Nabler gave her a smile one might offer a naïve child. “I’m amused that you think you’re in a position to bargain. Have you forgotten someone?”

“Don’t hurt my son.”

“I would certainly hate to do that. He seems like a lovely young man. He was very tired and hungry when I found him. I had my doubts he’d make it here on his own despite his best efforts, so I met him along the way.”

“I found his bike.”

“I knew you would. Bread crumbs.”

“Please, I’m sure he’s tired and hungry. I have his things in the car. A change of clothes. Just give him to me and we’ll go to the car and then we can talk.”

Nabler rolled his eyes. “I know this getup is a bit ridiculous, but tell me I don’t look that stupid.”

Annie shook her head. “I just want my son.”

Nabler went on as if she hadn’t spoken. “You know what surprised me after the big event, when everyone died? I felt lonely. I never would have expected that. Up until that time, I kept my interactions with people to a minimum. Dealt with them when I had to, tolerated them. But when they were all gone, I was a little regretful.”

“Regretful?” Annie said. “You made it happen? You killed four thousand people?”

Nabler sighed. “The way things work is that in many cases there’s a kind of symbiosis between what the trains are doing and what happens to those in their orbit. A mirroring, if you will. There was an incident in this room. The local chief of police, getting a little too close to the truth, and in our back-and-forth, a few tanker cars were knocked off the tracks and hit the floor and made quite the mess.”

“That . . . triggered the derailment?”

Nabler nodded. “It wasn’t planned, but it was without question a high point for me. Perhaps a case of be careful what you wish for. I’ve been ready to retire ever since.”

“Where does some unspeakably evil thing like you retire to?”

Nabler shrugged. “Florida.”

There was a moment of quiet between them. Annie was assessing her situation, and Nabler felt it was only right to give her some time.

Finally, she said, “I won’t agree to anything until I see Charlie and know he’s okay.”

Nabler nodded slowly. “That seems reasonable.”

“Where is he?”

“He’s been with us this whole time. I thought you might have noticed by now.”

Annie looked about the room. “Where the hell is he?”

Nabler raised a palm and waved it slowly in front of him, as if clearing a space on a frosted window. As he did so, one of the trains that had been circling around the room slowed to a stop next to Annie on a track that was slightly below eye level.

It was the passenger train.