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第36部分

df.theedge-第36部分

小说: df.theedge 字数: 每页4000字

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hat the horses are well guarded。'
  I regarded her thin obstinate face and knew she believed to her determined soul in what she said。
  'As for the barns at Winnipeg and the stabling at Calgary;' she added righteously; 'they are someone else's responsibility。 I can't answer for what happens to the horses there。' She was implying; plain enough; that no one else could be trusted to be as thorough as herself。
  'Do you ever have any fun; Ms Brown?' I asked。
  'What do you mean?' she said; raising surprised eyebrows。 'All this is fun。' She waved a hand in general round the horse car。 'I'm having the time of my life。' And she wasn't being ironic: she truly meant it。
  'Well;' I said a little feebly; 'then that's fine。'
  She gave two sharp little nods; as if that finished the matter; which no doubt it did; except that I still looked for gaps in her defences。 I wandered one more time round the whole place; seeing the sunlight slant in through the barred unopenable windows (which would keep people out as well as horses in); smelling the sweet hay and the faint musty odour of the horses themselves; feeling the swirls of fresh air ing from the rows of small ventilators along the roof; hearing the creaking and rushing noises in the car's fabric and the grind of the electricity…generating wheels under the floor。
  In that long; warm; friendly space there were animals worth at present a total of many millions of Canadian dollars: worth more if any of them won at Winnipeg or Vancouver。 I stood for a long while looking at Voting Right。 If Bill Baudelaire's mother knew her onions; in this undistinguished…looking bay lay the dormant seed of greatness。
  Maybe she was right。 Vancouver would tell。
  I turned away; cast a last assessing glance at Laurentide Ice; who looked coolly back; thanked the enthusiastic dragon for her co…operation (prim acknowledgement) and began a slow walk back through the train; looking for gaunt…face。
  I didn't see him。 He could have been behind any of the closed doors。 He wasn't in the forward dome car; upstairs or down; nor in the open dayniter。 I sought out and consulted separately with three of the sleeping…car attendants in the racegoers' sleeping cars who frowned in turn and said that first; the sort of jacket I was describing was worn by thousands; and second; everyone tended to look gaunt outside in the cold air。 All the same; I said; if they came across anyone fitting that description in their care; please would they tell George Burley his name and room number。
  Sure; they each said; but wasn't this an odd thing for an actor to be asking? Zak; I improvised instantly at the first enquiry; had thought the gaunt man had an interesting face and he wanted to ask if he could use him in a scene。 Ah; yes; that made sense。 If they found him; they would tell George。
  When I got back to George; I told him what I'd asked。 He wrinkled his brow。 'I saw a man like that at Thunder Bay;' he said。 'But I probably saw several men like that in all this trainload。 What do you want him for?'
  I explained that I'd told the sleeping…car attendants that Zak wanted to use him in a scene。
  'But you?' George said。 'What do you want him for yourself?'
  I looked at him and he looked back。 I was wondering how far I should trust him and had an unfortable impression that he knew what I was thinking。
  'Well;' I said finally; 'he was talking to someone I'm interested in。'
  I got a long bright beam from the shiny eyes。
  'Interested in。。。 in the line of duty?'
  'Yes。'
  He didn't ask who it was and I didn't tell him。 I asked him instead if he himself had talked to any of the owners' party。
  'Of course I have;' he said。 'I always greet passengers eh?; when they board。 I tell them I'm the Conductor; tell them where my office is; tell them if they've any problems to bring them to me。'
  'And do they? Have they?'
  He chuckled。 'Most of the plaints go to your Miss Richmond; and she brings them to me。'
  'Miss Richmond。。。' I repeated。
  'She's your boss; isn't she? Tall pretty girl with her hair in a plait today; eh?'
  'Nell; 'I said。
  'That's right。 Isn't she your boss?'
  'Colleague。'
  'Right; then。 The sort of problems the owners' party have had on this trip so far are a tap that won't stop dripping; a blind that won't stay down in one of the bedrooms; eh?; and a lady who thought one of her suitcases had been stolen; only it turned up in someone else's room。' He beamed。 'Most of the owners have been along to see the horses。 When they see me; they stop to talk。'
  'What do they say?' I asked。 'What sort of things?'
  'Only what you'd expect。 The weather; the journey; the scenery。 They ask what time we get to Sudbury; eh? Or Thunder Bay; or Winnipeg; or whatever。'
  'Has anyone asked anything that was different; or surprised you?'
  'Nothing surprises me; sonny。' He glowed with irony and bonhomie。 'What would you expect them to ask?
  I shrugged in frustration。 'What happened before Thunder Bay that shouldn't have?''The Lorrimores' car; eh?'
  'Apart from that。'
  'You think something happened?'
  'Something happened; and I don't know what; and it's what I'm here to prevent。'
  He thought about it; then said; 'When it turns up; you'll know; eh?'
  'Maybe。'
  'Like if someone put something in the food; eh?; sooner or later everyone will be ill。'
  'George!' I was dumbstruck。
  He chuckled。 'We had a waiter once years ago who did that。 He had a grudge against the world。 He put handfuls of ground…up laxative pills into the chocolate topping over ice cream and watched the passengers eat it; and they all had diarrhoea。 Dreadful stomach pains。 One woman had to go to hospital。 She'd had two helpings。 What a to…do; eh?'
  'You've frightened me stiff;' I said frankly。 'Where do they keep the fodder for the horses?'
  He stared; his perpetual smile fading。
  'Is that what you're afraid of? Something happening to the horses?'
  'It's a possibility。'
  'All the fodder is in the horse car;' he said; 'except for some extra sacks of those cubes most of the horses are having; which are in the baggage car。 Some of the horses have their own special food brought along with them; sent by their trainers。 One of the grooms had a whole set of separate bags labelled; 〃Sunday evening〃; 〃Monday morning〃 and so on。 He was showing them to me。'
  'Which horse was that for?'
  'Um。。。 the one that belongs to that Mrs Daffodil Quentin; I think。 The groom said one of her horses died of colic or some such recently; from eating the wrong things; and the trainer didn't want any more accidents; so he'd made up the feeds himself。'
  'You're brilliant; George。'
  His ready laugh came back。
  'Don't forget the water tank; eh? You can lift the lid 。。。 where the plank floats; remember? You could dope all those horses at once with one quick cupful of mischief; couldn't you? '
  
  
  
   Chapter Eleven
  
  Leslie Brown told us adamantly that no one could possibly have tampered with either the fodder or the water。
  'When did the grooms last fill the buckets?' I asked。
  During the morning; she said。 Each groom filled the bucket for his own horse; when he wanted to。 All of them had been in there; seeing to their charges。
  The horses' drinking…water tank had been topped up; she said; by a hosepipe from the city's water supply during the first twenty minutes of our stop in Thunder Bay; in a procedure that she herself had supervised。
  George nodded and said the whole train had been re…watered at that point。
  'Before Thunder Bay;' I said; 'could anyone have put anything in the water?'
  'Certainly not。 I've told you over and over again; I am here all the time。'
  'And how would you rate all the grooms for trustworthiness?' I said。
  She opened her mouth and closed it again and gave me a hard look。
  'I am here to supervise them;' she said。 'I didn't know any of them before yesterday。 I don't know if any of them could be bribed to poison the water。 Is that what you want?'
  'It's realistic;' I said with a smile。
  She was unsoftened; unsoftenable
  'My chair; as you see;' she said ca

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