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“Wait,” he said. “Don’t shoot me. Please don’t shoot me.”
    Thad stepped to the side of the engine then and stood there, bracing himself with his right hand on the back of the engine cab and his left raised up to the cab roof.
    â€œWell, now, Mr. Conductor, I’m just real glad you are here,” Thad said. “Open the door to the express car.”
    â€œI can’t do that,” Dexter said.
    â€œYou want to die for someone else’s money, mister?” Thad asked. He nodded at Buddy, who cocked his pistol.
    â€œNo, no, I mean I can’t open it from out here. The mail clerk has to open it from inside.”
    Thad jumped down onto the ground. “Then tell him to do it,” he said.
    Nodding in assent, the conductor walked back to the express car, followed by both Thad and Buddy. He knocked on the door.
    â€œMr. Bowles, open the door, please.”
    â€œI can’t do that, Mr. Dexter.”
    Dexter looked at Thad.
    â€œAsk again, real nice-like,” Thad said.
    Again, Dexter knocked on the door. “Please, Mr. Bowles, open the door.”
    â€œI can’t,” Bowles said again.
    â€œIf you can’t get him to open that door, I’m going to kill you and we’ll dynamite the door.”
    â€œBowles, for God’s sake, man! Open the door or they will kill me!” Dexter pleaded, by now his voice a high-pitched squeal.
    There was a moment of silence, then the sound of a lock being turned. The door slid open and Bowles stood in the doorway, a small man, balding and with small, wire-rim glasses.
    â€œWhen I show up in Belfield without the money, you’re going to be the one who takes the responsibility for it,” he said. “They’re not going to take that money out of my pay.”
    â€œOh, for heaven’s sake, Bowles, they aren’t going to do that,” Dexter said.
    â€œGet up there and get the money, Buddy,” Thad said. “Rufus, you and Curly go through the passenger cars to see what we can get there.”
    â€œAll right,” Rufus said. “Curly, you go back to the last car and start coming this way. I’ll get on this car and start back toward you.”
    Nodding, Curly trotted alongside the track to the rear of the train.

Chapter 3
    Falcon had been asleep when the train was stopped. Opening his eyes, he looked out the window expecting to see a depot, or at the least a water tower. Seeing neither, he got curious, so he walked up to the front vestibule, then leaned out just far enough to see what was going on. That was when he saw four armed and masked men standing alongside the conductor.
    Drawing his pistol, Falcon stepped out of the car on the opposite side of the train from the four men, then ran up the right side of the train until he reached the engine. Looking up into the engine, he saw one man lying on the floor and the other squatting down beside him. From the coveralls they were wearing, he knew that one was the engineer and the other the fireman, but he didn’t know who was who.
    Falcon examined the inside of the cab as best he could from his vantage point, to make certain none of the train robbers were there. Deciding that it was empty except for the train crew, he climbed up and, suddenly, barged in.
    â€œWhat the hell!” Clyde shouted in alarm.
    Falcon put his finger across his lips.
    â€œWho are you?” Clyde asked.
    â€œJust a passenger,” Falcon answered. He nodded toward the man on the floor. “How is your friend?”
    â€œDead,” Clyde answered.
    â€œHow many of them are there, do you know?” he asked.
    â€œFour, I think,” Clyde answered.
    â€œDo you know where they all are?”
    â€œNo,” Clyde said. “I didn’t see where any of them went.”
    Falcon leaned out from the engine cab to have a look. Just as he did so, one of the train robbers happened to look in his direction.
    Thad saw Falcon look out from