Strangers on a Train by Carolyn Keene

Author:Carolyn Keene
Language: eng
Format: mobi, azw3, epub
Publisher: Aladdin
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

We still hadn’t seen any moose—and I hadn’t done any more investigating—by the time Hiro stood up and said it was time for our section of the car to head downstairs for lunch. George hopped to her feet immediately.

“Finally!” she exclaimed. “I’m starved!”

“Really?” Bess raised one perfectly groomed eyebrow. “Even after eating all my pretzels and my granola bar?”

George ignored that and stepped into the aisle. “Come on, let’s get down there.”

Alan stood and moved into the aisle behind her. “After you, ladies,” he said, sweeping a hand forward in a little mock bow.

Bess smiled. “So gallant!” she cooed.

I crawled out of my seat and straightened up. “Thanks,” I told Alan. As he leaned down to grab his knapsack off the floor beneath the seat, I caught up with Bess and George. When we started down the stairs, we saw Tobias and his family ahead of us. The little boy turned and spotted us.

“Hey, where’s Alan?” he demanded.

“Right behind us.” Bess glanced over her shoulder. “At least I thought he was.”

“Here I am,” Alan exclaimed, bursting into the stairwell. “Hey, Tobias. What’s up? How’s my girl Hazel?”

Bess, George, and I traded a glance as Alan and Tobias started chattering away, mostly about Tobias’s pet spider. “I guess they must have bonded at the climbing wall yesterday,” Bess murmured with a smile.

We all continued downstairs together. There were plenty of windows in the dining car, so we were able to enjoy more scenic views as we ate. Tobias was at the next table, along with his parents and Wendy. The little boy kept turning around in his seat to talk to Alan.

“What can I say?” Alan said with a grin. “I have a way with kids.”

Tobias’s mother heard him and turned with a smile. “Sorry if he’s being a pest,” she said. “He was so excited when he found out you were an environmental studies major. He wants to be a zookeeper when he grows up.”

After the meal, we all headed back upstairs. Tobias went past his seat, following Alan down the aisle. “So do you get to study tarantulas in your college classes?” he asked.

“Dude, we study every kind of spider,” Alan said with a laugh. “It’s awesome!”

I glanced around the car to see if Hiro was free. He was nowhere in sight, so I decided maybe it was time to look for Scott and Tatjana. Bess and George had already taken their seats together, but I hovered beside my row, realizing I couldn’t tell them what I was really doing. Not with Tobias hanging around and several other passengers close enough to hear.

“I’ll be back in a bit,” I said, patting my purse. “I’m going to the restroom to brush my teeth.”

“Are you kidding?” Alan exclaimed. “Didn’t you hear what our waiter told us just now? He said we’ll be coming up on a great view of Mount McKinley soon. You don’t want to miss that!”

His voice was loud and enthusiastic, as usual. I cringed as several nearby passengers turned to stare at us.

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