Chapter Twenty-One
Contains spoilersOverview
Anna steadies herself after thinking she saw her dead brother and recommits to finding who is moving secretly through the train. She conducts hourly checks on passengers’ rooms and discovers Edith Gerhardt missing. Anna then finds Edith strangled in the observation car with a curtain cord as the train plunges deeper into a blizzard.
Summary
Anna resisted the impulse to chase the figure she thought was Tommy Matheson, reminding herself he was dead and attributing the sight to exhaustion and memories stirred by the Phoenix. Passing through the dining room, she recalled past family moments but rejected the idea that nostalgia had tricked her senses, deciding someone real was moving around the train.
Refocused, Anna began her scheduled hourly rounds. She knocked on Seamus Callahan’s door in Car 11; he offered to take over, but she declined. She checked on Reginald “Reggie” Davis, confirming his presence.
Continuing to Car 12, Anna verified that Sal (Sally Lawrence), Jack Lapsford, and Dante Wentworth were each in their respective rooms. She proceeded to Car 13, where Herb Pulaski nervously peered out from Room A, confirming he was inside.
At Room B, Edith Gerhardt’s compartment, Anna received no response. She opened the unlocked door and found the room empty. Alarmed, she moved toward the observation car, the last place she had seen Edith.
Entering the observation car, Anna discovered Edith lying on her back in the center of the room, eyes open and lifeless. A curtain cord from the car’s drapes had been used to strangle her, leaving no sign of life. Overwhelmed, Anna looked away to the windows and saw only a wall of wind-blown snow, realizing the train had reached the heart of the storm.
Who Appears
- Anna Matheson
protagonist; conducts hourly checks, confirms several passengers in rooms, discovers Edith Gerhardt’s strangled body in the observation car.
- Seamus Callahan
ally posing as conductor; answers his door during Anna’s rounds and offers to take over checks.
- Reginald “Reggie” Davis
ninth passenger under watch; responds to Anna’s door check.
- Sally Lawrence (Sal)
passenger tied to past conspiracy; seen in her room during Anna’s checks.
- Jack Lapsford
passenger with dubious alibi; seen in his room during Anna’s checks.
- Dante Wentworth
engineer controlling the train’s speed; present in his room during Anna’s checks.
- Herb Pulaski
nervous passenger linked to past plot; confirms presence from his room.
- Edith Gerhardt
conspirator wracked with regret; found murdered by strangulation with a curtain cord in the observation car.
- Tommy Matheson
Anna’s long-dead brother; not physically present, but briefly seen (or imagined) by Anna, prompting her renewed vigilance.