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Deshya and Annie have just arrived in the driver's cab. Reassured that the man is the real conductor and not a hijacker, they return with him, hoping to get some answers about the strange course of the journey. After three unsuccessful stops, the train shows no sign of stopping or even braking at any time in the future. Annie, the doctor who also works for the Tetazo police, knocks on the door, and the man who opens it is showing signs of stress. Still not knowing what's going on, Annie and Deshya ask him why the train is behaving so strangely. Then he explains:
- If I stop the train, b-bombs that have been put on it will explode... and we'll all die!
Both girls open their eyes wide, their hearts missing a beat. Annie quickly regains her seriousness and speaks without further ado.
- What do you mean? How do you know such a thing?
It's the same question Deshya asks herself. The train drivers can't accept anyone in the cab — or anyone at all — and it's impossible to slide anything under, over or around the door. The windows are all closed and very solid, so how would he have known, especially two minutes after the departure of this train...? The man, who is also the driver of this train, sniffs.
- I-I didn't learn it myself, b-but…
- The station chief?" cuts in Deshya.
He's just told them that he's received a message from the station, so why didn't she think of it! The shock of learning that bombs are planted on the train must have disturbed her to the point where she didn't pay much attention to what the man told her. He nodded.
- It's him... He's received a private message... Bombs have been planted in all the carriages and... and if I stop the train or try to brake, he'll make them... all explode..." he explains, stammering.
Deshya turns towards the cabin door, teeth clenching together. Before they even got on this train, bombs would have been planted...? If the person who sent this message is so certain of doing enough damage to kill everyone, then he must have placed them beforehand in various places, in all the carriages…
- What exactly did the message say?!" asks Deshya.
The man gently turns his face towards her.
- ‘Until further notice, if the train brakes or stops, I'll detonate the bombs I've planted in the entire train’.
Deshya suspected it: the bombs had been planted in advance. However, even though they now know why the train won't stop, many questions remain. For a starter, where exactly are the bombs? It's hard to believe they're in bags or hidden under seats…
- Is it your station manager who's forcing you not to stop this train, then?" asks Annie.
The driver nods.
- The message was sent a few seconds after the train started... and all the other trains were ordered to return or take another track and stop so that our train didn't hit any of them.
- I-It means…
Annie is thinking the same thing as Deshya. The message that was sent just seconds after the train started and the murder that was committed…
- Maybe... Maybe...!
CHAPTER 8
⎾The Never-Stopping Train ; Part 3⏌
- I don't want to die!
The man begins to cry, his head in his hands. Annie reaches down and touches his shoulder.
- There's nothing to say that the message isn't a fake," she admits.
The man pauses in his lamentations and slowly looks up at the woman, who is observing the landscape in front of her. The train continues at the same speed, and the town of Shiru has already passed: the train is now in Kretel.
- A fake...?" asks the man.
Deshya also turns to Annie, interested in what she's going to say. Annie nods.
- The message may be a fake, designed to throw you off balance," she admits.
- So-So, why do I have to go on?! Do I—
- You'd be risking the lives of almost 300 passengers," cuts in Deshya again.
- —!!
Annie nods.
- I think that's why the station manager told you not to stop. It may be wrong, but if it's a real message and you dare to stop, even brake, the lives of more than two-hundred passengers may come to an end here.
- I-I know that, but—!
- Something's troubling me…
Annie turns to Deshya who has just spoken. She has her hand under her chin, her head bowed.
- Why put bombs on the train just to say that at the next recall, the train will be allowed to stop..." she asks.
- …
- Does the message really say that, though?" asks Annie.
- …
Annie stares at Deshya for a long time, but she doesn't let her gaze disturb her.
- 'Until next recall' is what it says, so I guess whoever sent the message is going to ask for the train to be diverted somewhere, for someone on that train to be brought to him, or he's just playing with the station.
- So your latest theory means it's all a lie.
- Not necessarily. Bombs can actually be planted, and if the station decides not to listen to his messages, then he'll punish them by blowing him up.
- Hiiii!!!
The man shouts in a high-pitched voice. Deshya apologizes with an embarrassed smile and Annie looks at the dashboard.
- ... But you're thinking about something else, aren't you?
- …
Deshya doesn't answer directly. Annie remains standing in front of the dashboard, while the driver returns, eyes wet, and checks that all is well. Annie turns back to the girl behind her.
