The train was moving along slowly and had a gentle sway from side to side. Danny was glad for the motion that had rocked his sister to sleep. He sat next to the window with Mary lying across his lap. Her blanket was shielding her eyes against the glare of the lamp that hung above their seat. Her sides still heaving from the crying she had done since she found that Nolan was not on the train.
The children had searched the train from top to bottom when Nolan had disappeared. The busted faces and hands of the detectives told Danny all he needed to know about where Nolan must be. Stepping back to where the Pinkerton men sat, Mira fastened her gaze on the three.
“You three fools have ruined any chance I had of winning the children over. Why didn’t you just wait until I had the children safely home and away from that barbarian?” she asked.
“Mrs. Bonner, Tolivar braced us and we had to defend ourselves,” said one of the men.
“I don’t believe you for a minute! I intend to inform your supervisor of such unless you do as I say from now on!” she said firmly.
Mira Bonner's wrath was more than the detectives could take. One at a time, they got up and left the car headed for anyplace away from this old woman. Strolling back down the car, she stopped next to the seat where Danny was sitting. “Children, why don’t you come with me to the dining car and have something to eat. You have to be starving. I will see to Mr. Tolivar when we get into the next station. I am sure he is alright,” she said with syrupy sweetness.
“What can you do, Grandma? They done killed him and threw him from the train,” Danny cried. Mary had awakened and this declaration started her crying again.
“Danny, look at what you have done. You must refrain from getting Mary so upset,” Mira said.
“Grandma, you are a mean woman and I will never trust you again. We will run away first chance we get and go find mother!” Danny exclaimed.
“Be reasonable, Danny! Your mother could not have possibly gotten away from those savages. You must face the fact that she will never be coming back,” Mira said bluntly.
“Yes, she is! Just you wait and see! We want to go back to stay with Miss Nora until she comes,” Danny responded.
“Miss Nora is nothing but a common cook and the proprietor of an eatery where coarse people come to eat. So, get it out of your head that you will be going back there. You better remember what the judge said. I am your only next of kin and you are legally mine,” Mira said firmly.
Danny lapsed into silence. He never won an argument with his grandmother. From now on, he would say nothing to her and be ready to escape with Mary when the opportunity presented itself. He noticed Mary had gone back to sleep. He covered her with her blanket and turned away from his grandmother.
Reaching over their heads, Mira trimmed the lamp and said, “Okay, I will go to the dining car by myself. We will talk when you have cooled down and can control your temper.”
Danny watched her make her way down the center aisle of the car headed for the dining car. She turned at the door and looked back at him. He quickly turned and stared out the window at the countryside passing by. The train was going too fast to jump and besides, he wasn’t leaving Red or his sister when he made his escape. He would wait. When an opportunity arose, he would leave with Red and Mary.
In the dining car, Mira Bonner sipped on a cup of coffee and considered Danny’s attitude, ‘He will be hard to handle, just like his father. But I will break him down and take away that wild spirit. It will take a while, but once he is dependent on all I can give him, he will come around to my way of thinking.’
Gilbert Shiver came to the dining car and sat across the table from Mira, drumming his fingers on the table, waiting for her to acknowledge his presence. He hated the uppity way she treated him.
“Mr. Shiver, do you think that barbarian died when you threw him from the train?” she questioned.
“Now what makes you think we would do a thing like that?” he asked.
“Because that is exactly what I would have done had I been in your shoes and capable of doing so,” she replied. “There are two children up there who think you murdered their friend. Who, by the way, was a duly sworn-in Peace Officer and that should concern you greatly,” Mira stated with a glare.
Shiver twisted uncomfortably in his chair and looked around the room and said, “I don’t think a person could survive a fall like that. I saw him disappear below grade into the darkness. I’m betting he is buzzard bait right about now.”
“If he is alive, what would you think he would be doing right now?” she asked.
“Now Mrs. Bonner, that ain’t very likely,” Shiver said.
“Answer my question,” Mira said with a tone of agitation.
“If Tolivar is alive, then I’m in serious trouble. He would be walking, crawling, or riding through hell to get ahead of this train and be waiting for us on the other end,” Shiver said nervously.
“Then, Mr. Shiver, you better be making plans to face him again. I have a feeling that he is not out of my life yet. I want you to make sure that he never gets close to the children again. Mind you, keep your distance from the children and me. At the next stop you and your men leave the train and make sure this problem doesn’t surface again,” Mira said.
“I don’t see how he could have lived from a fall like that,” Shiver said.
Mira crossed her arms and looked at the smaller man with disgust in her eyes. “Mr. Shiver, you are in my employment. I am trying to get you to think far enough ahead so you might live to make your next birthday. You just said ‘if he is alive’ you are in serious trouble. If it were me, I would not hesitate to make sure he is dead,” she said.
Shiver rubbed his chin and considered leaving the comfort of the train. As if she was reading his mind, she said, “This is a slow-moving train. You can ride ahead by horseback and remove any confrontation we might have and I will make it worth your while. Your supervisor does not need to know. This could be the start of a long and prosperous relationship for you, Mr. Shiver. Now make your plans and we will no longer see each other. I will tell the kids I have dismissed you and ordered you off the train,” Mira said.
Gilbert Shiver hated to be dismissed like an underling and started to protest.
“Mr. Shiver, I don’t expect to see you after the train stops for water in the morning. I will bid you a good night,” and with that, she got up and walked away. The conversation was over.
Gilbert Shiver sat and considered his options. The money was too good to quit and he had a boss to answer to, at least for now. He hated to leave the warm train, but they would get their mounts ready and leave the train at the next stop.
When Mira returned to the passenger car the children were asleep. Sitting in the darkened car she considered her next move. For now, she had the law on her side, but had little faith in the Pinkerton men. They had stepped outside the law by killing the barbarian. No one could prove it. Shiver would do what she wanted for the right amount of money. Now Mira Bonner must begin to regain the confidence of the children. Certainly, she could easily sway their young hearts over time with the things she could afford to buy them.