“Great,” Jake said. “Now just hold onto it and only swing the light if I tell you to.” He kissed Paige’s forehead and hobbled off toward the train.
“How far away is the train?” Paige asked.
“About fifteen yards from here,” Jake answered. “Far enough that we were thrown clear before it hit the side of the mountain.” His voiced paused. “Twist the light a little more to the left.”
Paige followed his directions, managing to twist her head enough to see Jake approaching the end of the train car.
“Here’s the problem,” Jake called back. “This metal device. It’s a derailer.”
“A derailer? What does that mean? We hit a section of track that branches off?”
“I’m afraid not, Paige,” Jake said. “This was set on the tracks with the intention of derailing this train car.”
“But trains come through here every day without problems. Which means…” She paused, putting the pieces together. “…That it was purposely put out here tonight, after the last train came through.”
“That has to be right,” Jake said. “Otherwise today's train would have had a problem.”
Paige could hear the strain in Jake’s voice, a sign his injured ankle was hurting him. She adjusted the light until she could see his stance. “You’re putting more weight on that ankle than you should be,” she warned. “Just come back and rest. Someone will find us.”
“No,” Jake said firmly. “I need to find the phone so we can call for help. This wasn't an accident.”
“Not an accident,” Paige repeated, absorbing the full meaning of the words. “So it was aimed at…?”
“The person most likely to be snooping around the train yard at night, Paige,” Jake said. “Who do you think that might be?”
Even Paige couldn't deny Jake’s reasoning. Clearly, she was the target.
“Shift the light to the right,” Jake asked. “No, back a bit. I think I saw the cell phone under the car.”
Paige heard Jake’s words, but kept the stream of light focused where it had landed. She struggled to sit up, fighting against the searing pain in her shoulder, ribs and hip.
“Paige? The flashlight?”
“Jake,” Paige said. “Forget the phone a minute. Look back where I’m pointing the flashlight.”
“We need the phone, Paige, to call for help.”
“Look behind you,” Paige repeated, her voice forceful and pained at the same time. “Something’s gleaming on the ground.”
Jake moved toward the light and leaned forward to inspect the ground. “Well, I’ll be…”
“Is it another coin?” Paige strained to move closer, but the pain was too severe.
“Yes, it is. But not just one, looks like there are three.”
“Can you tell where they fell from? Better yet, can you help me move over to look?”
“No.” Jake’s voice was firm. “You’re not moving. You’re already injured. You’ll just risk making it worse.”
“Then tell me what you see!” Paige shifted the light, frustrated, hoping to see something from the distance.
“Move the light higher,” Jake instructed.
“Is there a crack in the underside of the car?”
“It’s hard to tell. But the car’s leaning to the side, and the front is resting against a large boulder. Looks like it took a couple of trees out, too.”
“Then they might have rolled out from inside.” Paige grimaced, impatient that she couldn't search herself.
“Could be. I’m checking.”
“Any floorboards cracked open?” Paige waited for an answer while Jake shuffled his weight around on his one good leg.
“Several, but nothing in them.”
“That doesn't make sense,” Paige said. “It can’t be a coincidence that other coins are here. Sam wouldn't have been this far away from town when she found the other one.”
“Wait, here’s one more.”
“Where?”
“Balanced inside the entryway.”
“How far away from the ones on the ground?”
“Directly above them.”
“Then look above there. Something must have cracked open when the car crashed.”
“Shift the light higher,” Jake said.
Paige refocused the light as Jake pulled himself up into the topsy-turvy car. A metallic creak rang out, startling her. She worried the car would fall, but the boulder held it up.
“Paige, I think I found it,” Jake said. “There’s a crack in the railing across one of the seats backs.”
“The metal bar on the top?”
“Yep, exactly. And…I can feel more coins when I stick my fingers inside.”
“So they were hidden in the train all along,” Paige gasped. “But welded inside a seat back. No wonder no one found them after all these years. Except for Sam…how odd.”
“Maybe not that odd,” Jake said. “There’s a tiny crack at the base of the seat back. One must have slipped out. Didn't you say she often played under the car?”
“Yes. I caught her crawling out of that spot a couple of days ago. I think she spends plenty of time there.”
Jake slid out of the car. “Move the light back…no, more to the left…there, stop. I was right, that’s my phone. And…it's working!”
“Great!” Paige breathed a painful sigh of relief. She closed her eyes, listening to a scuffling sound that she interpreted as Jake returning to her. “Call for help. Call…the inn. Yes, the inn. Rose will send someone out here.”
“That won’t be necessary,” a familiar voice said.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Paige stared at the figure in front of her, stunned. Stephen Porter? Had he been after the coins all this time? All the years he’d been coming to stay at Rose Hutchins’ inn? Was this his motive, not a fondness for Hutchins Creek or support for his son’s interest in trains? What about Tommy? Why would he risk everything he had for this? The answer to these jumbled questions was simple: greed.
“Stephen?” Jake sounded as shocked as Paige. His voice grew stronger as he hobbled over to Paige’s side. “What are you doing here?”
“It’s obvious, don’t you think?” Paige said. “He’s after the coins. He has been all along.”