- There's another theory on your mind, isn't there?
Deshya squints. Annie is right, there is another one she can think of, but she can't be sure... However, given the situation with the murder that has just been committed…
- If I'm right, then the reason why the message wasn't sent until after the train had left that stop…
She's thought about it. She's almost certain she's right. Nevertheless, a question lingers in the back of her mind. She looks at Annie.
- What if the one who planted the bombs is the one who committed the murder?" suggests Deshya.
Annie frowns, and at the same moment, the driver is startled. He turns around quickly, his eyes so wide open you'd think they'd pop out of their sockets.
- A-A MURDER?!!!
He screams so loudly that Deshya holds her fox ears, while Annie grumbles, tensing up. The man puts his hands in front of his mouth, shocked himself at having shouted so loudly. Annie sighs.
- A man has been murdered, shot through the heart
- WHAAAAAAT?!!!!!
Screaming even louder, the man staggered back to his dashboard, sweating. Deshya crouches down because the sound is way too loud, her ears unable to bear such a howl.
- Don't shout like that!!!" shouts Deshya.
- B-But what do you mean, a m-m-m-m-murder?!
- That's why I wanted to ask you…
Annie turns to the driver, her hands now in her pockets.
- Do you know why the door to the fourth car, from the third, is impossible to open?
- A-Ah really...?
He blinks and scratches his hair.
- I can't do anything from here, so... I-I don't know…
Annie frowns. This is probably not a technical problem, but an incident caused by the murderer — or someone helping him. She turns back to the cabin door and thinks.
- We should go back there.
As Annie ponders, Deshya wakes her from her thoughts. The woman turns her face to the little girl and finally nods.
- I agree.
She turns to the driver.
- If you need me, don't hesitate to come and find me in the third car," she says.
- A-Ah, s-s-sure…
The train driver watches the two girls leave and turns his attention back to the dashboard in front of him. He's reassured to know that a policewoman is on the train, as well as an 'apprentice'; at least, that's what he assumes. He can't stop this train, but he can make sure the passengers stay safe until the next message the person sends. He sighs as he bows his head, wondering why this is happening to him…
- And to think I've just gone back to work after two months' illness... I'm out of luck..." he complains inwardly.
Meanwhile, Deshya and Annie are running through the carriages again. The first is quickly passed, but as they arrive in the second—
- D-Deshya!
As she walks quickly alongside Annie, a familiar voice calls out to her. Deshya stops and turns her head to the left, where Amora is; and Amora grabs the sleeve of her best friend's sweater.
- Is everything really all right?" Amora asks, shouting.
- A-Amora!
- We want to know!
This time, an elderly passenger screams. Then a man joins her and stands up.
- W-What's going on with this damn train?!" he yells.
- We want to know!!!
- Yes!! Why won't it stop?!!
Passengers' voices clash and Deshya can no longer make out what they're saying. She turns her face all around, unable to make out who's shouting what. Amora continues to pull at the sleeve of her sweater, a frightened expression on her face. Frie is beside her, having calmed down, but still worried about the situation inside the train. Deshya doesn't know what she should say. Should she reassure them? Lie to them? Should she say anything at all?
- SHUT UP!
- !
Deshya opens her eyes wide and looks behind her. Annie has stopped too, and she's the one who's just shouted that way. She turns around with a firm movement and her expression shows a strict side she has no intention of hiding.
- The train has a mechanical problem, but your lives are not in danger!" shouts Annie. It'll stop when it's fixed!
- A-Annie…
- Please take your seats and stay where you are.
- W-What gives you the right to give us orders?!
- He's right!
- Who do you think you are, you biddy?!
The passengers start to get excited in all directions, insulting and criticizing the lady. Deshya turns to Annie, worried about her. The woman bows her head and closes her eyes, as if saddened by the passengers' comments. Frie looks back at the woman, while Amora shakes her head in all directions. Deshya clenches her fists, feeling her anger rising, but before she can say anything—
- I'M WITH THE POLICE!
— Annie screams and the passengers suddenly fall silent. She pulls out her badge, which proves what she's just said, and grabs Deshya, pulling her towards her.
- ANYONE WHO FAILS TO COMPLY WITH MY ORDERS WILL BE PUNISHED !!!!
