Chapter Forty-Seven
Contains spoilersOverview
At dawn, the killer moves stealthily through Car 12 to assassinate Jack Lapsford, the last living conspirator. Instead, they find Anna waiting in Jack’s compartment. Anna reveals she anticipated the attempt and addresses the intruder as Agent Davis, signaling she has identified the killer.
Summary
Near seven a.m., the killer advances quietly through Car 12, intent on a swift, secret murder to avoid provoking Anna into action. They target Jack Lapsford, described as the last conspirator still alive, with the intent to eliminate him before leaving Kenneth Wentworth to face legal consequences, a result the killer believes would please Anna.
Reaching Jack’s door, the killer carefully cracks it open and eases inside, determined to keep the operation silent. A figure sits by the window, but it is not Jack Lapsford. It is Anna.
Anna smiles as if she has been waiting, indicating foreknowledge of the plan. She greets the intruder by name—Agent Davis—and pointedly asks if Davis is feeling better, implying prior injury and confirming that Anna has identified Davis as the killer.
Who Appears
- Anna
protagonist; lies in wait in Jack Lapsford’s compartment and identifies the intruder as Agent Davis.
- Agent Davis
new; revealed as the killer who attempts to murder Jack Lapsford but is confronted by Anna.
- Jack Lapsford
target; intended victim and labeled the last conspirator left, but is absent from his compartment when the killer arrives.
- Kenneth Wentworth
conspirator; mentioned as intended to face the courts rather than be killed.