Death Takes a Holiday (6 page)

At first blush
, the man seemed to be a perfect complement to the woman. He was a tall, well-built man with dark thick brown hair and strong features. Although a bit younger, he was just as striking as his companion, but that’s where the similarities ended. While she was decked out to the gills, he appeared to have just rolled out of bed. Where her outfit was obviously tailored, his was two sizes too big. Where her hair had obviously been hair-sprayed to an inch of its life, his apparently hadn’t seen a comb or a brush in a couple of days. Even the expressions on their faces were different. He glared at the back of her head with barely restrained annoyance, while her face seemed stuck in a state of blissful happiness.

“You can’t kill them all,” he said with a
hint of exasperation coloring his voice.

She rolled her eyes. “Of course I can. We’ll just throw their bodies off the train.”

“Why don’t you leave the women alone and just kill off the men?” he asked sarcastically. “That should be a nice change of pace for you.”

Catching Grace’s eye, the woman stopped suddenly, causing her companion to run into her. She threw an annoyed glance over her shoulder before continuing down the
aisle. Passing by, they gave her a brief nod of acknowledgement and a friendly hello before walking through the connecting door leading to the sleeping cars.

Grace stood up and warily followed them. She entered the vestibule
, just as they exited. She rubbed her arms as the cold air from the side doors surrounded her body. Cautiously walking up to the sleeping car door, she reached for the door handle and hesitated. She’s not a snoop, she told herself; it’s just that . . . well, she was a bit of a snoop, she admitted reluctantly, especially when she overhears someone’s talking about killing a bunch of people and throwing their bodies off the train.

Sh
ivering, she shook her head. Surely, she misunderstood. No one would plot a murder out in the middle of a train car where anyone could hear. There’s probably a perfectly innocent explanation, Grace thought as she pulled the door open an inch.

She sighed softly, as she reflected on how her life had changed.
A year ago she wouldn’t have been caught dead eavesdropping on someone. But that was before Lily, Crystal and the others died. It’s funny how being involved in a handful of murders in less than a year puts a new perspective on life, she mused, pressing her ear closer to the door.

“Do you think she heard us?”
she heard the woman whispered.

“Who care
s?” the man asked at a normal level. “What are you worried about?”

“Nothing,” she said. “I just want everything to go off without a hitch.”

“Yes, I know,” he said with a touch of annoyance coloring his voice.

Grace could just make out the sound of a door opening.

“Have you seen him, yet?” the woman said. “We need to catch him before he makes his big scene.”

Grace stood there for a few seconds, when she didn’t hear anymore she pushed open the door and peered around the corner.

They were gone.

Grace
walked back to her room wondering if she should call anyone. There had to be a reasonable explanation, she thought reaching for her door handle and pushing open her door.

Just then
a door at the far end of the corridor opened and the scowling young woman Grace had seen earlier with Robert, walked out, her face flushed a deep red. Her bun had unraveled and now lay loosely off her shoulder.

Grace watched as a rather
imposing man followed her out. He wasn’t too terribly tall or too terribly muscular, but he exuded danger. He also exuded sex appeal, she thought, looking at him more closely. He had startling blue eyes set in a classically handsome face framed by long thick black hair. The wicked looking scar that ran across his chin only seemed to enhance his looks. “Baby—”

“Don’t b
aby me,” the woman said angrily as she passed by Grace’s door. “Just stay away from me, Lucas Kirby.”

Grace entered her room just as the woman passed by.

Lucas started to follow her when he abruptly turned to stare at Grace. “Who are you? What are you doing here?”

Grace stood up straighter. “I beg your pardon?”

He looked over her shoulder. “This isn’t your room.”

“Yes, it is,” she said coolly.

He blinked. “Oh.” He looked over her shoulder again. “Are you here by yourself?”

Concerned by his behavior, Grace quickly said,
“No, I’m not,” as she backed further into the room. She grabbed the door and started to shut it when he suddenly reached out and pushed it back open.

