The Image Seeker

by Amanda Hughes

  “Go anywhere,” he said, yanking her closer. “And make sure it’s someplace they’d never think of. Stay in hiding until Canfield and I can get the story out about Zweig.” His eyes looked feverish, and he tightened his grip. “Promise me!”

  “Ouch,” Billie cried. She was getting scared. Max seemed positively maniacal. She swallowed hard and nodded. “I promise.”

  Max let go and slumped back, exhausted.

  Elise looked on, wide-eyed, clutching the baby.

  “Where should we go?” Billie asked, rubbing her wrist. “The reservation?”

  “No, that’s the first place they’ll look.”

  “I have a cousin in Ohio,” Elise suggested.

  Max grimaced with pain. “They’ll look there too,” he said between his teeth.

  Billie started to pace. She felt terrified. What if something happened to Max? How would she ever keep Elise and an infant safe? Memories of Hazel flooded her mind. After that shooting, they brought her in and put her on a couch too. And she died. She rushed over to Max.

  He murmured, “I just thought where you can go.”

  “Where?”

  “Kansas,” he said.

  “Kansas!”

  “I want you to look up Rufus Noonan.”

  “What? That bookie who drove us all over in his broken down jalopy?”

  “The very one. If anyone knows thugs, it’s Rufus. He’ll know how to keep you safe.”

  Elise looked at Billie expectantly.

  “You know,” Billie said, blinking, “I liked Rufus, and I trust him. That’s a good idea.”

  “Good, then it’s settled. I’ll have Canfield call him.”

  Bubbe returned with the tea, and just as they were finishing, there was a knock on the door. Everyone froze. “It can’t be Canfield this soon,” Billie whispered.

  “Stay away from the door,” Max mumbled.

  Bubbe opened a drawer and handed Billie a gun.

  “What the hell?” Max muttered, looking at his grandmother.

  There was another knock.

  Billie asked, “Who is it?”

  “Edward Canfield and Dr. Joyce. Billie is that you?”

  She opened the door.

  Mr. Canfield looked at the gun and said, “Good lord, put that thing down.”

  He stepped inside with a squat bald man, who was carrying a black medical bag.

  “This is Dr. Joyce,” Canfield said.

  The doctor went to Max’s side, yanked open the bag, and started to examine him.

  “There’s a driver downstairs waiting for you,” Mr. Canfield said to Billie. “He’ll take you and Miss Meyer to the train station. Here’s some money,” he said, stuffing a wad of bills in her hand. “Rest assured I will keep Max and his grandmother safe.”

  “Where will they be?”

  “I don’t know yet. I’ll probably hide Max somewhere down at The Times and his grandmother elsewhere.”

  Billie squatted down by Max as the doctor examined his wounds. When she touched him, he opened his eyes. They had a glazed look as if he was in pain.

  “I don’t want to leave you, Max.”

  He reached up and with a shaky hand stroked her cheek. “But you must.”

  “I know,” she replied, tears running down her face.

  “Never let your guard down for a minute, Bassett. They want us dead. A lot of money is at stake. In fact, this story is so powerful it could sway the nation against the National Socialists.”

  Billie nodded, her throat too tight to speak.

  “Just come back to me,” Max continued. “I need my best friend.”

  Chapter 31

  “I saw no one following us,” Elise said as they walked into the train station. Dressed in a blue skirt and a print blouse, she needed no disguise anymore.

  “I didn’t see anyone either,” Billie replied as she walked up to the ticket window. “Two tickets on the next train to Kansas City.”

  The ticket attendant looked at the timetable. “Leaves in twenty-two minutes.”

  Billie counted her money. “Do you have any compartments left?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Good, we’ll take a compartment please.”

  “Boarding now,” he said, pushing the tickets through the window.

  Billie tipped a porter to take their suitcases as Elise changed the baby’s diaper in the restroom. “He’s so hungry,” she said as he started to fuss.

  “Poor little guy. This is a lot to ask of a newborn,” Billie commented as Elise finished up, “and a new mother.”

