learn to draw faster before I can sketch landscapes from a train window.”

“You can use my photographs when we get home,” Jessie offered. “With my snapshots and your memory, I’m sure you’ll do fine.”

They enjoyed the scenery so much that they stopped talking about the bearded man and the posters until Vincent came into the observation lounge.

“There’s Vincent,” said Benny. “He’s a suspect—we should talk to him. He was helping the bearded man.”

But Vincent went right over to the Alden children, asking, “Are you having a good time?”

“Wonderful,” Jessie replied. “We’re sorry this is the last day.”

Vincent nodded and looked down at Violet’s sketchbook. He asked, “Mind if I look at your drawings?”

Violet gave him the sketchbook and he turned the pages slowly, saying, “You’re a good artist, young lady.”

He stopped and looked a long time at the sketch of the bearded man. “Do you know that man?” Henry asked.

“Funny guy,” Vincent answered. “Had a ticket to San Francisco but he got off in Salt Lake City.”

“Is he a friend of yours?” Jessie asked.

Vincent closed the sketchbook and handed it back to Violet. “No, just a guy on a train. I helped him with his luggage, that’s all. He gave me a good tip.”

“You helped him carry a rolled package,” Benny said. “The package had stolen posters in it.”

“How do you know that?” Vincent asked. He was smiling as though he thought they were joking. “Were they your posters?”

“These were very valuable posters,” Henry added. “They weren’t ours, they belonged to our friend, Annie.”

“Annie,” Vincent said. “She’s the one I was supposed to watch over.” Then Vincent’s face fell. “I guess I didn’t do a very good job. If she really lost the posters she needs to report it to the railroad police.”

Vincent left them then and the Alden children talked it over. “He certainly seemed to be telling the truth,” Jessie said.

“But you never know,” Benny added. “Sometimes things look one way and they turn out another way.”

“He looked a long time at my sketch of the bearded man,” Violet pointed out.

“What do you think we should do next?” Jessie asked.

“If Vincent is telling the truth and Annie’s aunt says no one knew about the posters, there isn’t much to go on,” Henry said.

“Let’s talk to Mr. Reeves,” Jessie suggested. “He seems to be rushing to buy exactly the kind of old movie posters that Annie wants to sell. It seems like more than a coincidence.”

Henry looked at his watch. “We are having lunch with Mr. Reeves in an hour. Maybe we will learn something then.”

“I think I’ll go visit Annie,” Violet said. “She must be lonely in her compartment.”

“Maybe she will have lunch with us,” Jessie suggested.

“I’m sure she’d like that,” Violet answered. “She and Benny and I can sit together and you and Henry can sit with Aunt Jane and Mr. Reeves.”

At lunchtime, Mr. Reeves was waiting for Aunt Jane and Jessie and Henry. He was in a very good mood and he talked and talked about his life and his interests. As lunch was served, Henry asked, “Do you mind if I ask how you found out about the posters you are planning to buy?”

Mr. Reeves smiled and said, “Collectors like to keep their sources confidential. Are you planning to snatch them out from under my nose?” Then he looked suspiciously at Henry and asked, “Why do you want to know?”

“We’re just curious,” Jessie answered promptly.

“I’m curious why you would be curious,” Mr. Reeves said and then he laughed at his own joke. He looked straight at Henry and asked directly, “Why
do
you want to know?”

“It’s kind of a mystery,” Henry said. “A friend has some posters and we’re trying to help her.”

“A mystery?” Mr. Reeves said. “Delightful. I love a mystery. Many of my favorite movie posters are about mysteries.”

“So how did you hear about the posters you are going to San Francisco to buy?” Jessie prompted.

“A collector never tells his sources,” Mr. Reeves said. “Especially if you have a friend in the business.”

“She’s not actually in the business,” Henry said. He looked at Jessie and Aunt Jane and they both nodded that he should go on and tell the story. “We met a young woman on this train and she has some valuable posters. Someone tried to rob her.” He cleared his voice and said, “The fact is, the posters sound like the same ones you were describing. She has signed posters of Mary Pickford and Charlie Chaplin and some other silent screen stars.”

“And she’s here!” Mr. Reeves said with excitement. “I must speak to her immediately.”

“We want to know how you knew those kinds of posters would be for sale in San Francisco,” Henry said.

“Very well, a man named Perkins called me and said he’d have the posters for sale on Friday. I don’t fly so I popped onto this train so I could be there by Friday. You say the girl has the posters with her? I suppose she’s the redhead sitting with your brother and sister.” Mr. Reeves stood up and went toward the table where Annie, Violet, and Benny were sitting. Henry and Jessie followed.

They reached Annie’s table just as Mr. Reeves was introducing himself. He gave Annie his card, bowed to her, and then asked, “I understand you have some posters to sell. I wonder if they really are the ones I’m traveling out to see.”

“I don’t think they could be,” Annie said. “No one knew I was bringing them out to California except my aunt.”

“A man called Perkins called me,” Mr. Reeves said. “I’ve done business with a friend of his before.”

“Bob Perkins?” Annie asked. She seemed very surprised.

“Yes, do you know him?”

“He’s my uncle. I don’t actually know him,” Annie admitted. “But I’ve talked to him on the telephone and he knew I was bringing the posters . . . I forgot that . . . but why?” Annie’s voice trailed off and she said, “I wonder why he called you without telling me about it.”

“I’m a fairly well-known collector,” Mr. Reeves said. “It’s natural that he might call me. May I see the posters now? Perhaps we can strike a bargain before the train gets into San Francisco.”

Annie shook her head. “I’m not selling.”

“But, my dear, I’ve come all the way from Chicago!”

“I’m sorry,” Annie said. “I talked it over with my aunt and we decided I shouldn’t sell.” To the Aldens, she added, “My aunt says she’ll send me an allowance if I really want to live with Uncle Bob.”

“I would make you a very fair offer,” Mr. Reeves said. “A very
fine
offer if the posters are in the condition your uncle promised.”

“I’m sorry,” Annie said firmly.

“Your uncle did promise to sell them to me, you know.” Mr. Reeves seemed quit disappointed.

“They weren’t his to sell,” Annie said simply. “The posters are an inheritance from my grandparents and they were left to me and my aunt. It is our decision.”

“I see.” Mr. Reeves bowed and said, “Well, children. Let us go back to our table and have lunch before it gets too cold.”

When they rejoined Aunt Jane, Mr. Reeves said, “This is a nuisance but I shall just have to turn around and go back to Chicago. She has no intention of selling the posters. Her uncle was mistaken.”

“So it was her uncle who called you,” Aunt Jane said quietly. “I wonder why.”

“It seems he had no right to offer the posters for sale,” Mr. Reeves said. “Ah, well, perhaps the trip across the country has been good for my nerves.”

He stood up abruptly and bowed. “It’s been a pleasure. You are fine children. Good bye to you all.”

Mr. Reeves turned to leave the dining car. Henry stood up and said, “I think I’ll follow him, just to be safe.”

“I’ll go with you,” Jessie said.

They followed Mr. Reeves to his room and then went up to Annie’s room to wait for her. When she arrived, Henry asked, “Will you check on your posters just to make sure they’re safe?”

Annie went into her compartment and in a few minutes she came out smiling. “Everything is fine. Thanks a lot.”

“We’re going back to the observation lounge,” Jessie said. “Do you want to come along?”

“No. I think I’ll feel safer if I sit right here,” Annie said. “Besides, my ankle is still a little weak. I’ll just sit here and think.”