“Sorry,” he said with a grimace
. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I was just surprised to see you here.” He backed up and gave her an apologetic shrug. “I hope you have a nice trip.”

Grace
nodded briefly before quickly closing and locking the door behind her. Well, Kyle did promise excitement this trip, she thought.

She reached for the suitcase
she had dropped earlier, surprised when it lifted easily in her hands and the contents spilled out on the floor.

Sighing, she picked up the clothes, now scattered across the floor and laid them on
the bed. A men’s shaving kit lay next to the chair. Picking it up, she walked towards the bathroom, wondering if this was her room or Kyle’s. She had just laid the kit on the sink when she froze. Blinking rapidly, she tried to clear her vision. Her shocked mind working furiously to make sense of the message written on the mirror.

I hope you enjoyed this year because you won’t live to see the next one.

CHAPTER
FOUR

Grace paced the
floor of her room. She had to find Kyle. She didn’t know what was going on, but she quickly guessed that she wasn’t the intended target of that message.

“
Someone needs to find my friend. He could be in danger.”

The friendly
conductor she had found in the observation car came out of the bathroom, smiling and carrying a small white washcloth, now smeared with red.

Grace looked at the washcloth,
dumfounded. “You washed it off?”

He looked at her blankly. “No, ma’am, I found the washcloth in the sink. There wasn’t anything on the mirror.”

Taken aback, Grace stared at the conductor for a few seconds before looking past his shoulder. He was right. The mirror was now clean. She shook her head in disbelief. She had only left the room for a few minutes when she went to find help. “We’ll need to keep the washcloth for evidence—”

The
conductor, Henry Cross, scoffed. His thick gray mustache quivered in amusement. “I’m sure it’s nothing but a practical joke, ma’am. We had a couple of jokesters on the last trip. Trust me, there’s nothing to worry about.”

“My friend’
s been missing for twenty minutes.”

“
Twenty minutes?” Henry asked. “That’s not enough time for someone to go missing. Besides we’re on a train, there’s nowhere for him to go. He’s probably enjoying himself in the lounge or having a bite to eat in the dining car. Just like you should. Now, you said yourself that you two don’t have any enemies, right?”

“Yeah
. . . Well, I have a couple, but they’re all in jail, right now.”

He
nry’s bushy gray eyebrows rose up to his hairline. He paused before slowly saying, “Well, there you go. Don’t worry, you’re perfectly safe. I’m telling you, it’s just someone’s idea of a joke. I’ve been a conductor for over twenty years and I could tell you some of the pranks I’ve seen people pull on each other.”

“I don’t think it’s very funny.”

“No, of course not.”

“We need to talk
to the people I told you about,” Grace said referring to the strange couple Grace had heard plotting a murder earlier. Oddly enough, Henry didn’t seem that concerned.

“Did you see them enter this room?”

“No.”

“Well, then how do you know they were the ones who left the message?”
he asked, stroking his mustache.

“They were talking about killing everyone.”

“In the observation car?” Henry asked doubtfully. “Where anyone could hear?”

“Yes,” she
admitted hesitantly.

“Are you sure you didn’t perhaps misunderstand? The train is rather loud.”

“It’s not that loud.”

He
nry glanced over at the dresser, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Is this yours?” he asked, picking up the framed nursery rhyme.

“No, I figured it was just decoration.” She
looked over his shoulder. “
This is the House Jack Built
,” she read aloud.

Henry pocketed the frame. “It was probably le
ft over from the last passenger. I’m sorry your room wasn’t cleaned. We’re a little short staffed this trip.” He turned back to look at her. “Now, what did you say your name was?”

“
Grace Holliday.”

“
Right. Right. Holliday.” Henry pulled out a small notebook out of his breast pocket. “Holliday. Hmm.” He slowly flipped through the pages one at a time. A few seconds passed before he closed the notebook and placed it back into his pocket. “Well, you just stay here. I’ll call the hotel and report this incident, but I don’t want you to worry at all. I’m sure everything’s going to be all right.”

