The Beautiful Detective in the Making

Edward walked casually and slightly out of breath over to the bartender who was cleaning up for the night, frankly surprised that he was still there.  But thankful.  He gave him a nod of the head.
"Meg, see that bar cart at the end of the car near the door?  I want you to get under it and don't speak or move until I say so."
"Hide under a cart, got it."
She ran over and ducked underneath making sure the cloth covering it fell over every part of her.  It was dim under there and she had to be careful as there was dinnerware on top of the cart and any movement may shake it noisely.  Edward turned to face the bartender.  "Just a little game we're playing, won't be but a few moments, if anything is disrupted I'll make sure it is paid for."
The barman seemed suspicious but a small game here and there wasn't too bad.
"Listen, also if you could do me a favor.  I'm going to be meeting a friend of mine in here very soon and if you could keep a watch on him until we're done I'll make sure you are compensated for your troubles.  He's going to look a state, he's been upset about a family matter and has taken to the alcohol I'm afraid.  Just letting you know it may get a little rowdy, if it gets a bit much I may need some assistance removing him from the car."
"I understand, not a stranger to bar fights myself."
"I thought you'd understand.  Thanks so much."
Edward walked over to a table in the middle of the car and waited patiently for his midnight attacker.  It wasn't long before a man in a tossled suit came barging into the car looking worse for the wear.  "You."
Edward smiled and pushed a seat out from under the table.  "I know you've been having a rough night, why don't you sit and we'll take a load off and enjoy each other's company."
The suited man noticed the barman watching him and turned it down a little.  He straightened out his jacket and tried to process what he was walking into.  The barman kept his eyes on him and cleaned the rest of his area.
Meg watched what she could see from under the tablecloth at the end of the room.  She saw Edward's feet planted firmly under a seat of a table in the middle of the room and another set walking over to join him.  Keeping her breathing as quiet as she could she watched and listened intently.
The suited man took a seat and stared Edward down.  "You are a lot of trouble you know that."
"So I hear."
"You aren't making it to your stop.  Cute move coming in here with a witness, I'll just have to dispose of him too."
"People will start questioning."
"I'll be gone by then."
"So it's now come to getting rid of me and no longer about the case."
"The case will be found, you pointed us in the right direction but you are just way too untrustworthy.  We're losing men and any and every deal we try and make with you is thrown right out the window."
"I don't make deals."
"Where is she?"
"Who?"
"Don't play dumb, the girl.  Meg.  You've set her up in a worse situation than she was at the start."
"Still alive though."
"Neither of you are getting off this train."  A click is heard under the table and Meg sees the suited man pull a gun out from his belt and aim it at Edward underneath the table.
"You won't get far on a train after you've shot someone in the open with a witness."
"Don't you worry about that.  Now where is she?"
"What is so important about this cash filled case?  Surely your boss already has sums more than that."
"That's not the point, it's where it came from."
"That so."
"No no, you aren't squeezing me for information.  Tell me where she is before this trigger slips."
Edward noticed the bartender had stopped cleaning and was watching them talk.  This could go a number of ways.  He didn't want a witness though, it was just another person who could identify him and raise more questioning.  Meg was doing a fantastic job so far keeping quiet, just needed to break this guy's focus for a minute. 
"Eddie, patience, it's gone.  Now, I'm done fooling around."
"Ah, barman, if possible could you bring us a bottle from the back?  We won't have it here so you won't have to clean, I'd appreciate it."
The barman nodded to him and after a moment of hesitation, went to the back room.  It was just them in there now.
"You are so pathetic.  Okay, so now there's no witness, you just made this a million times easier for me."
'You know, it's a lot quieter and easier to cover up when it's not done with a gun."
"What are you talking about."
Meg was trying desperately to keep quiet and stifled a sneeze but the way she was positioned couldn't hold and she leaned a little on the leg of the cart.  A spoon fell from above and clattered to the floor.  The suited man's attention jumped up to the cart in the back and Edward took the chance.  He kicked the gun, hurting the man's hand once again and it clanged to the floor as he shoved the table forward knocking the man backward in his chair.  He reached down and scooped up the gun and leapt onto the man before he was able to compose himself to get up.
"When you have a man at gunpoint and at your mercy.  Pull the trigger, don't talk."  Then Edward slid his knife into the man's side and blood stained his shirt.  The suited man had a look of shock on his face and his eyes rolled back in his head.  Edward quickly picked the man up and sat him at a farther table and set his body up in a way that made him look like he was angrily resting with his head on the table over crossed arms.  Meg poked her head out from under the cart.  "Wow.  I'm so sorry."
"You did exactly as I had hoped.  Let's cross our fingers he was the only one on here and get back to our room."
The barman came back out with the bottle and saw the suited man sitting in the back and Edward walking towards the bar with the girl.  "Things resolve themselves I take it?"
"Could've cut the tension with a knife.  He's going to pout for a while and then go to his room.  Thank you so much for the bottle, you've been very accommodating."  He took the bottle and paid the man double and hand in hand him and Meg went back to their room.  With the door once again locked, he popped open the bottle and poured the each a glass.
"So where were we."
"This is so nerve wracking, every day there's someone in the shadows waiting."
"Comes with the job."
"You think he was it?"
"I guess we'll find out, but first, you need to decompress."
They drank for a few and rejoined back into bed for whatever rest they could find.  She held on to him through the night and any moment he didn't drift off to sleep he spent watching the door and caressing her curves.  She kissed him on the chest and continued sleeping.  The destination wouldn't be long and then the real chase would commence.  It was close and the gang was stepping up their game.  He had to get her through this so they could start their real life.  She was a real trooper, most would have caved first sign of a man breaking in.  Her breathing soothed him and under the moonlight he finally made peace with rest.  Snuggled up tightly with the beautiful detective in the making.


TO BE CONTINUED   <3 p="">