Strangers on a Train (Nancy Drew Diaries #2)(19)

“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. So far, letting Alan in on our real purpose hadn’t helped much with the undercover stuff.

"Um, okay,” I said, figuring I could whisper my real plans to him once we sat down. "Want the window seat this time?”

"Nah, you can have it. I’m taller—I can see past you just fine.” Alan stood back to let me by.

Stepping past him, I dropped into my seat. "Ow!” I cried as I felt something jab into my skin. I leaped up again, almost hitting my head on the curved glass of the window.

"What’s wrong, Nancy?” Bess exclaimed.

I stared down in horror. "Glass! Shards of broken glass all over my seat!”





CHAPTER SEVEN




Narrowing the Field



“GLASS?” BESS CRIED. “WHAT DO YOU MEAN?”

I was bending down, examining the gleaming shards on my seat. They were silver, almost invisible against the upholstery. But they were definitely there.

Alan leaned closer. “Glass?” he exclaimed. “Are you sure?”

"Yes, I’m sure.” I rubbed my backside. "Trust me.”

The commotion from our seats was attracting attention. Tobias was still hanging around, and he pushed past Alan to peer at me. “Hey, did the glass poke you in the behind?” he asked loudly.

I ignored him, carefully cleaning up the seat. Meanwhile Wendy appeared by our seats as well.

“Nancy?” she said. “What’s going on? I heard you yell.”

She sounded a little too eager. I glanced up and saw a camera in her hand. Could she have done this? Maybe set up a situation she thought could win her that breakthrough blog post she wanted?

"Someone dropped smashed glass on Nancy’s seat,” Bess told Wendy.

"What? You’re kidding, right?” Wendy asked.

“I don’t know.” I forced a laugh. "But don’t worry, everyone. I think I’ll recover.”

"Let me see those.” Alan grabbed my hand for a closer look at the shards. "It looks like a glass was smashed—maybe from the dining car.”

I squeezed my eyes shut. This situation was spinning out of control. The last thing I needed was to become some kind of mini-celebrity on this train. If everyone was watching me, it would be that much harder to do any investigating.

When I opened my eyes, Hiro was making his way toward us. “What’s going on back here?” he asked.

"Nothing. I’m fine,” I assured him.

"Nothing,” Alan said quickly. “Except that someone put slivers of glass all over Nancy’s seat. Anyone who would do that must be a sick person. Who knows what he or she might do?”



Hiro looked confused and concerned. “Okay, somebody had better fill me in here.”



When he heard the story, Hiro insisted on contacting the train’s security team. Several officers arrived moments later, shooing everyone in our car back down to the dining car while they searched the entire upper level. Finally we got the all clear and returned to our seats.

"Thanks for taking that glass for me, Nancy,” George said, clearly trying to lighten the mood. "That was technically my seat, you know.”

“I know. And you’re welcome.” I stuck out my tongue at her. "You want it back?”