Grace shook her head. “I’m not staying here. I’m going to find Kyle.”

“Now, now,” Henry said soothingly. “I’ll find Mr. Drake. You just stay right here.”

Realizing he wasn’t going to leave until she agreed, Grace nodded her head and sat down on the bed. Satisfied
, Henry opened the door still trying to reassure her that everything was okay.

She figured she’d give the
conductor enough time to disappear into the next car before she would begin her own search for Kyle. Picking up her coat, she opened the closet, surprised to see that Kyle had already started to unpack. She made a disgusted noise at what she found inside.

“Unbelievable.”
Reaching out, she pulled out a hideous yellow and purple checkered jacket out of the closet. Grace held out the offending item, resisting the urge to crumple it into a ball. Suddenly, the message on the mirror was a distant memory.

She quickly hung up the jacket and closed the closet d
oor when she heard a soft knock. She opened the door, relieved to see Kyle standing on the other side.

“Where have you been?” she demanded, worry making her voice sound harsher than she meant it to.

He waltzed past her. “I’m sorry. I got stuck in the lounge car. I’m telling you it’s a mad house out there, Grace. Really crowded.”

“Really?
” she asked trying to keep her voice as pleasant as possible. “I thought the maximum amount of passengers the Excursion carried was ten.”

“Yeah
, but when you add in the conductor, the chef and the servers . . . These cars are just so small. It doesn’t take a lot of people to fill them up.”

“Hmm.” Grace looked thoughtfully at his handsome face.
The face of an angel with the heart of P.T. Barnum. “I have an idea. Why don’t we go exploring. Get out of this room for a bit. There’s an observation car—”

“
But it’s so nice in here. In fact, I feel calmer all ready,” Kyle said leaning back against the headboard. “I think I could spend the whole train ride right here.” Patting the bed, he looked at her seductively. “Here, come sit down.”

Grace crossed her arms. “
Actually, I’m a bit hungry. I have a great idea. Why don’t I go to the dining car and get us something to eat for lunch?”

Kyle sat up straighter.
“Lunch? Now? It’s only eleven . . . ,” he said glancing at his watch, “fifty-five.” He rose to his feet. “Okay, let’s go.”

Somewhat surprised, Grace
turned toward the door.

“You know,
” Kyle said, stepping around her and reaching for the door, “there’s really no reason you should go. I mean, I already know the way. You should be relaxing.” He snapped his fingers and smiled at her. “Hey, I have a great idea. Why don’t I get you something to eat and bring it back? We’ll eat in here. Just the two of us.”

Grace stepped in front of him
, blocking his way out. “Tell me, when was it exactly that you developed this fear of enclosed spaces?”

He took a step back. “Um, a few years ago.”

“Because you were buried alive.”

“Yep.”

“Sounds pretty traumatic.”

“
Oh, it was.”

“Hmm. Funny how it’s never come up until now.”

“I don’t like to talk about it.” Kyle reached around her to grip the door knob. “I’ll bring you back a chicken sandwich.”

Grace took another step forward, causing him to let go of the door knob and take
another step back. “Now that I’m thinking about it, it must have been such a struggle for you last week.”

“Last week?”

“Uh huh.” Grace crossed her arms. “Didn’t you tell me how you spent the day stuck in a crawlspace trying to find the squirrel living under Mrs. Pierce’s house?”

“Well . . .”
He took another step back.

“Or a month
ago when my little brother bet you that you couldn’t escape from the trunk of my grandfather’s car.” Grace took another step forward. Her red tipped fingernail pointing at his chest. “You couldn’t wait to climb into that trunk.”

Kyle’s back hit the ensuite bathroom door. “It’s a 1962 Cadillac. You can’t really consider that a small space. That trunk was bigger than my apartment in New York.”

“I don’t believe you!” she hissed, pacing the length of the room.

“What?”

“We’re stowaways. That’s why you want to hide in here.”

“No, we’re not!”

Grace turned to glare at him.

