Mysterious Signal (6 page)

Her hair was longer at one side than the other, and her scissors were small and not meant for cutting hair. Yet Libby did the best she could, leaving the back of her hair as long as possible.

Once, she stopped to look down at her clothes.
What if another girl or a woman comes in?
Thinking about how embarrassing that would be, Libby hurried, taking as big a handful of hair as her scissors would cut.

When at last she stood back, Libby was horrified to discover how uneven her snipping had been. Next to her face some of her hair stood out, looking short and clumpy. Behind her ears and across the back, her hair was jagged and long. Libby took up the scissors again to straighten it out. Then she decided it was so bad there was nothing she could do.

For the first time Libby felt glad that she could wear Caleb’s
bent-out-of-shape hat. Carefully she tucked any wisps of red hair under the hat and once again faced herself in the mirror. The straw brim came down far enough in the back, front, and sides to cover every bit of hair.

Well
, Libby thought,
if I’m going to look like a boy no one cares about, I might as well go the whole way
. Bending down, she untied each shoe, pulled out the tongue, and retied the laces below it.

When Libby straightened again, her dark brown eyes met the gaze of the girl in the mirror. With all her heart Libby hated the way she looked. She was changed all right.
Would my Chicago friends know me if they saw me?
Then Libby felt glad that they wouldn’t.

Tears welled up in the eyes of the girl in the mirror. As though she were seeing another person, Libby realized the tears were her own.

Whirling around, she faced the door, then remembered.
What if someone sees me, a boy, coming out of the women’s room?

CHAPTER 5

L
ike a turtle peering from its shell, Libby poked out her head. Glancing one way, then another, she looked around. To her relief she saw no one and slipped into the hall.

When she reached the boys, she set her knapsack on the floor next to the picnic basket. The knapsack was a small canvas bag that belonged to Pa, and it would not give her away.

As Libby sat down, Peter grinned at her. So did Caleb, and it wasn’t hard to guess what they were thinking.

Peter looked down at her feet. “You should smear dirt on your shoes,” he said. “And on your face.”

Libby scowled at him. Caleb seemed to sense that she was fighting against tears. He said, “Your hair will grow back soon.”

Afraid that she would choke up if she spoke, Libby shook her head.

“It
will
grow,” Caleb insisted. “Faster than you think.” Surprising Libby, he added, “Just wait. It’ll be worth it. You’ll see.”

More than any teasing could have done, Caleb’s kindness started Libby’s tears again. Quickly she bent down, reached into her knapsack, and pulled out a handkerchief. When she started to blow her nose, Caleb stopped her.

“Libby!”

His one word held such a strong warning that her heart leaped with panic.
Dexter? Where is he?

But Caleb reached out, grabbed her handkerchief, and closed his fist around it.

Puzzled, Libby looked around at the people sitting nearby.
Now what’s wrong?
she wondered.

Close to her ear, Caleb spoke softly. “Is that the best you can do?” Slowly he opened his fist so that only Libby could see. In the palm of his hand lay her white lace handkerchief.

Libby gasped, then started to giggle.

“It’s
not
funny!” Reaching into his knapsack, Caleb pulled out a big red bandanna and offered it to her.

The wrinkled square of cloth had no doubt been in Caleb’s knapsack for eleven days. It took only an instant for Libby to decide she didn’t want to touch it. “No thanks,” she said quickly.

“It’s clean,” Caleb insisted.

“So?”

“So if you want to blow your nose, you better have something besides a white lace handkerchief.”

It was Peter who came to Libby’s rescue. He, too, had a big red handkerchief, but his was neatly folded, and there was no question about whether it was clean. With gratitude Libby took it and tucked it into her pocket.

It’s not going to be easy trying to look like a boy
. Leaning back, Libby closed her eyes to rest. She didn’t want to even think about the whole problem.

Two minutes later she remembered the words of the free black man who led Jordan and Micah Parker to safety in Springfield.
“If you have trouble, look for a signal.”
Even now
that Underground Railroad conductor was bouncing along the road to the Junction with his hidden cargo.

“Find a safe house,”
he had said. With all her heart Libby wanted Jordan and his daddy to be safe.

As the train drew near to the Junction, Libby, Caleb, and Peter talked about what to do. None of them wanted to be around Dexter any longer than necessary. But instead of trying to be first off the train, they decided to mingle with others who were leaving.

“The more of us there are, the more noticeable we’ll be,” Caleb wrote on the slate. “We should split up.”

They decided that Libby and Peter would go in the direction away from the depot. When they felt it was safe, they would circle around to meet Caleb on the other side of the station. Hopefully he would have Jordan and Micah Parker with him. Though traveling by wagon, they had a six- or seven-hour head start and might already be hiding in the freight room.

Because none of them knew North Bloomington or its neighboring city of Bloomington, it was hard deciding where to meet. “Let’s look for a place two blocks from the depot,” Caleb wrote on the slate.

