As the Phoenix barrels west through worsening snow and an eerie quiet settles over the emptied first-class cars, Anna Matheson checks that all passengers are in their compartments before returning to the lounge where Judd Dodge died. Driven to find the poison, she reasons it was likely seized during the chaotic attempt to reach the cab, after Judd had essentially confessed, not earlier when the lounge sat unattended.

Anna moves through the deserted dining car toward the galley and spots a figure ahead. She confronts the intruder and discovers it is Dante Wentworth, who jokes about hunger and begins making a roast beef sandwich. Their banter quickly turns barbed as Dante suggests Anna wanted their enemies to suffer, while Anna insists she orchestrated the trip to witness their capture and public disgrace, especially that of Kenneth Wentworth.

Their conversation slides into the past: Dante pursued Anna despite their families, and their clandestine romance culminated in intimacy before he abruptly cut contact. Anna recounts the heartbreak of his disappearance amid her family’s tragedies. Dante, more somber than in their youth, apologizes, explaining his father forbade the relationship when Tommy was killed and during Frederick Matheson’s arrest; he now believes his father’s guilt motivated the prohibition.

Anna does not forgive Dante outright but concedes “Maybe. Someday.” They resume their immediate purposes: Dante seeks mustard while Anna searches for poison. She inventories the pantry shelves and then checks under the galley sink.

In the cabinet, behind a bucket and beside drain cleaner, Anna finds a box of rat poison—white powder with a sharp chemical odor that matches the scent from Judd’s martini glass. Dante abandons his sandwich as Anna confirms this is the substance that killed Judd, validating her theory that the poison came from onboard supplies.