The Stars That We Steal From the Night Sky by Katie MacAlister

Author:Katie MacAlister
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: mystery, female sleuth, paranormal mystery, ghosts, spirits, orient express, train
Publisher: Fat Cat Books
Published: 2022-09-13T00:00:00+00:00

SEVEN

I watched the first of the two hired tour buses pull away from the train station with a profound sense of relief. I’d glimpsed Alan heading through the station with a group of other tourists, and assumed he had gone on the first bus.

“That gives me a few hours,” I said, hurrying through the station back to where the Byzantine Express stood on a distant track, its blue-and-white cars glistening in the afternoon sun.

The train staff was busy tidying up the interior while the bulk of the passengers were off on the excursion, although I noticed a few people were dotted about the lounge car, and two elderly men were patrolling up and down the platform, chatting while they got in some exercise.

I skulked around until the attendant responsible for the sleeping car where Rennie and her husband were bunked left to carry off an armload of used towels. Luckily, she had left the compartments open while she moved through them cleaning, and I—after a couple of furtive glances up and down the passage—dashed into the one belonging to Rennie, quietly closing the door. “Right. Let’s do this.”

It didn’t take me long to search the few things set in a day bag that sat on the table, or the items scattered in the mini washroom that was part of the compartment. I turned to face the garment bag hanging on the back of the door. “That just leaves you,” I said, wondering if there was some certain way that Alan had left the bag zipped. It looked perfectly normal, but I took care to unzip it carefully, keeping an ear cocked for the sound of the returning steward.

The bag contained nothing but a few pairs of pants, a couple of shirts, a pair of men’s dress shoes, and a stiff black object that I identified as a tuxedo. I rezipped the garment bag, glancing around the room while frowning. “That’s Alan, but where are Rennie’s—”

A noise from the hallway had me diving for the space under the seat. It was normally used for storing extra bags, and indeed, I found one there that I hurriedly squished myself behind, thanking the stars that I had enough polter blood that I could disappear into shadows.

The door opened and I caught a glimpse of the steward’s shoes as she entered the cabin, obviously looking around before she clicked her tongue, and murmured something in German about becoming forgetful. She puttered around the room for a few minutes, replacing glasses in the washroom area, and putting a small basket of wrapped afternoon treats on the table before she left, about to close the door when Alan’s voice sounded.

“Cleaning up, are you? I need to get my bag ... no, the small toiletries bag, just there. Thank you.”

I held my breath for the count of ten after they left, the steward closing the door softly behind her.

“That was way too close,” I whispered to myself, squirming out from under the seat, brushing off the bits

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