Cabin 11

Take a vacation they said. You need a break they said. What do they know! I, for some stupid reason, listened to my sisters. My marriage was in shambles. My husband of twenty two years was divorcing me. Our sixteen year old son was in juvenile hall for attempting to blow up our local high school. The stress was taking its toll on me. All I wanted to do was hide in bed all day! I was tired of going to various courtrooms for one or the other legal issues facing me. Each time I had to be in court, my sisters and I trekked to the county courthouse and they kept on harping about the vacation. Finally, yesterday, the last of the legal cases were resolved. My son was going to spend the next five years of his life living in the Youth Authority...where he would be until he was twenty one. I want my son at home, where all sixteen year old children belong.

Today, I finally capitulated to my sisters harping. I stopped at the local train depot and picked up some of their travel brochures. There was a plethora of excursions to choose from. Deciding which to choose was going to be a headache for sure. Trips to this city or some other locale abounded. But, for some unknown reason I was drawn to the idea of a train trip around this great nation of ours. The trek would begin and end in my hometown and take me north through Oregon and make a right turn in Washington, go across all the northern states, turn right again in Maine and head south down the eastern seaboard to northern Florida where it would make another right turn and head across the southern states to Los Angeles where it would make the fourth right turn and head up the central valley and back home. It was supposed to take two weeks. Two weeks of no courtrooms, no harping sisters, and hopefully nothing more to worry about but when to be back on the train and off to the next stop.

The next day I checked to see if I had the funds to make the trip, withdrew the money from my savings and purchased a ticket for the next junket around this glorious and troubled country of ours. The trip would begin next Tuesday.

The day of departure was finally here. I was surprised to see how excited I was. I woke just after dawn, showered and dressed for the trip. I took the time to pack last night, but decided to recheck and verify that I had packed all the essentials. Several changes of clothes, my current knitting project, (a gorgeous royal blue sweater) with enough supplies to carry me through, several books to read and a few puzzle books for when I became bored with everything I had packed to keep me entertained for fourteen days and thirteen nights. I arrived at the train station with enough time to park my truck in the long term parking and take the bus to the depot. I had the red cap take my luggage to my cabin and placed an order to have it eventually brought to the baggage car. I had booked the cabin just for myself. I planned on travelling alone and wanted a place to be alone with my thoughts...and begin the healing process. Altogether too soon it was time to board the train. As I was climbing the steps to the train my sisters came running up to the train. They just wanted to say their goodbyes and wish me well on my vacation. I was hoping to make a clean get-away! Nothing like my sisters knack for slowing things down. Since I had one foot on the step and one foot still on the depo waiting area, the train could not

leave until all were safely ensconced on the train. My sisters were not content to text me or call my cell phone to express their thoughts. They had to do so in person! I got the red cap’s attention and he informed my sisters that the train simply must get underway. My sisters grudgingly left while I beamed my delight for his assistance and mouthed a grateful thank you in his direction as I finished climbing onto the train.

I settled into a seat and watched the depot fade into the surrounding scenery. I was glad to be alone at last. I sat in that seat for several hours, just watching the scenery whiz by. Eventually, we left California and entered Oregon. It was time to go to my cabin and unpack. I slowly made my way to my assigned cabin...car B cabin 12. As anticipated, my luggage was waiting for me. I took my time unpacking and then notified the porter that my luggage was ready to be stowed in the baggage car for the remainder of the trip. He assured me that on the last day they would be returned to my cabin so I could repack them for my return to my daily life.

I went to the dining car after that. I was unable to find a table to myself. Looking around to find a place to sit and eat, I saw a rather dowdy elderly lady waving at me. “Young lady!” she said in a rather rough voice, “Come and sit with me”. Since I had no other option at the moment, I took the only other empty seat at her table. I mentally made plans to quickly dine and move on. I still wanted to spend my time alone with my thoughts.

“My name is Eunice Carter” she said as I scanned the menu.

“Trudy Jones” I replied.

“What brings you on this train?” Eunice asked. And without waiting for me to reply she launched into a monologue regarding why she was taking the same trip as I was...touring the border states of our nation. She was widowed and bored...that was it in a nutshell. Maybe this odd elderly lady would be a good travelling companion after all. She could do all the talking and all I would have to do is listen. I decided that sharing time with Eunice would be just the sort of thing I needed after all. While we dined, she talked, and talked, and talked. After what seemed like hours of aimless listening, I discovered that her husband, Arnold, was a train porter for all their 45 years of marriage and he had recently retired and then suddenly died from a heart attack. She shared my love of knitting and had planned this trip just to visit the craft supply stores that Albert had shopped in just to buy his wife knitting supplies from the route he worked along for so many years. By the time we decided to retire for the night, I realized that Eunice was just the friend I needed at this time in my life.

