Mystery on the Train Read Online Free PDF Page B

to sell them once I got to California. Now they’re gone!”
    “Old movie posters!” Benny cried.
    “We met a man who collects old movie posters,” Henry said slowly. “I wonder if Mr. Reeves knew about your collection.”
    “I don’t think anyone knows I have the posters with me except my Aunt Ellen and my Uncle Bob,” Annie said. “It was Uncle Bob who suggested I bring them to California to sell. When my aunt found out, she was furious.”
    “Would your aunt hire someone to steal them from you?” Jessie asked.
    “Never!” Annie answered. She seemed quite upset at the question. “She would never do that.”
    Soon the children were all dressed and standing in the corridor of the sleeping car. The train began to slow down and Henry said, “We’d better spread out. Jessie, you and I are the fastest runners so we’ll go as far down the train as we can. Benny, you stay here and Violet and Annie can stop halfway. Let’s go before the train stops.”
    “What do we do if we see someone with the portfolio?” Violet asked.
    “Just call for help and notice what the thief looks like,” Henry said. “If we can’t get help fast enough to stop him, we’ll call the police and let them take care of it.”
    The children nodded and began running to their various stations. Henry was almost at the end of the train by the time it stopped and he stood on the steps watching carefully. Only a few people got off. They were a family with three sleeping children and several suitcases. All the suitcases were small and square, nothing that looked like a portfolio.
    When the train started moving again, Henry went back toward his sleeping car and on the way he met Annie. “Did you see anyone suspicious?” she asked.
    “No one,” Henry admitted.
    “Neither did I,” Annie said. She was a little calmer now. “I guess there’s nothing more to do until morning. Thanks anyway.”
    “Don’t you want to talk to the others?” Henry asked.
    “I could see the whole platform,” Annie said. “No one got off except a little old lady with a bird cage. I’m going to go back to my room now.”
    “Where is your room?” Henry asked.
    “Up there.” Annie pointed toward the second floor and down the corridor.
    “Are you in this car?” Henry asked.
    “No, I’m a couple of cars down,” Annie answered quickly.
    “What is your room number?” Henry asked.
    “I’ve forgotten,” Annie said. Then she laughed and shrugged her shoulders. “I’m sure I’ll find my room, but I was so upset when I discovered the portfolio was gone, I just forgot to look at my room number.”
    “I’ll walk you to your room,” Henry offered. “But first, we need to talk to the others. Maybe they saw something suspicious.”
    They found the other children waiting in the corridor. When they said they had seen nothing, Annie turned and started for the door of the sleeping car.
    “Really, I’ll be all right. You don’t have to walk me to my room,” Annie said. She turned her head, smiled, and put her hand on Henry’s shoulder. “Thanks so much for your help. Now that I know the portfolio is still on the train, I can sleep.”
    Annie disappeared into the next car. Henry wondered what was making Annie behave so strangely. Had she seen something she didn’t want to talk about? She seemed very anxious to get away from them. He decided it would be best to talk things over with the others. Henry found Jessie, Violet, and Benny waiting for him in the corridor and he suggested they go to the club car where they could talk some more.
    There were only a few people still up and the four children sat in the corner and talked. “Something was funny about Annie,” Henry said. “The minute the train started up again, she tried to get rid of me. Then she said she didn’t remember her room number.”

    “That is strange,” Violet agreed.
    “So did anyone see anything out of the ordinary?” Henry asked.
    The others shook their heads and Jessie asked,