Always One Step Ahead

[Honorable Steed]

It's 12 A.M.

A woman in nice work clothes is staring out the window at the dry landscape, the ground almost a blue color from the moon's reflection in the night. She plays with her messy bun impatiently, waiting for a sign, any kind of suspicious sounds besides the train's k'chack-k'chacking on the tracks and the occasional restless sleeper.

There's a knock on the simple sliding door, and she excitedly looks over, only to see a train crew member through the glass. "Excuse me ma'am, would you like me to bring you an extra blanket?" She turned back to the window and spoke clearly, "No, I'm alright. Thank you." He'll come out of hiding soon, only two more days now. And the door slid back closed.

The woman detective was on a five-day trip to California and it was day three. Since their departure from the Big Apple, she only had about twelve hours of sleep, napping for a couple hours here and there; and making her co-worker stay on 'extra-high' alert for these masked train robbers when she did. Anyone watching her would have thought she was obsessed, but they just couldn't understand. She was always almost too close to catching the masked bandits, but they always found a way of slipping right through her fingers. This teasing, or that's what she called it, drove her up a wall. But not this time, she thought to herself. They were all stuck on this train for at least two more days, and they were bound to show their faces sooner or later. She was ready for a chase, she wore her most comfortable shoes this time around. That was her highest priority, especially after getting her nice pair crushed after kicking them off, onto the railroad tracks.

"..." She yawned, then lay sideways on her booth. She pointed at the man sitting in front of her. "Hey, I'm going to take a nap real quick, okay?" Settling into a more comfortable position, she continued, "If you hear or see anything-wake me up. You know the drill." She flashed him a smile, just to ensure he knew she wouldn't be long, then closed her eyes and laid there like a log.

 

[Monster]

The man sitting across from her was a young, albeit curious sight. He couldn't have surpassed his mid twenties yet by his attire and mannerism he appeared far beyond his age. He was handsome to an extent, with angular facial features along with light olive flesh accompanied by black hair and pale blue eyes. Hair was cut close to the scalp, while a thin beard ran from his jawline down across his chin. For the majority of the train ride he was found reading a thickly bound leather book.. with the occasional meal and drink for that matter. As for his accomplice upon the train, she went unrecognized for now at least it seemed he was quite unaware to whom she was.

By the time she had fallen asleep he had put his plan into motion. Standing up, attire was simple yet formal. A dark navy blue vest sat on top of a simple dress shirt followed by black slacks and thick black boots. He briskly made his way out of the car and towards the rear of the train. Hand reached into the belt of his pocket for his sidearm, and as he approached the cargo hold he would have entered soundlessly. Moving within the dimly lit.. and overfilled car's was hardly a glamorous job.. however as he approached the door and slid his open to his surprise his posse was already riding along side the train.

" Bring the carriage.. " Two of the men would have been pulled aboard the train to watch the door, and then to help him load what appeared to be munitions onto the carriage. They were making quick work of the job, piling boxes upon boxes of firearms and munition within the carriage, that was before someone had taken notice that the cargo door was open. Two loud gunshots rang throughout the rear of the train.. and immediately his pace increased. " Grab the last of it and go! "

He was quick about it to say the least, running past his two men upon the train and through the door of where the now dead body lay. He stepped over it, shifting further down the cart before ducking into a bathroom as the heavy footsteps and yelling of what could only be security came his way. He could not count on his fingers how many men stormed past, he simply knew the two grunts were as good as dead. Once things quieted, he moved forward again further down the train. Once finding his compartment, the door was quietly slid open and seat taken across from the woman. Carefully he reached forward, fingers tapping her shoulder. " Miss.. something is going on.. " Tone was cool, perhaps even slightly.. comical.

 

[Honorable Steed]

"Train robbers!" The woman stood up quickly, and staggered; a bit disoriented from the sudden movement. She placed a hand on his shoulder, a determined expression painting her face. "I'm on it, thank you, sir!" She nodded, then turned to the sliding door and stuck her face to the glass. How were they so fast? She fumbled for the door's handle and ripped it open, stepping into the empty corridor. She missed him. He was gone. Nothing had changed, she closed her eyes for a few seconds, and she missed everything. Shaking her head, she grasped her forehead and tilted her looked to the side. There. Noticing a congregation of train guards, she left the door open and tore down the hall for the metal door handle, shoving her way through the sea of officers to the end of the last passenger car. Stopping at the front of the crowd, she looked down at the man holding on nonchalantly to the railing. Her face dropped. "So where is he?"

The man smirked, "Who're ya lookin' for?" he challenged, and her face became stern. "Your boss. The man in charge. Who else." The robber played with the colt 45 in his hands and his dropped down to a whisper as he looked at her under his lashes, "I'm the guy. You got me." Clara-Rose snorted, picking up the bottom of her faded brown dress and turning to return to her seat. Detective Watkins wasn't having another one of these. Wrong personality. Wrong response. Which meant-he must still be on the train somewhere. "Tie him up. But keep your eyes peeled for another one," she said, brushing by a decorated man in uniform and jumping over the gap in between coaches.

She silently let herself in, slid the door closed behind her, then sank into her seat. She folded her hands in her lap, a little lost in thought already.

"Sorry to run out like that." She apologized to the man in front of her. "And, thanks again." He seemed to be an alright guy. There was an air about him, that threw Watkins off; and the way he reacted to the sudden robbery.. Something was different about him. But she dismissed it as being a personality trait. Different people would handle this kind of excitement in different ways. And what basis did she have to judge him? After all, they had barely carried any conversation for the time they had spent together in the shared space.

She picked up a newspaper from the side of her seat and furrowed her brow, "Uh.." She placed the paper on her lap. "If you don't mind me asking," she leaned forward and spoke quietly. "Did you see anything?"

 

[Monster]

He was curious.. far too curious for his own good of the young woman. He watched her reaction as she so suddenly sprung up and bolted out of the car, headed towards the scene of the crime as if she were responsible. He would not have followed however he would have continued to run it through his head just who she may have been. Some sort of police, a marshall perhaps and it was very smart of them to send a young woman. It was someone he never would have seen coming, too bad that the luck of the draw hadn't been within their favor. As she appologized he shook his head and raised a hand. " No need.. really the comotion was expected. "

At her next question he nodded softly. " There was a group of them.. came up to the train with a wagon.. unloaded some boxes it looked like and took off. " He was intentionally vague, simply trying to see just what details she was going to go after at this point. Yes, he could already feel his intrigue increasing and that was going to be a very dangerous thing, for the both of them it seemed. " Are you a detective.. Miss? "