“Then we’ll find a safe house?” Libby asked. “An Underground Railroad station?”

“I hope so.”

It was unusual to see Caleb unsure about anything, let alone about where to go. Libby felt the same way. For all of them this was a new city, a new area.

“Just don’t be late,” Caleb warned. “We don’t want to leave Jordan and his father standing on a street with Dexter around.”

“Maybe he’ll stay on the train and go to Chicago,” Peter
said, but his eyes told Libby that he had little hope of that.

Before long the train whistled for the Junction, and they began seeing houses. As the
clickety-clack
of the wheels slowed down, Caleb picked up his knapsack. When the train squealed to a stop, he gave a quick goodbye wave.

“If we have to wait for you, we’ll find a way to vanish from sight,” Libby said.

“I hope so,” Caleb answered. “But don’t make us wait. Micah Parker is tall enough to be a marked man.”

Finding his way between people, Caleb hurried to the exit. Through the window Libby saw him leave the train and head for the depot.

Then Peter stood up. Libby picked up her knapsack and the picnic basket with the money and followed him into the aisle. As they waited behind the other passengers, Peter turned to her. “Don’t forget our secret sign for danger,” he whispered.

Libby felt grateful for the reminder. “I’ll watch for Dexter,” she signed back.

When she reached the doorway, Libby glanced quickly at every man on the platform of the depot. Seeing no one who looked like Dexter, she moved forward to the top step and checked the exits from the train. To Libby’s relief Dexter was nowhere in sight. But she and Peter had waited too long. It seemed that everyone who wanted to leave the train had already done so.

“C’mon,” Libby motioned and started down the steps.

As she stepped down on the platform, Libby remembered her new role. Taking a quick swipe at the dusty side of the train, she rubbed dirt onto her face, then her shoes. When she straightened up, she realized Peter hadn’t followed her.

As though not wanting to trust Libby’s word, he stood on the top step, looking around for himself. Finally he stepped down. The moment he stood beside her, Libby realized their danger.

The train kept them from crossing the tracks to where Caleb wanted them to go. If she and Peter walked to the front of the engine, it could start to leave at any moment. If they hurried to the end of the train, they had to pass the car in which the men were gambling.

Is Dexter still there?
Libby had no way of knowing, but they could not remain where they were.

Her mind leaped from one possibility to another.
Maybe Dexter is busy talking to the other men. We could just walk quietly past that car. That has to be less dangerous than standing here in the open
.

In that moment Libby made up her mind. With her finger across her lips she said, “Shhh!” Pointing to the end of the train, she started walking, and Peter followed. On the wooden platform their footsteps sounded hollow and quick, as though they were running away.
And we are
, Libby thought.

Picking up her feet, she tried to walk quietly. But Peter stomped along, unaware of the noise he was making.

As Libby turned around to shush him, she glanced toward the railroad car they were passing. Just then a man with brown hair and blue eyes moved into the doorway. He was wearing an expensive suit that didn’t fit, and his tie was out of place. Libby’s heart jumped.
Dexter!

From where she stood, Libby could see the coldness in his face. The hard look made him seem he had lived a hundred years being angry.
If we could find a policeman—

In her panic she saw no one to ask. Signing “Danger!” Libby tipped her head toward the steps. As Peter’s gaze followed hers, his eyes filled with terror.

Peter whirled around. In the next instant he ran straight into a tall thin man returning to the train.

As Mr. Lincoln jerked back, his tall hat tipped off and dropped to the platform. In the same moment Peter fell at his feet.

Mr. Lincoln laughed. “Whoa there, young fellow! Hold your horses!”

Peter stared up into Mr. Lincoln’s face trying to decide what the man had said.

Bending down, Mr. Lincoln reached out to give Peter a hand. “Let me help you.”

After a long look into the man’s eyes, Peter took his hand. With one quick lifting motion, Mr. Lincoln helped him to his feet. His eyes showing his fear, Peter looked around for Dexter.

“Well now,” Mr. Lincoln said to Peter. “Are you hurt?”

Peter stared at him and finally spoke. “I’m sorry, sir.”

After another quick glance around, Peter ducked his head. Dropping down on his knees, he gathered up Mr. Lincoln’s hat. One by one, Peter picked up the papers that had fallen out, blew off any dust, and placed them back inside the hat. With each movement he kept his back turned to Dexter.

Still on the steps of the train, Dexter glanced their way. As though seeing Peter and Mr. Lincoln for the first time, Dexter stared at them. Then his gaze moved on.

As if struck by cold water, Libby recalled Caleb’s words.
“Dexter will take one look at you and figure that Peter will be
close by.”
With another shock she remembered she was supposed to look like a boy.

Then Dexter glanced back. As he stared at Libby, she slipped her small hands into the back pockets of her overalls. She could do nothing about the pounding of her heart.