“I wasn’t present, but I did make it happen.” He shrugged modestly. “You know, that was one of the first sets I sold from this location. This Wendell Comstock fellow was quite taken with it the moment he saw it. Had some unfortunate business with his wife and decided to move away, and lucky for him he did, or he’d have been here for the big event. You know, he told the movers not to pack up the trains, but they ended up in the truck anyway.” He smiled. “Funny how these things happen. Anyway, a splendid set, that one. Gotten a lot of mileage out of it.”

“Why? Why did Fin have to die?”

Nabler shrugged. “Sometimes these things just happen. It’s not like he was a loose end, that he had even an inkling of how he’d been manipulated. But you have to admit, it ramped up the pressure on you. Am I right? And once Charlie got it in his head that he had to come here, you had no choice but to chase after him. You felt compelled. And now you’re here, and we can talk about succession plans.”

Annie blinked, dumbstruck for a moment.

“You’re out of your fucking mind,” she said finally. “Thinking I’d take over from you? I don’t even understand what the fuck you do, but I know it’s nothing I want to be part of.”

“While you’re not part of the sliver, we can work on that. We’ve recruited before. You’ve already demonstrated since you arrived that you have certain talents. Under my tutelage, before I’m gone, you’ll be running the show as efficiently as I was. But it won’t involve any of this.” He waved his hands about the room. “Toy trains are not your milieu.”

Annie gave her head a slow shake and, wiping a tear from her cheek, said pleadingly, “Please let me have Charlie back.”

“In time, in time! I told you. And, honestly, he’s closer than you think, having the time of his life.”

Two more trains went whistling past. A freight train with a long string of boxcars and a Santa Fe passenger train consisting of several gleaming silver cars, including one with an observation dome on top.

“I promise you, you’ll see Charlie as soon as you let me finish explaining to you what all of this has been about.”

Annie stayed silent.

“First, you have to understand how I operate. In simplest terms, I make bad things happen.” He smiled broadly. “I know that sounds wrong, but it’s all part of a larger purpose, to keep order and balance in the world. How can there be joy without sorrow? How can there be success without failure? How can there be happiness without tragedy? Sometimes, the balance gets out of whack.”