As we walked back to my cabin (Eunice could only afford a lower berth), we passed cabin 11. The door to the cabin was open so we peeked inside. On the floor was a suitcase that was open and clothes were everywhere. We peered into the darkened cabin and hidden in the darkest corner was what appeared to me a person just sitting there on the bench seat. The train jerked rapidly and the person fell onto the floor. Eunice let out a scream. I just stood and stared. 

Eunice’s scream brought heads out from every other cabin along the corridor. Someone fetched the porter. This was not a situation that happened every day. Since the train was still somewhere between cities, the porter sealed the room and ushered everyone back to their cabins. I invited Eunice to my cabin. It was a place where we could talk and knit uninterrupted until the police eventually came. The train was stopped by the Portland police. They secured the crime scene, removed the body and any available evidence. The train was detained for several hours and during that time we were interrogated by the Portland police.

I called the dining car and had them send us some coffee. Eunice and I could be hashing this new event for hours. Who was the victim? Why was the suitcase spilled all over the floor? Who killed the man in cabin 11? Eunice was just as curious as I was. As we knitted and drank the ordered coffee, we chatted and surmised the answers to these and many more questions....some of them valid and some of them purely for our own entertainment.

Eventually it was time for much needed sleep. I escorted Eunice to her berth and then returned to my cabin. As I entered car B I noticed a tall, elderly man, wearing a rather frumpy and time worn suit trying to enter cabin 11. I decided to fake a demure cough to get his attention. When he heard me he left by the other end of the car without even looking in my direction. Who was this new character? Why did he want into the crime scene? It would be some time before I would drift off to sleep. Sleeping so close to a crime scene was unsettling at best.

I woke to find Eunice knocking at my cabin door. “I missed you at breakfast,” she said as she entered my cabin. “I took the liberty to have some sent to you here. How was your night?”

From the en suite attached to my cabin I replied, “I have some new info to share” and I told her all about the mysterious man in the corridor. I entered my cabin to find Eunice sitting on the other side of the cabin and a small table had been brought in by room service with a delectable repast consisting of Eggs Benedict, orange juice and a carafe of coffee. Eunice had poured herself a cup of coffee and poured one for me as I sat opposite her. As I ate I told her all about the mystery man. We decided to take our knitting to one of the passenger cars and look for the mystery man. Her curiosity was greater than mine, for sure. Little did I know just how much trouble her curiosity would get us into!

We knitted, chatted, and watched for hours! By now we were well into Washington State. As we pulled into the depot in Seattle, we decided to stow the knitting in my cabin and take a look at the yarn store Albert raved about to Eunice. We took a taxi because we wanted to spend as much time as we could in the store...the train was to leave again in three hours. We had the taxi return to collect us in two and a half hours. We had a marvelous time looking over the gorgeous array of fibers! Woolens, acrylics, this store had it all!. We left with our bags stuffed to overflowing with yarn! As we were climbing onto the train, I nudged Eunice. On the platform, waiting to get on the train two cars down was the mystery man!

We hurried into my cabin and stashed our supplies. We tried to act nonchalant as we walked

the length of the train. We were nervous and rather jumpy. Two cars down we settled into two seats and watched the frumpy tall man. He was reading a newspaper...or at least appeared to be reading one. He kept looking up from it every few minutes and looked around the car. We made no pretense...we just stared at him and nervously chatted. Eventually he came toward us. He came closer and closer...and then he just walked right past us.

“Let’s follow him!” Eunice said as she stood to do just that. I figured I’d better go along...for her protection. Who was I kidding? How could I protect her? He went into the club car and sat at a table and started talking with the other occupants of the table. We took the nearest table we could in an attempt to overhear what they were talking about. Since they were surrounded by noisy diners, we were out of luck...for now. The mystery man and one of his table mates passed by us and we overheard him tell the table mate. “We have to have this completed by the time we get to Billings!” And then they were once again out of earshot.

We followed the duo out of the dining car, through the next passenger car, through cabin car A and on into cabin car B. As we entered cabin car B we were stopped by the mystery man. “Why are you ladies following me?” he demanded. “I have a cabin on this car” I said and showed my key to him. It seemed to placate him, but now we were on his radar. Eunice and I skittishly walked past him and on into my cabin. As I walked past him, I noticed he was wearing a shoulder holstered gun.

After closing the door to my cabin, I turned to Eunice and said, “He’s wearing a shoulder holstered gun...I saw it as I passed him.”

“Why is he wearing a gun?” Eunice asked as there was a stern, loud knock on my cabin door. “Who is it I called out?” “Me” said the now vaguely familiar voice of the mystery man. Slowly I opened the door just a crack. I saw a Portland police detective badge. “May I come in?”

I was greatly relieved to see that badge. “I completely forgot my manners...my name is Detective Jeremy Jones of the Portland, Oregon police department. I’m here investigating the death of my partner...against my superior’s wishes. I understand you ladies found him.”

Eunice and I reiterated what we told the Portland police last night. We had no idea he was a cop.