Chapters (73)
- Cover
- Dedication
- Prologue
- Part IAnnie
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Part IIHarry
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Part IIIAnnie
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Part IVHarry
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Part VAnnie
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Fifty-Nine
- Sixty
- Sixty-One
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
- Also by Linwood Barclay
- About the Publisher
“And you’re going to find just what you need in my Bloomingdale’s bag. You know the one? That says medium brown bag on it?”
“I know the one you mean.”
“Okay. I love you, Charlie. We’re a great team, always have been.”
She gave him another hug, and a kiss, and then stood. Charlie looked at her and then at Nabler, not sure if he was supposed to leave now or not.
“Go on, now,” Nabler said. “Get your stuff. I know your mom doesn’t believe me, but I am going to take you home. Soon. I hold up my end. And don’t be thinking of doing anything stupid, like running off without me, because if you do that, I’m not going to give your mother that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity she was telling you about. I’m going to be sending her to join your dad. You understand me?”
Charlie nodded.
“Then get going. You go through that door, takes you through the shop, you head out the front. Got it?”
Another nod. He took one last look at his mother.
“Bye, Mom,” he said.
His mother tried to smile, with a quivering chin.
“Bye, Charlie. You be good.”
Charlie turned away, opened the door to the shop, and disappeared.
Annie stood there a moment, collecting herself, before turning around to face Nabler.
“Shall we begin?” he said.
Fifty-Eight
Charlie walked through Choo-Choo’s Trains as though still emerging from a dream. He remained so exhausted from his hours of nonstop bicycling that the enormity of what had just happened had yet to sink in. His legs ached, his chest hurt with every breath he took, even his arms were sore from holding on to those raised handlebars. Looking back, he realized that bike ride had been similar to one of this sleepwalking episodes. Had he actually been awake as he pushed on those pedals, or under some kind of spell from Mr. Nabler?
He’d been functioning while under a delusion, that was for sure, thinking that his father was alive. He knew that wasn’t true now. But other facts had not quite come into focus. Had he really been inside that toy train, looking at his mother through the top of that dome car? Had his mother really said goodbye to him? Was she really staying here to help that bad man and sending him, Charlie, away?
Or had she been trying to tell him something?
He walked through the store, paying little attention to the boxed train sets that lined the shelves. They no longer held any interest for him. If he never played with trains again in his entire life, that would be just fine.
Charlie came to the front door of the shop and stepped outside.
Whoa.