"Art of Trouble" 11

Jade wasn’t amused. She was not jumping from this train; she’d rather confront and fight off their pursuers than tumble out of a moving vehicle ever again.

“Not happening Thomas,” she shook her head,” the only way I’m leaving this train is with dignity. You can do as you like, but I'll be walking behind the other departing passengers and not rolling down a hill with you.”

Thomas sighed; he hoped departing wasn’t a bad choice of words. He’d never been pursued in this aggressive a fashion before and wondered if these men were packing? It was a real concern but he didn’t want to frighten Jade any more than she was, and he would protect her.

He nodded and agreed to her terms. “Then we’d better come up with a plan to avoid those men before we get to our stop.”

“Okay, but first, I need to get out of this baggage car…I’m claustrophobic and this car is dark and has no windows.”

Thomas had noted her wide-eyed desperation but he’d thought it had to do with the idea of jumping off the train. Now he knew it hadn’t, well not entirely anyway.

“I'm sorry Jade, but if we leave here, we risk being seen by those two men.”

Jade didn’t care. She had to get out of this car, get some air. She couldn’t take a deep enough breath in here.

“I’ll take that chance. I really have to get out of here. These bags are closing in on me.” She eyed the large tower of suitcases stacked around them and gave an exaggerated shiver.

 

Thomas eyed the large cases too, but with a different consideration. They needed to change their appearance to hide from those men, and he was sure one of these many suitcases held something in their sizes.

He told Jade his idea and several picked open cases later, they critiqued each other’s appearance.

 

“I think the blond wig is a nice touch,” Jade laughed.

Thomas had found a toupee, several in fact, inside of a man’s luggage case and after trying on several, decided to go blond.

“And I think, tucking your hair up under that Annie Hall type, bowler hat looks cute and works well with the long skirt and vintage blouse you found.”

“Thank you,” she curtsied, “And I hope, since we plucked each item from a different suitcase, we don’t draw the attention of the true owners of these items,” she offered her concern then popped a pair of Givenchy sunglasses over her eyes.

“You did pick some unique items, maybe you should reconsider the skirt and blouse for some jeans and a casual top?”

 

Ten minutes later, Jade was dressed in jeans and a cotton top but she’d kept the bowler hat and sunglasses and tucked the long skirt and blouse into an oversized handbag she’d found, well, stolen actually but for good reason. They had to elude those men, and she’d need a clean change of clothes at some point, wouldn’t she? Anyway, she’d donate all of it to a worthy cause once they were out of danger, and safely home.

"I think we look as different as we can with what we have," Thomas concluded, "I guess it's time to exit the safe place."

"So ready to get out of here," Jade sighed and helped Thomas repack and relock the suitcases before they stepped out of the baggage car and into the train’s corridor.

“I was thinking we should get off at the next station,” Thomas whispered as they walked through a sleeper car.

"But that's not our stop," she kept her voice low too.

"No, it will be three stops from our destination, but I don’t want to risk staying on the train, not knowing where those two men are.”

“I agree, we should get off the next stop but only if we exit like normal humans,” she insisted, her expression implacable.

“I promise we will,” he chuckled and tucked her hand on his arm, “Do we risk going into the snack car,” he nodded to the next car ahead of them.

Jade’s stomach grumbled it’s answer and she nodded,” I could go for a snack.”

They were happy to see the snack car was nearly empty. There were several empty booths and Jade went to claim one as Thomas walked to the counter to order some microwaved train fare and coffee.

 

“It’s possible those men got off the train,” Jade whispered when Thomas returned with two microwaved and re-heated, grilled cheese sandwiches and two unappetizing cups of hours-old coffee. 

"It's possible but not definite," Thomas answered and sat down across from her in the booth.

“I think I should have gotten a tea,” Jade grimaced after taking a sip of the mud-colored coffee.

Thomas had tasted his and agreed. He picked up both cups returning a few minutes later with steeping hot tea for both of them.

 

“I’ve been thinking about those clues and I think you’re right, it does seem to point to painting number twenty-five as the treasure. Is that the one no one has seen?” Jade asked.

“That’s what that article said,” Thomas nodded.

“We should try to find out more about that artist. Where he lived and where his works were shown. It might offer insight to that twenty-fifth painting's whereabouts," Jade suggested.

“It might, but until recently the artist wasn't well known. I'm not sure how much had been written about him before that journal was published hawking a treasure."

"Well, let's find out," Jade took out her new phone happy to see the train had Wi-Fi and began searching the internet for any history on the artist Casper Tresor.

Thomas did the same.

“Oh, this is interesting,” Jade's voice twinkled with excitement.

“Why; what did you find?”

“Casper lived in Quebec City the latter years of his life and his work was shown exclusively at a friend’s gallery. It has the address listed here too.” She turned the phone around to show Thomas.

“Take a screen shot of it. When we get to the city we’ll investigate, see if it still houses a gallery.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Jade smiled and captured a photo of the information, “and I was wondering Thomas, have you decided on our transportation when we get off the train?”

“Not yet. Unfortunately, I don’t have a friend here to call on for a favor but I have located a bike shop not too many miles from the train station.”

Jade frowned. Did he think she could hike to a bike shop miles away then pedal through three towns to get to Quebec City? Not a happy prospect for her still wobbly legs.

“Couldn’t we call a rideshare?” she asked, actually she whined.

“And risk being followed?”

“Yes, let’s risk that; I’m willing to risk that,” her head bobbed up and down with dramatic affirmation.

Thomas laughed. “Okay. When we get off the train, if it looks like we’re not in jeopardy of being followed…I’ll consider a cab.”

“Thank you,” she grinned and, with her legs stretched out comfortably, sipped her tea and looked out at the trees and green fields rolling by, glowing in a golden sunset.

 

An hour later, Jade and Thomas waited near the front of a passenger car for the train to pull into the next station.

Thomas felt sure this was the best plan but Jade wasn't so sure.

She'd felt a shiver of doubt as they waited for the train to stop and feared her constant friend Trouble wasn’t giving up on them, well, on her.

It was just considering its options.

*

The two men on the trail of Jade and Thomas had searched the train’s passenger cars and, as best as they could, the sleeper cars before being stopped by the conductor who asked them for identification and a ticket. When they refused to offer the first and didn’t have the second, they were escorted to a sleeper car and told to stay there.

They would be getting off at the next stop.