She screams again, hurting Deshya's ears, and pulls the girl out of the carriage. Everyone watches them go, Amora and Frie both speechless. They look at each other and Amora scratches her hair.
- A-Ah...?
Annie arrived at the second carriage with firm, angry steps, a mute Deshya trailing behind her. The teenager can't believe she screamed like that... Her strict, impatient side... is truly frightening.
- I mustn't piss her oooooooff..." thought Deshya with a spasm in her right eyelid.
Annie approaches the body of the deceased and looks in its place, noticing that the teenager named 'Tessa' is there, legs crossed and eyes closed. She smiles and opens her eyes, looking at the woman with the white hair that has just arrived at her side.
- Have you figured out what's going on?" she asks.
Annie nods and Deshya moves to Tessa's side, unintentionally nudging the doctor. She puts her mouth next to Tessa's left ear.
- Bombs have been planted in the train and if it stops, we'll all be killed," she whispers.
Without even hesitating over her words, and telling the truth without taking shortcuts, she explains to Tessa the truth behind the train's failure to stop. She opens her eyes wide and offers an expression she rarely does: one of fear.
- B-Bombs...?" she repeats softly, not wanting everyone to hear.
Deshya nods. Tessa lowers her head, turning pale, and Annie observes the two muscular men who have remained in the same place.
- Did no one move or touch the body?" she asks.
- Except for that teenage girl who stayed by his side, no one. And nobody moved, except that gentleman over there.
He points to the back of the train, where a man in a black hat is sitting by the window. Annie squints, but to her, it meant nothing. Nonetheless, she wondered why he'd changed seats... She thanked the muscular man and made her way over to him. She notices that the passengers are already calmer, some having even closed their eyes, resting quietly on the train. Annie arrives in front of the man in the hat.
- Forgive me, sir.
- Yes... ?
He has a restful, non-masculine voice. With a fairly slim body and a rather warm outfit over his body, he turns his wrinkled face towards the woman. Looking at him, Annie thinks he must be even older than her, but only by a few years; he must be close to sixty, but no more.
- Can I ask you two questions?" asks Annie.
- Sure thing.
- Why did you change places?
While she questions the man, Deshya approaches them with Tessa. The man touches his umbrella, holding it firmly in his left hand.
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- I don't like staying in one place... I need to move my legs..." he replies.
Deshya analyzes the umbrella. It seems to be in a quite bad state, probably unusable for rainy days. Macabrely black with a stylized handle mostly hidden behind his hand, it looks lived-in. On his hands, velvety gray gloves show their coolness, making sure the man who is their master doesn't get cold. There's also a small suitcase at his feet, closed by a metal zipper.
- Where were you when the murder was committed?" Annie then asks.
The man seems surprised by the woman's question.
- P-Pardon me? You-You think I did it?!
- I never said that. I'm just asking you where you've been.
The man doesn't seem too convinced. Showing displeasure on his face and holding his umbrella tightly, he finally replies to the woman.
- I was at the back of the train, close to the door leading to the other car.
He points to the door in front of him, where Deshya and Tessa arrived from. Then he points with his index finger to the place where he was standing before. No one is there at the moment, and only a young girl, Deshya's age, is standing nearby. With headphones on and her head bobbing to the beat of the music she's listening to, she doesn't seem to be listening to anything, not bothered by the train situation. Annie squinted and Deshya walked over to the girl.
- Sorry, but…
Deshya tries to call her, but the music the girl is listening to is far too loud for her to hear. Even Deshya can distinguish it faintly, which proves that the volume is probably almost at its maximum... Deshya has never understood how they can listen to music at such high volumes; after all, since she's got fox ears, she's become more sensitive to sound, so she has a rather different perception of things. Annie stops looking at Deshya and turns back to the man.
Meanwhile, Tessa looks at the three people sitting right next to the place where the deceased was shot.
- …
She doesn't stare at any of the three people, though she does notice that all three are uncomfortable. She can understand: after all, a man died right next to them.
- Who could have done it...?" wonders Tessa.
She knows that the list of suspects is bigger than just these three people, but it's hard to imagine that anyone on the train could have shot her without being noticed by anyone else. If the person has accomplices, then that's going to make the case a lot more complex, but at this point it's entirely possible that the murderer is sitting further away from the victim. Tessa must also ask herself: was this man really a particular target?
