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“Not much to see here,” the woman said. “The schedule to direct locations is printed on the wall. If you need connections to other destinations, I can help you with that. Besides the ticket booth, we have a seating area, restrooms, snack and soda machines in the break room, and lockers along the hallway. Let me know if you have any questions.”
Dezi thanked the woman behind the counter and strolled around the lobby with Grimm at her side, searching for the number 100.
Grimm leaned close to her and whispered, “Check out the lockers.”
Lockers lined the hallway on the way to the breakroom.
Dezi worked her way toward the hallway and scanned the numbers on the metal lockers on each side of the long hallway. Starting with the number 1 on the right side of the hallway, the odd numbers lined the right, with the even numbers on the left.
She walked to the end of the hallway, checking off the even numbers…2…4…6…8…all the way up to 98. She stopped and stared at the last number on the left.
98
Where the hell was 100?
She glanced across the corridor to locker number 99 and back to the empty space next to 98. It didn’t appear that locker number 100 had ever existed in the space on the wall.
Grimm shrugged and tapped his knuckles against the wall next to 98. “It’s solid. I seriously doubt there ever was a locker number 100 here.”
They stepped into the breakroom, again, looking for the number 100, but found nothing.
Grimm and Dezi returned to the main lobby area and studied the schedule on the wall. Nothing on the printed schedule jumped out with the number 100.
With one final look, Dezi waved at the receptionist. “Thank you.”
The receptionist waved back. “I’ll be here if you want to book a trip.”
Dezi hooked her hand through the crook of Grimm’s elbow and let him lead her through the door and out to his truck.
“I hope we didn’t miss anything.” Dezi climbed up into the passenger seat and buckled her seatbelt.
Grimm’s lips twisted in a wry grin. “I’m positive we didn’t.” He closed the door and hurried around the truck to slide into the driver’s seat.
“I hope we have more luck at the train station.” Dezi picked up the photographs on the dash and spread them across her lap. She stared down at her uncle’s smiling face. “Why all the secrets, Uncle Leon? Why couldn’t you just tell me what you wanted me to find?”
Grimm started the truck, backed out of the parking lot and drove away from the bus station. Using the GPS on his cell phone, he headed for the train station.
Discouraged, Dezi sat for a few moments longer, staring at the photographs as if trying to read her dead uncle’s mind. No matter how hard she tried to think, she couldn’t come up with any other explanation for the need to find the number 100.
Her uncle’s clue about the wheels and multiple souls had to refer to a bus or train.
Once they arrived at the Bozeman train station, Grimm parked and dropped down from his seat to hurry around to Dezi’s side.
She sat staring down at the photographs in her lap until he opened the door. Then she shifted her gaze to him and gave him a gentle smile. “Thank you for being with me.” She couldn’t imagine going to the morgue or chasing down clues without Grimm’s stoic presence.
“My pleasure,” he replied and held out a hand for her to take so he could help her down from the truck. “Now, let’s go find the number 100.” He held her hand as they entered the train station.
Unlike the bus station, the train station had two ticket counters. One had a sign over the window indicating it was closed. The station had a larger seating area with drink and snack machines against one wall and a train schedule posted on the opposite wall.
Behind the open ticket booth was an older gentleman with salt-and-pepper, gray hair and glasses. He gave them a nod as Grimm and Dezi walked into the building. He held a phone up to his ear, busy talking to someone on the other end of the line.
Grimm and Dezi explored the station, walking down the hallway where the restrooms were located. Like the bus station, lockers lined the corridor. Each locker had a number.
Dezi followed the numbers until she came to one marked 100.
Her pulse quickened. She glanced toward Grimm.
He nodded.
