The Christmas Train by David Baldacci Page B

moves if your opponent had bitten on it. And it seemed to work best against the most talented players, particularly if they were overconfident.
    Three moves later, Tom saw just the tiniest hint of a smile from Eleanor and he found himself smiling conspiratorially in return. Four moves after that the mighty Slade and his tousled hair was staring in disbelief. Eleanor had his black king in check with nowhere to flee except into the embrace of her white queen or bishop. A hoarse cheer rang through the black-lunged smokers and they even gave her a standing ovation. Spurred on by drink and a confluence of emotions, Tom clapped until his hands were blood red. Slade grabbed his chessboard and pieces and stalked out, muttering something about beginner’s luck. If Eleanor hadn’t had somebody in Washington, Tom probably would have kissed her.
    As he stared at her, all sorts of possibilities raced through his mind. He was twenty-five again, and he and Eleanor were taking on the world, one cover story at a time. Nothing was beyond them.
    He’d hold this wonderful feeling for about four more minutes, and then it would be gone. chapter fourteen
    The figure who entered Tom’s sleeper was dressed in black, and intent on plucking an expensive-looking pen; then Father Kelly’s silver cross was swiped. After that the thief flitted to the other first-class sleeper suites, pinching Max’s gold-plated money clip, Eleanor’s silver brush, and Kristobal’s four-hundred-dollar designer sunglasses. The last target for now was Gordon Merryweather’s suite, where the thief stole the lawyer’s fancy watch, cash, and Palm Pilot. The crimes took all of ten minutes, for the person was much practiced in the art of felony. No one observed the thefts, and by the time Regina walked down the corridor to refill the coffeepot at the head of the stairs, the person was gone, together with the loot.
    The first train robbery in the United States occurred in Indiana in 1866 along the old Ohio and Mississippi Railroad line. The two robbers, ex–Civil War soldiers cast helplessly adrift after Lee’s noble surrender, were quickly caught. Numerous robberies followed by other criminals, but the rise of the well-funded Pinkerton Detective Agency—whose men, per capita, wielded their firearms far better than the men they hunted, which included Jesse and Frank James’ gang—soon put an end to that lucrative line of larceny. The thief on the Capitol Limited had made a decent haul without one shot having been fired. Poor Jesse would have no doubt been envious.
    Tom and Eleanor stood outside the smoker car taking deep breaths to clear their lungs.
    “You nailed that guy. The look on his face, it was beautiful.” He gave her a hug that she only partially returned. “Thank God for a chessplaying rabbi in Tel Aviv. What was his name?”
    “I don’t remember,” she said quietly.
    He looked at her and all his fine spirits melted away, replaced by something vastly harder. Rabbi Somebody, Tel Aviv, the scene of the final meeting—final bloody battle was more like it .
    He shouldn’t do it, he knew he shouldn’t do it, but he was going to anyway; it was as though his mind and tongue were wired for bad timing opportunities. “Can you tell me now, since you’ve had all these years to think about it?”
    “Tell you what?”
    “Oh, I don’t know, why don’t we start with why you walked out on me all those years ago? That seems like a good enough place, and we’ll work forward from there.”
    “You’re saying you don’t know why?”
    “How could I? Not one thing you said made any sense.”
    “Because you weren’t listening, as usual. That’s not my problem.”
    “That’s a crock and you know it.”
    “I don’t have to stand here and listen to you raving.”
    “You’re right. Sit down on the floor and I’ll keep going. I’ve had years to prepare. In fact, I can keep raving until the good old Southwest Chief runs into the Pacific Ocean three days