- To dismiss the possibility that the person who shot this man did so simply to kill someone, and not because he was a specific target, would be foolish on my part.
Tessa squints. The shot seems to be accurate and if this man has been randomly killed, then one thing is certain: one of the three people is the culprit. Because he's sitting next to the killer, he was able to pull out the gun unnoticed and fire without complication, since he was right in front of him.
- The woman at his side... could it really have been her?" wondered Tessa.
Given that the bullet hit the heart, which is on the left of the body, and that the woman is on the right of him, then she should have shot him when he turned towards her. She turns her eyes towards the woman and the man, who are both sitting in front of the place where the deceased was.
- These two are the main suspects. If the police were on board, they could simply check the passengers for traces of gunpowder. This is surely one of the reasons why the train is forced not to stop…
The red-haired woman clenches a fist and turns face towards the teenager.
- W-Why are you just standing there?!" she shouts.
- !
Tessa is roused from her reflections and stares at the woman. The man next to her, the one with the bald head, also turns to Tessa, but without showing it too much.
- …
Tessa says nothing, which irritates even more the woman, who starts nibbling her hair.
- F-Find the killer and let us off the train...!" she shouts
- I'm not the one who can stop this train," admits Tessa.
- I-I-I don't care!
She bites into her hair and spits it out with an angry, but also nervous expression. The woman in front of her still says nothing, her head bowed. Tessa quickly turns her face towards Annie and Deshya.
The latter returns to the lady doctor's side.
- What did the girl say?" asks Annie
- When the shot was fired, the man seemed to stand up slowly, but as soon as the shot was heard, he froze and sat straight down," replies Deshya.
Annie squints and turns to the man. The latter swallows loudly.
- W-What...?
Deshya spoke softly enough that he couldn't hear what had been learned; Annie wondered if she should question him about his behavior. She didn't see anyone get up, and nobody seems to have seen anyone stand up, but he would have moved from his chair, as if he wanted to leave at the same time as the shot rang out...? Annie wonders if this is just a coincidence... or…
- …
Deshya says nothing and turns back to Tessa, who is chatting to the three people sitting around the same table where the deceased was killed.
- So none of you did anything when the shot was fired?" asks Tessa, hands in her pockets.
The red-haired woman clicks her tongue against her teeth and replies with a sigh:
- I looked out the window and wondered why the train wasn't stopping.
The bald man is next to respond.
- I was just resting…
The last to reply is the woman opposite them.
- I was talking to Nikolas, but…
- Nikolas?
- I-It's the name of... of the one…
She flees with her eyes.
- … Nikolas Aidalro. That's his name…
Tessa looks at the corpse at her feet, observing it carefully. The man's first and last name... This man…
- ... I've heard his name somewhere... but where...?
Tessa can't remember it. It's on the tip of her tongue, but she can't remember. She looks at the woman and intends to ask her when Deshya calls her. Tessa turns her head towards her and the girl in the fox sweater stops in front of her friend.
- Any important information?" asks Deshya.
Tessa takes her hands out of her trouser pockets and sighs.
- The woman next to the man was talking to him, the bald man was resting and the woman next to him was looking outside.
- I've got a name!" shouts the bald man.
Tessa looks at him without even moving her head.
- I don't know your first names, not my fault," she replies.
- ... Tsk.
This doesn't please the bald man, who crosses his arms.
- May I ask your identities, then?
Annie comes up behind the two teenagers and places a hand on Deshya's right shoulder and Tessa's left. The woman with the beautiful red hair reaches into her little bag and pulls out a rather special lipstick.
- My name is 'Dera Nomura', I work in a beauty agency," she replies.
As she answers Annie, she puts lipstick around her mouth, observing her reflection in the train window. The bald man keeps his arms crossed and responds in turn.
- Megure Afronai'. I'm unemployed.
He's embarrassed to have to confess to such a thing, but he doesn't want to cause himself any more trouble than that. He's the one who was in front of the victim, so he knows full well he's the prime suspect. What's more, his padded clothes and gloved hands can't help but make him more suspicious.
- My name is 'Trisha Keryun'," replies the last woman. I'm a simple cleaning lady who's about to get married…
- I see. Well, congratulations!
- T-Thank you…
She gives the doctor an embarrassed smile, blushing softly. Deshya looks at the three people before turning her attention to the place where the deceased lay. She doesn't think she'll find anything interesting in it, but something intrigues her. She squints…
- ... !
