Left to Lapse (An Adele Sharp Mystery—Book Seven) by Blake Pierce (book club suggestions txt) 📗

cart.It seemed to be picking up speed. She could barely pick it out over the squealof the train against the tracks. She could barely pick it out over the sound ofher own haggard breathing. But there it was, a whirring sound, a blurringmotion she could barely glimpse, reflected, for the briefest instant, off theglow of someone’s phone in the middle aisle.

“Your reading lights,” Adele shouted, suddenly. “Turn yourreading lights on, now!”

The train was moving at a molasses pace, prolonging thetime spent in the weather tunnel just outside the station.

For a moment no one responded, and now she could hear thethumping of footsteps, the whirring of the cart as it came forward, careeningdown the aisle.

And then the old man with the smiling face responded first.He reached up and flicked on a light. Suddenly, the low glow of orangeilluminated the faintest portion of the train car. Most of the first class wasstill bathed in dark, but the shadows were pushed back, and light interceptedthe careening snack cart. A large metal box was zipping toward them, pushed bythe valet. He had a ferocious glare affixed to his face. His teeth grittedtogether. One hand was pushing the cart, but the other had something he hadpulled from his pocket. Adele glimpsed a flash of a needle. Another readinglight turned on, and it illuminated the item in the man’s hand. A syringe. Athird reading light turned on, now seemingly tracking the progress of thewheeling valet.

And then he was on them. He released another enormousshout, howling as he surged toward them. “Die!”

CHAPTER THIRTY

John, suddenly noting the trajectory of the cart, andnoting Adele was directly in the path of the careening chunk of metal onwheels, moved first with a shout, lunging forward. Adele hadn’t been idle,either, though, and was quickly moving, trying to put herself between theseats, to shield herself from the cart. But Richard and Bella, the two friendsof Margaret, were caught up with each other, and as Adele pressed near them forshelter, Richard grunted and stiff-armed her, shoving her away and saying, “Getoff me.”

Adele was sent back out into the aisle. John, seeing this,cursed. He lurched forward, grabbed at Adele, and pushed her bodily on top ofRichard. At the same time, this brought John into direct contact with thesurging cart. It slammed into his hip and sent the tall Frenchman toppling overit. John yelled in pain as he went flying, rolling across a pile of peanuts andwater bottles, and then flipped over the other side. The Frenchman, despite thesudden motion, tried to snag at the valet’s shoulder.

 But he missed. The slight form of the young staff membermoved quickly and then reached out and flipped off two of the lights that hadalready been turned on. Again, darkness filled the cabin. One light at the veryback of the compartment illuminated where John had fallen, groaning, trying topush back to his feet after getting pounded by a ton of wheeled metal andsnacks. For her part, Adele desperately cried, “Turn on your lights!”

But the valet was quick, and he turned off the finalreading light.

Now, the passengers seemed confused. On one hand, theyheard a shouted instruction from someone who claimed to be a federal agent fromFrance. On the other, someone in an actual uniform, one of the staff membersthey were familiar with, was flipping off their lights. And so, fear anduncertainty seemed to stay their hands. And again, darkness swallowed them.

“Just die,” the valet sneered, his voice like oil, slickand anxious.

Adele’s own weapon moved about, but again, in the dark, itwas impossible to aim until she suddenly felt a hand grip her wrist.

She cursed, struggling, bumping against the cart that hadsent her partner flying. She heard more shouting. She felt a hand shove at heragain, and Richard’s voice, “Get off me!”

She gritted her teeth, resisting the urge to reach out andslap at Bella’s boyfriend. She needed her full attention now fixed on theunseen form of the valet. She heard a quiet huffing and desperate breaths as hestruggled, trying to grip her wrist and push her away. At the same time, sheremembered what she’d spotted in his other hand. She couldn’t see the syringenow, moving about somewhere in the dark.

In her mind’s eye, she pictured a presumed trajectory. She’dtangled with knife-wielding suspects before. They always stabbed a certain way.The valet couldn’t sweep in an arcing fashion, as the seats around him wouldprevent the motion. So his hand would be above, stabbing downward.

Lobbing a desperate prayer, she raised her own forearm, herone hand still gripped by the wrist, but the other free to maneuver in ablocking motion.

And suddenly, something firm slammed against her upraisedforearm. Bone clashed against bone. She heard a grunt of pain. For a moment,she listened, hoping to hear the clatter of the syringe. But the valet wasstrong, and he didn’t seem to lose his grip.

She cursed and lashed out, kicking. She’d been aiming forhis legs, but missed, and instead, in the dark, kicked the trolley.

He was too close now for her to shoot. He gripped the wristof her hand holding the firearm. She tried to aim, but it was impossible. Thegun was pointed up toward the ceiling.

“Just die,” he screamed. “You killed him. And so you die.”

Adele didn’t know what he was talking about. But if he wastalking, it meant he was distracted from stabbing. And so, grunting, andheaving a breath of exertion, she gasped, “Who? I didn’t do anything. Stopmoving!”

“You killed him! You made him suffer, and you killed him!”

And then the young man tried to reach for her neck,releasing his grip on her forearm. She moved her hand with the gun. Anotherreading light switched on, this time again from the old man.

Adele cursed as the valet realized his mistake. He spottedthe firearm, and suddenly pushed her hand back again. Again, the weapon waspointed toward the ceiling.

Just beyond, Adele spotted John grunting and rising. He wasbleeding from a gash over his forehead, a jagged cut along his forearm. In painand injured, he saw Adele’s plight, and with a growl bodily flung himself overthe snack car, trying to reach her.

But