He looked at her sheepishly. “
Well,
I’m
not. Anyways, I didn’t lie about my fear of enclosed spaces,” he said, sliding open the bathroom door and stepping inside. “They did have to dig me out of that grave and ever since I get a little twitchy when locked in a small room.”

Grace gave him a withering look.

“Like now for instance. I’m practically terrified standing here.”

Grace walked forward and slid the bathroom door shut.

*

“
I don’t handle confined spaces very well
,” she mimicked as she walked through the observation car too irritated to enjoy the view of the mountain looming overhead.

“
Grace, slow down. Where are you going?”

She threw him a dirty look over her shoulder as he came up from behind her. “
You’re a lunatic. I’m not speaking to you. Why didn’t you tell me the ticket wasn’t for me?”

“You were so excited. I didn’t want to disappoint you. Besides, I figured once we got here, I could just buy you an extra ticket and everything would be fine.”

The rocking of the train suddenly increased, causing Grace to sway slightly.

Kyle helpfully cupped a hand under her elbow to steady her while he continued his defense. “I didn’t know they were sold out.
Someone had bought the last ticket over the phone just as I had reached the ticket counter.”

“
You should have told me that when we got here.”

“And ruin the surprise
?” He dropped his hand. “Look, I have a hotel room waiting for you at the ski resort. I just needed to get you there.”

She turned and looked at him. “
What exactly was your plan? Were you just going to keep me locked up in the room until we reached the hotel?”

Kyle
held up his hands. “Okay. I’ll admit it. It wasn’t a great plan, but I didn’t have a lot of options.”

“Why are we here, Kyle?”

“We’re going to the Crystal Palace for a fun week on the slopes. Rest and relaxation.”

“Wrong.” She shook her head. “
That’s not the reason we’re here. Admit it, this isn’t a pleasure trip, we’re here on business. I can’t believe this was the big surprise—stowing me away on a train.”

“No,
that wasn’t the surprise,” he admitted reluctantly. “My sister is getting married in a couple of months in New York and you’re invited. My father’s going to charter us a plane. That was going to be the surprise, but when you found the tickets . . . .”

“I wish you had just told me.
Oh, by the way,” she said suddenly remembering the threat on the mirror, “someone left a message for you in the bathroom. I suggest you and Steve lock your door tonight.” She looked at him curiously. “Tell me something; just what were you going to do with Steve? Didn’t you think I’d notice him sleeping in the bed next to me?”

“I’ve been trying to find
him another room. I think he may get lucky tonight. He’s been chatting up a pretty blonde since we got on the train. They seem to be hitting it off.”

Grace groaned. Pushing him aside
, she reached for the door handle separating the observation car from the dining car.

“How did you know
Steve was even on the train? I stopped him before he even got to the room.”

She
considered Kyle’s tailored black suit that accented his strong, lean physique. “You have better taste in clothes.” She backed up as Henry entered the observation car.

“Ah, Ms. Holliday,” Henry
said pleasantly. “There you are. I’ve called the hotel and let them know of your concern. It’s probably nothing more than a practical joke. It may even be left over from the last group who traveled with us. A fraternity reunion,” he explained. “They were a bit rowdy. One of them even tried to climb onto the roof of the train. I’m sure they’re the ones who left the message.” He looked at Kyle. “Ah, you found Mr. Drake.”

“
Yes, but never mind that now. I want off this train.”

“Grace,” Kyle said.
“We’re on a mountain.”

“I assure you m
iss, you’re perfectly safe.”

“No, you don’t understand.
Stop the train. I want off.”

“M
iss, I really don’t think you need to worry.”

Grace noticed the woman in the
skin-tight pink dress walk past her. “That’s her!”

“Yes, yes
, it’s me,” the woman said with some amusement. She looked heavenward. “This happens where ever I go,” she said, sounding not the slightest bit annoyed. “I’m sorry, sweetie, but I don’t have a pen on me. Come to my room later and I’d be happy to give you an autograph then.”