The chapter opens with Anna recalling Aunt Retta's deathbed confession that she had gathered dozens of documents proving Arthur Matheson’s innocence and identifying the true culprits, promising the evidence would "find" Anna. Anna notes that the proof—and Seamus—indeed found her, setting them on the current mission.

Back in the lounge car, Anna delivers a precise accounting: Jack Lapsford approached Arthur about a troop-train project knowing the engine would be designed to fail; Judd Dodge secretly drafted a sabotage-prone engine while showing Arthur a different set of plans; Herb Pulaski oversaw construction knowing it was faulty; Sally Lawrence forged correspondence and Arthur’s signature; and Edith Gerhardt planted incriminating documents and later told authorities she suspected Arthur of Nazi sympathies. Anna states the scheme served Kenneth Wentworth’s greed after Arthur refused to sell his company, enabling Kenneth to devalue, acquire the railroad, and win the military contract, sharing the windfall with the five co-conspirators.

Anna addresses Dante Wentworth directly, asserting Kenneth masterminded the plot. Dante smiles skeptically and questions motive; Anna explains Kenneth’s failed purchase attempts and consequent sabotage. When Anna presents a briefcase of “proof,” Sally opens it to reveal a single folded blueprint. Judd identifies it as his real locomotive design and asks how Anna obtained it. Lapsford tears the blueprint to pieces, declaring Anna has nothing.

Anna counters that she has extensive evidence and copies elsewhere. The group demands to know her aim; Edith suggests blackmail, Herb pleads poverty, and Lapsford presses for what she wants. Judd declares Anna intends to kill them. Anna denies any plan to murder, but internally acknowledges violent fantasies and clarifies her true goal: a drawn-out vengeance culminating in their arrest, public disgrace, imprisonment, and miserable lives.

Anna then reveals that two hours earlier she mailed the rest of her evidence to the FBI’s Chicago field office with their arrival time, expecting arrests at Union Station. She details her months of preparation, including repeated rides on the Phoenix to learn the route and stops.

Lapsford vows to disembark at the next station, but the train blows past Harrisburg without stopping. Anna explains the Phoenix is an express with no stops to Chicago. Judd notes the diesel-electric can make the run without refueling. Panicked, Lapsford demands the train be stopped and fixates on the lounge car’s emergency brake.

As tension spikes, Lapsford, Sally, and Herb rush the brake. Seamus yanks Anna out of their path. Lapsford reaches the handle first and pulls it, ending the scene on that decisive act.