  Elise stopped what she was doing and looked up. “Billie, what happened out there on the street was terrifying. I thought we would be safe once we got to the United States.”

  “I did too,” Billie said, “but here we are running again.”

  Tears filled Elise’s eyes. “Mein Gott, how much longer?”

  “We’ll be safe once The Times publishes the story. We’ll hang on somehow until then.” Looking at her watch, Billie exclaimed, “We’re late.”

  They rushed down the platform, Billie carrying the baby, and boarded just as the train set off with a jerk. Once they found their compartment, Elise started feeding Frankie while Billie unpacked for the night. After purchasing sandwiches from the food cart, Billie locked the door and collapsed onto the seat, panting. “Even though I’m tired, I feel better being in this compartment.”

  “It’s cozy and feels safe in here, doesn’t it?” Elise replied.

  “Yes, and there’s nothing like the movement of a train to sooth.”

  At last, the baby fell asleep, and they could relax. After eating, Billie went into the tiny lavatory to wash up and change into her nightclothes. She was eager to get into bed and stretch out. She climbed into the top bunk and was asleep before Elise even put the light out. She slept hard for a few hours and then her anxiety woke her up. She wondered if a stiff drink would help knock her out. When she heard Elise get up to go to the bathroom, she asked, “Are you having a hard time sleeping too?”

  “Yes, I am.”

  Pulling on a pair of culottes and a blouse, Billie said, “I’m going to the club car to get a drink. Will you lock the door behind me?”

  “I will.”

  She grabbed a book and was out the door. The club car had only a few patrons, and she sat down by a window. After ordering an old fashioned, she opened her book, but she couldn’t concentrate on reading.

  Instead, she looked out the window. There was a full moon overhead, and it illuminated the farms and fields as they traveled toward Philadelphia. Billie was glad to be going back to Kansas. They would be safe there. She thought of the wide expanses, the abandoned shacks, and the empty plain. One could easily get lost there.

  Even now, here on the train, she felt safe. She was back home again. Around trains, she knew how to survive. The clacking of the rails underneath her, the gentle swaying of the car, and the sound of the horn comforted her.

  She took another sip of her drink. She was even feeling better about Max. She trusted Mr. Canfield to take good care of him, and Bubbe’s words rang in her ears. “It could have been worse.”

  Billie finished her drink and closed her book. As she headed back to the compartment, there was a well-dressed, middle-aged man walking ahead of her. He was inebriated and stumbled from side to side as they passed from one car to another. Two sleeping car attendants carrying pillows and blankets were just ahead of him. He hollered for an extra pillow, but they ignored him.

  “Sons-a-bitches,” the man slurred and stumbled into his room

  Billie paused to look at the moon one more time as it sailed high in the night sky. She was grateful the fog had cleared at last. As she crossed into the coupling vestibule, she stopped suddenly. The two sleeping car attendants were outside the door of her compartment. Both in uniform, one of them was tall with a shock of white hair, and the other was a large Negro with meaty arms. Billie knew something was off; they hadn’t called for blankets. She watche
d the men unlock the door and slip inside.

  “Hey!” she shrieked, running toward the room. “What the hell are you doing?” The door was locked, so she started hitting and kicking it.

  In a flash, the man with white hair yanked her inside, clapped his hand over her mouth, and pinned her against the wall. The other attendant was holding a pillow over Elise’s face. She flailed madly, trying to get free. The baby started to wail.

  Struggling wildly, Billie freed her leg and kicked the man who was holding the pillow over Elise’s face. Her spiked heel hit him squarely in the right eye, and he reared up roaring, “You bitch!”

  Elise sat up, gasping for air as he slid down the wall.

  “I’ll teach you,” the man holding Billie snarled and grabbed her throat. She struggled frantically, clawing at him as he choked her.

  “What’s going on in there?” someone hollered outside the door.

  The man dropped Billie. He whirled around, yanked his partner to his feet, and barked, “Come on!” They threw open the door and rushed out, slamming the conductor against the corridor wall.