“Is that true?” Jake asked.
Paige could hear how angry Jake was.
“Wait just a minute now. What are you talking about?” Stephen Porter stepped forward, and both Paige and Jake recoiled despite their injuries.
“You know exactly what we’re talking about,” Jake insisted. “You’ve been using your visits to Hutchins Creek as excuses to search for the cache of coins. You could have killed us with that runaway train car stunt.” Jake grabbed the flashlight out of Paige’s hand and wielded it like a club.
Stephen held up both hands and stepped back. “What stunt? I heard a crash and came down to see what happened. How badly are you injured?”
“Then why did you say it wouldn't be necessary to call for help?” Paige argued, ignoring the question. She winced as pain stung her ribcage.
“Because I already called 911 when I saw the crash from the road, before I even walked down here.” The sound of approaching sirens backed him up. “Tell me what happened.”
Paige glanced at Jake and then back to Stephen Porter. What was the point in not telling him? Either he already knew and was hiding it, or he really didn't have anything to do with the accident and was trying to help.
“Someone started up that switch engine and pushed The Morning Star forward.” Paige waited for a response from Stephen.
“And?” Stephen stepped aside as two paramedics approached.
“Anyone else in the train car who might be injured?” The first paramedic asked, and then attended immediately to Paige while the other asked Jake if he was injured.
“I’m fine, just help her,” Jake insisted. He turned back to Stephen. “Then the engine detached and backed off and left us in a free-fall.” He tried to stand and move to
ward Paige, but winced as he attempted to put weight on the injured ankle. He sat back down at the request of the second paramedic, who handed him a bandage to hold against the cut on his forehead and cracked an ice pack and applied it to his ankle.
“Bad gash to the head and possible ankle fracture,” the paramedic said to his partner.
“Multiple injuries here,” the first paramedic replied. He’d taken Paige’s vitals and checked her left shoulder, arm and hip. “We’ll need the backboard to move her.” He remained focused on Paige, but glanced quickly at Stephen. “You called this in?”
“Yes, I heard the crash from town. I’m staying at the inn and was out for a walk. I drove down and called as soon as I saw the train.”
Paige listened to the activity around her, to the comments to and from Stephen, to the paramedic now telling her to relax, that she would be fine. Although she wanted to participate in the conversation, she followed directions, closed her eyes and relaxed. The initial panic and disorientation settled into an indescribable calm, a sense of release. She would get medical help, the pain would go away, and everything else could wait.
* * *
“Du…rangle? Drango?” Paige paused and tried again. “Dur…ang…o?”
“Yes, Paige. They brought you to Durango. Better medical facilities than in Hutchins Creek.”
Jake’s voice was soothing. He squeezed her right hand. When she looked at his face, she saw he was almost grinning.
“What?”
“You just sound cute,” Jake said. “If you weren't in pain, it would be funny.”
“Funny how?” Wow, my voice sounds odd…
“It’s the pain meds, Paige,” Jake explained. “They have you on a Dilaudid drip. You’re a little out of it. OK, more than a little out of it.” Now he truly grinned.
Paige nodded, still feeling a dull pain in her shoulder as she moved her head. “The IV, that feeling of fire in my neck.”
“The nurse said that was common.”
“…went away quickly,” Paige said.
“Yes, she said it would.”
“Your ankle?”
“Just a bad sprain, nothing to worry about.”
“And…yur…” Paige paused and focused on her speech. “Your forehead?”
“A few stitches…”
“Two? Tree…I mean three? Sheesh.” She had to fight to make the ‘th’ sound. Was her mouth filled with cotton?
“Fourteen,” Jake admitted.
“The star…” Paige looked at Jake for information.
“The Morning Star isn't what you should be worried about, Paige. You need to focus on getting better,” Jake said, his voice firm. “But amazingly, the damage was minimal. They’ll fix the dents from the boulders and trees when they restore it.”
Paige opened her eyes wider and tried to lift her head, but winced and gave up. “But the coins!”
Jake reached into his pocket and pulled out four, the three they’d found under the train, plus the one that teetered on the edge of the slanted floor inside. “I have these to send to the detectives at the Denver Mint.”
“But…”
“They’ll find the others when they inspect the car for repairs, Paige. This is enough to prove they were hidden in the car.”
Jake stood up and stepped back, slipping the coins back into his pocket as a doctor entered the room.
“Hello Ms. MacKenzie, I’m Dr. Neal. I have your X-rays back from radiology.”
“And?” Jake said.
Paige flopped a hand in Jake’s direction, a sign to relax and listen.
“You dislocated your elbow and also have an acromioclavicular joint separation.”
“’Glish…,” Paige muttered. “English…”
“You separated your collar bone from your scapula, most likely from landing on your shoulder when you fell. You tore ligaments, but fortunately it’s only a Grade 2 injury. You won’t need surgery, but you’ll need to wear a sling for a few weeks and then go through physical therapy to work on range of motion and strength.”
“What about the elbow?” Jake ignored Paige when she tried again to get him to quiet down.
The doctor replied to Jake’s question with a kind, yet professional smile. “Nothing that we can’t fix. We’re waiting for a room in order to reduce it.”