She suddenly turns to Annie.
- Say...!
- Yes ?
Deshya moves closer to Annie's ear and whispers her question. Annie listens attentively, while Tessa waits for them to finish, having once again sat down in one of the wagon's empty seats. Deshya pulls back her face when she's finished with what she has to ask, and Annie watches the seat for a few moments. However, she shakes her head.
- That's not saying much, although I understand. If other members of the police were here, and I had a bit more space and equipment, I'd surely be able to find out more about the weapon used, and even where it was fired from," replies Annie.
- What are you talking about?" asks Tessa. Deshya turns to her and whispers what she's noticed.
- The bullet didn't pass through the victim's body, so I wondered if that meant it was fired from further away.
- Ah, I see…
Tessa would have answered like Annie: it doesn't necessarily mean much. Some guns are more powerful than others.
And there—
- !
Tessa frowns, thinking of something. She puts a hand under her chin and thinks carefully. Meanwhile, Deshya returns to the girl in the helmet. She stops in front of her.
- Anything else you'd like to tell me?" asks Deshya.
The girl stood up and shook her hand to call her over. She nodded and pointed to the man two seats in front of her.
- You can ask if they didn't see anything, since they were taking photos together," she says.
She takes a piece of gum from her pocket and puts it directly into her mouth. She starts chewing it and changes the music. Deshya gives a disturbed smile.
- S-She is a special teenager..." thought Deshya.
She turns and looks at the man standing right next to her friend; or maybe she's his girlfriend? It doesn't take her long to notice who this person happens to be and runs towards him. She stops beside him and the man turns his face towards her.
- Yeah?
- Sorry, but that girl over there said you might have seen something...?
The man puts down his selfie stick beside him and touches his cap
- Ma pal and I were takin’ pictures heeeere, but we didn't see anythin’.
Deshya watches him intently. She doesn't focus on his rather old-fashioned and colorful get-up, not to mention his cap, which is a little too big for him, but rather on where he stands.
- Were you here when it happened?" asks Deshya.
The woman next to him nods, holding him in her arms, one hand touching his chest.
- Yeah, we were here takin’ pictures when it went BOOM! I was sooooo scared!
The woman's style is even worse than the man's, and her torn outfit almost disgusts Deshya.
- Are they from the 2000s or what...?!" she wonders.
She doesn't try to think about it any longer and looks at the selfie stick right next to them. So they would have taken photos with it... during the crime scene? If so—
- Can I see if you took a photo right at the time of the murder?" asks Deshya.
The man looks at his friend and shrugs.
- If ya want.
The woman next to the man chews... something, and loudly at that.
- Sayyyyy, ya're such a cutie, what's ya name?" she asks in an almost unbearable voice.
The girl in the fox sweater waits for the man to unlock his phone and looks at the woman.
- A-Ah, my name is Deshya…
- Aaah, that's such a cooooool name! My name's ‘Minervaaa’, his name's ‘Mistaaa’! He's so sexy, isn't he?
- Minerva, don't come out with such stuff in public.
- Whaaaaat? I only said ya looked good, not that ya’re a beast in be—
- Anyway!
The man shrieks as he closes his eyes and unlocks his phone with his fingerprint. He goes to his photo gallery and Deshya leans over to the phone. She suspected he wasn't just going to give her his phone, so he starts scrolling through the photos he's taken with his friend in the name of 'Minerva'. On the other side of the car, Tessa's eyebrows are still furrowed.
- …
She stands up and scans the entire carriage. The train has just missed its fourth stop, but that's not what's bothering her.
- In such a crowded carriage…
Tessa turns to Annie. The woman is chatting to some passengers to see if they've seen anything, but nothing has been discovered yet. Tessa leans over to one of the two muscular men who have agreed to help Annie keep the car calm and asks them something. He listens attentively and his friend does the same.
- Hm, yes. It hurt my ears.
- I already knew that, but then…
Tessa turns around and observes the carriage with lively eyes. This question she's asking herself... She doesn't know if she's overthinking it or if it's just clumsiness-or even on purpose-but she can't stop thinking about it. Even if Annie or Deshya don't seem to have mentioned it, Tessa still wonders—
- Why didn't the culprit use a silencer...?