  Dazed and confused, the conductor picked up his hat and asked, “Are you ladies all right?”

  Billie and Elise were panting, and the baby was crying, but they replied, “We are.”

  “What happened?”

  “They pretended to have bedding for us and let themselves in the room,” Billie said, coughing.

  “We’ll catch them,” he exclaimed and rushed down the corridor.

  The train was slowing down. “What town it this?” she called before he was out of sight.

  “Philadelphia!”

  “Come on, Elise. We’re getting off.”

  With the baby on her hip, Elise started throwing things into a suitcase.

  “No time for that. Grab a set of clothes and some diapers. We leave now!”

  Billie grabbed her own change of clothes, the rest of the sandwiches and ran down the corridor, swinging the outside door open. They watched as the train rolled through the massive rail yard. Suddenly, it stopped before entering the station. “Good! We get off here,” Billie announced. “Give me the baby. I’ll help you down.”

  She helped Elise cross several sets of tracks, and they ducked into the bushes. Elise collapsed into the brush, trying to catch her breath. “Billie, they almost killed us! What the hell is happening? They’re everywhere.”

  “They are.” Billie wiped her forehead with her sleeve. “We can’t trust anyone, not railroad employees, not even the police.”

  They watched their train move off toward the depot.

  “So, what now?” Elise asked.

  “We’ll have to take freights.”

  “What? You know how to ride a freight train?”

  “I used to do it all the time.”

  “We’ll go on one all the way to Kansas City?”

  Billie nodded and ran her eyes over the yard, looking for workers. “But by way of another city. They’ll look for us on trains going to Kansas City. We’ll have to take a detour. Now get into your street clothes,” she said and tied their clothes into a bindle.

  When Elise was changed, Billie took Frankie, and they walked down the tracks. Warehouses and maintenance shacks lined the yard, and boxcars were everywhere. Occasionally, a train would rumble past slowly, but there were no employees around. Moonlight flooded the tracks. It was a lonely sight. At last, Billie spotted a worker. He was wearing overalls and a flat cap and repairing a rail.

  “Excuse me,” Billie said, walking up.

  The worker looked up with surprise. He was young, barely old enough to grow a beard, and his face was full of pimples.

  “Could you tell me when the next train out is and where it’s going?”

  He ran his eyes over their clothes. “The passenger depot is that way, ma’am.”

  “No, no. I want a freight.”

  He frowned. “Why do you want a freight?”

  “Young man,” Elise said, sternly, “just answer the question.”

  The boy’s eyebrows shot up. He looked startled. “The Tennessee Central has one going out in ten minutes bound for Nashville,” he replied. “Track 16, over there.”

  “Thank you,” Billie said. As they walked away, she snickered. “Good work, Elise. Nothing is scarier than a woman with a German accent reprimanding you.”

  “So, the railroad employees will tell you where to catch freight trains?”

  “Not all of them, but many are friendly to hobos. It’s the railroad police you have to watch out for.” She noticed Elise was walking slowly. “How are you feeling?”

  “A bit tired and sore.”

  They wound their way through the yard, Billie scanning for railroad dicks. At last, she said, “Okay, here’s the Tennessee Central.” She found an open boxcar and put the baby inside first. Then she cupped her hands, hoisting Elise up.

  It was dark, but as Billie crawled inside, she could see a hobo sitting in the corner with his knees drawn up. The moonlight illuminated his long gray hair and beard. “Hello,” she said to him. “May we share this car with you?”

  He nodded.

  “Thank you,” she replied and slid the door shut.

  The freight started to move. Billie slid to the side, resting her back against the wall while Elise fed the baby under a blanket. The night was balmy, but Billie couldn’t stop shaking. She was glad it was dark. She didn’t want Elise to see her fear. The responsibility of keeping her and the baby safe weighed heavily on her. There were predators everywhere on the rails, and to make matters worse, Zweig had a contract out on them.

  Billie put her head back and sighed. They would make it to Kansas City somehow. They just had to.