“Re…duce?” Paige murmured.
“To put it back in place,” Dr. Neal explained. “You also cracked a rib, but that will heal itself. I’ll give you some anti-inflammatory medication and a soft ice pack that you can keep in your freezer and use for relief. And we’ll put a couple of stitches in that cut on your hip.”
“Then we can leave?” Paige asked. “I have suff…stuff I need to do. Fine out…I mean, find out.”
Dr. Neal looked at Jake and smiled. “She’s a tough one, hmm?”
Jake laughed and winked at Paige. “You have no idea.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Paige and Jake eased themselves into Lulu, grateful to Henry for being Hutchins Creek’s unofficial town driver. Paige settled in the front seat, left arm and sling resting lightly on her stomach.
“Well, you two are a mighty fine sight,” Henry said, “if I do say so myself. And I do. You with your sling, Ms. MacKenzie, and you back there with your crutches.” He glanced over his shoulder at Jake. “That forehead of yours looks like it’ll be a mite sore for a while, too.” As he fired Lulu up and pulled away from the curb, he apologized to Paige when she winced at the movement.
“Thanks for picking us up, Henry,” Paige said. “I’m sorry you had to go to through all this trouble.”
“The way I see it, you two are the ones who’ve been through trouble. All I did was drive here to Durango. You’re both lucky you weren't hurt worse. How’d you end up in the middle of this mess, anyway?”
“I was just looking for more of…Sam’s ‘birds,’ honestly,” Paige said. “Coins like the one she found before. I felt sure there were more, somewhere in the museum yard, at least.” Paige remained silent for a few minutes, still exhausted from the ordeal. Conversation was more physically taxing than she expected.
“I still can’t believe The Morning Star got loose like that,” Henry said. “It’s always secured properly.”
“Well, it wasn't last night,” Jake said.
“Did they get it back up the track?” Paige asked.
“Sure did,” Henry said. “Jesse pulled it back up the grade this morning, nice and early. Had to. It would have blocked the Durango-Silverton morning run.”
“How much damage?” Paige slowly turned her head toward Henry despite the pain.
“A couple of big dents and some scratches along the sides and top. It can be repaired. We’ll just have to keep building that restoration fund. Might take longer to raise enough.”
Paige felt herself growing impatient for details. “Henry, what did they find out about the derailer?”
Henry turned toward Paige, his expression puzzled. “The derailer?”
“The one that had been placed on the track,” Jake said. “Any way they can identify where it came from?”
“Jesse didn't say anything about a derailer,” Henry said, shaking his head. “And I was there when he brought The Morning Star back into the yard. I’m sure he would have mentioned it. Maybe you folks mistook some other mechanical part for one of those.”
Paige watched Jake’s face in the rear view mirror. He was clearly as confused as Paige was now. Yet Henry had to be the one who was mixed up. No derailer?
“No, Henry.” Jake leaned forward in the back seat. “I’ve been around railroad yards before. There was definitely a derailer. That’s what caused The Morning Star to leave the track and hit those boulders.”
“Kind of odd Jesse wouldn't mention that,” Henry said.
“Yes, odd indeed,” Paige agreed. She turned her head slowly toward the passenger window and remained quiet, watching the pine trees as the car continued north toward Hutchins Creek, until the next obvious question hit
her.
“What about the coins?”
Henry threw Paige another confused look. “What coins?”
“The coins…” Paige suddenly stopped herself. Something didn't feel right. She changed tactics. “Oh, just the coins I was hoping to find. It’s not important.”
To her relief, silence fell in the car, Jake remaining quiet, Henry focused on driving. She had enough to process without any more information – or misinformation, as it seemed.
* * *
“Someone’s lying.”
Jake took a drink of Iced Trestle Tea as he contemplated Paige’s statement. She could see it in his eyes: he agreed. She could also see he was more worried about her than about unraveling town secrets or finding missing coins. As soon as Henry had dropped them off at the inn, he’d stated that it was time to leave Hutchins Creek. The six-hour nap he took after his restless night at the hospital didn’t change his mind. Not even his comfortable spot at the Rails Café had affected his decision.
“You know it’s not in my nature to leave something like this alone,” Paige continued. “Aren’t you curious? Who’s hiding something here? Jesse? Stephen? Henry? Even Rose? And what about Chancy? I did see his car drive by the museum last night.”
“Sure, I’m curious. But there are too many suspects, too much danger,” Jake said. “Don’t you have a plane flight booked tomorrow, anyway? Your Old West railroad article is done. And we’ve enjoyed being together all week, though I’d say last night was questionable.”
“I agree,” Paige said. It was ridiculous not to admit he was right. About everything, especially the fact that the previous night was far from ideal. “Still, humor me for a minute. Which of those five would be capable of starting up a switch engine?”
“You’re not talking about motives?”
“No,” Paige said. “I’m just talking capabilities and knowledge.” She glanced around to make sure nearby tables were empty, and then lowered her voice. “Obviously Jesse. He grew up in a railroad family. He’s been moving train cars around the yard for all those years since his father died. And you know he was out last night. Rose was watching Sam.”
Paige MacKenzie Mysteries Box Set Page 73