Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12 Mr. Bailets looked up from the note, and a smile burst onto his face. "They made it to Scenic! And by later today they'll all be on a train back to Seattle." Happy shouts bubbled up through the dining room, and relief washed over Janie. She hadn't realized how worried she'd been.

"But Riggins warns that others should not try to walk to Scenic," Mr. Bailets went on. "Says it's too dangerous." The red-nosed man nodded. "I'd never do it again." "We almost got buried in a slide coming here," said a tall man in a ragged coat, his voice raspy with fear. "Thought we were done for." Stay or go? Stay or go? That's all anyone was talking about in the observation car that afternoon. Janie and Frederick listened in as they played their one hundredth game of checkers. "I'd leave this train if I could," Mrs. Letts said. "But I wouldn't make it very far. And what about people with young children, like Mrs. Kayden? How could she manage, hiking through a blizzard with Violet and the baby?" They'd never make it, Janie thought.

"You're safer here," Mr. McBride assured Mrs. Letts. "We all are," Miss Wade agreed. Frederick and Janie went on with their game. Frederick was winning, and he was studying the board closely. But then he suddenly looked up at Janie. "I… I know it sounds odd," he said quietly. "But I kind of like being stuck out here, away from school—from everything." Janie flinched as she suddenly thought of what might be waiting for her in Seattle. Malvo's goons. The police. More cold nights hiding in filthy alleys. Up here in the middle of nowhere, Janie hadn't thought of any of that. Part of her definitely wished this blizzard would never end. "Me too," she said to Frederick. But why wouldn't Frederick want to go back home? Janie figured his life was perfect in Seattle, like a prince in one of Miss Eva's fairy tales.

"I miss my mom and everything," Frederick said, as though he'd read Janie's mind. "But at home I barely ever see my father. He's always so busy. And, well…" He looked up at Janie. "It's fun to make a new friend." A friend? Janie couldn't stop herself from smiling. "For me, too," Janie said. And to her surprise, she realized she wasn't lying. Frederick was about to win Janie's last checker when Violet appeared. She was bright-eyed from her nap. She raced over to them, bumping the table and scattering the checkers into a jumble. "No!" Frederick laughed. "I was about to win!" "Don't be so sure," Janie joked, picking Violet up and plopping her on her lap. "I want to build my snowman!" Violet said. Again. "Actually, the weather isn't so bad right now," Frederick said, glancing out the window. It had warmed up overnight. For a few hours, the snow

had actually turned to rain. It was snowing again now, but not too hard. "Let's go," Janie said. They bundled Violet up and took her outside. Frederick found a shovel and they got to work. Soon three other kids from the day cars joined them. They threw snowballs and climbed the drifts. Miss Wade came outside to watch, and Mrs. Kayden brought baby Billy. Happy giggles echoed through the mountains. When they'd finished the snowman, Mr. Anderson brought them two pieces of coal for eyes. Miss Wade plopped her green feathered hat onto the snowman's bald head. "Very elegant," Mrs. Kayden laughed. "Now let's get inside." Violet was sopping wet, and Billy was fussing. "But snowman needs a scarf!" Violet cried. "She's right," Frederick said, looking around. "We'll find one later," Janie said, picking the little girl up.

They climbed back onto the sleeper car, which was empty. Voices echoed from the observation car next door. "Everyone must be in there," Frederick said. They left Violet with her mother in the observation car. Then they went back to their sleeper car and Janie visited the washroom, holding her nose against the stench. When she came out, she was surprised to see her overnight bag sitting out on the seat, unzipped. That was not where she'd left it. Dread crept up her spine as she looked inside. Right away, she could see something was missing. One of her red knee socks. The one with the stolen jewels inside.