Death Takes a Holiday
tailored silk pink dress she was wearing appeared to be painted over a petite and curvaceous figure. She definitely dressed for attention.
    The woman held out both arms as she walked down the aisle, trying to balance herself on her high heels against the motion of the train. “They’re all just so loathsome,” she said with a southern drawl to the man following her through the connecting door. “Perhaps I should kill them all.”
    At first blush , the man seemed to be a perfect complement to the woman. He was a tall, well-built man with dark thick brown hair and strong features. Although a bit younger, he was just as striking as his companion, but that’s where the similarities ended. While she was decked out to the gills, he appeared to have just rolled out of bed. Where her outfit was obviously tailored, his was two sizes too big. Where her hair had obviously been hair-sprayed to an inch of its life, his apparently hadn’t seen a comb or a brush in a couple of days. Even the expressions on their faces were different. He glared at the back of her head with barely restrained annoyance, while her face seemed stuck in a state of blissful happiness.
    “You can’t kill them all,” he said with a hint of exasperation coloring his voice.
    She rolled her eyes. “Of course I can. We’ll just throw their bodies off the train.”
    “Why don’t you leave the women alone and just kill off the men?” he asked sarcastically. “That should be a nice change of pace for you.”
    Catching Grace’s eye, the woman stopped suddenly, causing her companion to run into her. She threw an annoyed glance over her shoulder before continuing down the aisle. Passing by, they gave her a brief nod of acknowledgement and a friendly hello before walking through the connecting door leading to the sleeping cars.
    Grace stood up and warily followed them. She entered the vestibule , just as they exited. She rubbed her arms as the cold air from the side doors surrounded her body. Cautiously walking up to the sleeping car door, she reached for the door handle and hesitated. She’s not a snoop, she told herself; it’s just that . . . well, she was a bit of a snoop, she admitted reluctantly, especially when she overhears someone’s talking about killing a bunch of people and throwing their bodies off the train.
    Sh ivering, she shook her head. Surely, she misunderstood. No one would plot a murder out in the middle of a train car where anyone could hear. There’s probably a perfectly innocent explanation, Grace thought as she pulled the door open an inch.
    She sighed softly, as she reflected on how her life had changed. A year ago she wouldn’t have been caught dead eavesdropping on someone. But that was before Lily, Crystal and the others died. It’s funny how being involved in a handful of murders in less than a year puts a new perspective on life, she mused, pressing her ear closer to the door.
    “Do you think she heard us?” she heard the woman whispered.
    “Who care s?” the man asked at a normal level. “What are you worried about?”
    “Nothing,” she said. “I just want everything to go off without a hitch.”
    “Yes, I know,” he said with a touch of annoyance coloring his voice.
    Grace could just make out the sound of a door opening.
    “Have you seen him, yet?” the woman said. “We need to catch him before he makes his big scene.”
    Grace stood there for a few seconds, when she didn’t hear anymore she pushed open the door and peered around the corner.
    They were gone.
    Grace walked back to her room wondering if she should call anyone. There had to be a reasonable explanation, she thought reaching for her door handle and pushing open her door.
    Just then a door at the far end of the corridor opened and the scowling young woman Grace had seen earlier with Robert, walked out, her face flushed a deep red. Her bun had unraveled and now lay loosely off her shoulder.
    Grace watched as a rather imposing man followed her out. He

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