  * * *

  The train made endless stops in Virginia. Hobos came and went, and much to Billie’s relief, no one bothered them. By the time they arrived in Nashville, it was dark again.

  “The first thing we’ll do is go into town to eat,” Billie said as she helped Elise down from the boxcar.

  “Good, I feel shaky,” Elise replied. They had sandwiches left over from the passenger train, but Elise had eaten those in the morning. Several hobos had shared their food with them, but it still was not enough to sustain a breastfeeding mother.

  They left the rail yard, crossed between the warehouses, and headed into town. Billie carried the baby in a makeshift sling around her neck. He seemed content. The first thing she did was call The New York Times to talk to Mr. Canfield, but he was not there. She wondered where Max was hiding and if his recovery was going well. She tried not to borrow trouble wondering if blood poisoning set in or if there had been another attempt on his life.

  It felt heavenly relaxing in a diner, sipping coffee, and eating a full meal, but Elise was quiet and seemed detached. Sometimes, Billie felt as if Elise had stepped outside of her body and gone somewhere else.

  They took turns washing up in the restroom and then headed right back down to the yard.

  “Nashville is notorious for railroad police,” Billie told her as they trudged along. “So be on the lookout. I suspect they would turn us over to Zweig’s people in a heartbeat.”

  Elise did not reply. Her face was expressionless.

  “But I do remember the workers are friendly here,” Billie added. “We should be able to get train information easily.”

  They found someone who told them they had just missed a train to Kansas City. Disappointed, Billie looked at Elise. She hadn’t heard a word. She was staring off in the distance, and her lips were moving as if she were praying.

  “We just missed a train. We’ll have to wait awhile,” Billie said, touching her arm.

  Elise asked vacantly, “What?”

  Billie repeated the information.

  Elise’s eyes grew wide, and she cried, “No,” and shook her head vigorously. “No, no, no, no!”

  Billie thought she looked as if she were about to bolt.

  Grabbing her arms, she said, “Elise! It’s all right. I’ll keep
you safe.”

  “But he says there’s danger, and we should run!” She tried to yank herself free.

  It was then Billie knew there was a voice in Elise’s head agitating her. “Yes, I know,” she replied in a quiet voice. “But we mustn’t run this minute.”

  Elise stared at her, and gradually her eyes cleared. “I guess I’m not being much of a Pollyanna right now.”

  “I understand,” Billie replied, touching her hand. “You’re exhausted. It has been a long road for you. But it’s only an hour until the next train. Sometimes, you wait for days.”

  They sat down on an embankment where no one could see them. It was cloudy and windy, and Billie wondered if there would be a storm.

  “I am grateful for the breeze,” Elise murmured. She seemed much calmer. “It keeps the bugs away.”

  “Me too.” Billie noticed her looking at the lightning in the distance. “Don’t worry. I think we’ll be onboard before the storm.”

  Elise nodded.

  Frankie started squirming. “He’s waking up.”

  “I’ll feed him,” Elise said, taking him.

  The hour passed quickly. Looking at her watch, Billie put the baby back in the sling and said, “All right. The train leaves in ten minutes.”

  Elise jumped up. “Why did we wait until the last minute?”

  “We have to be sure the railroad police are done checking the boxcars.”

  The wind grew stronger, and thunder rumbled overhead. “We are out in the open now,” Billie warned. “Walk quickly.”

  Billie looked one way and then the other, scanning for railroad bulls as they walked through the yard. Trains were on the move, rumbling up and down the tracks.

  Suddenly, the sky opened up, and there was a heavy downpour. The wind blew rain in their faces. Elise was breathing heavily and stumbling. To help her along, Billie put her arm around her waist.

  “Hey!” someone roared. “What the hell are you dames doing?” It was a railroad dick. He was short and squat, wearing a flat cap and carrying a nightstick.

  “Run!” Billie barked, grabbing Elise’s wrist.

  They jumped over rails and dashed around boxcars. “Faster!” Billie yelled.

  “I can’t!”

  “Stop!” the bull demanded. His legs were short, but he was gaining on them.