The Mystery of the Lakeshore Ltd - An Eleanor and Lydia Mystery

Chapter Four

A corrugated tin roof covered the track, blocking the majority of the sun's rays and transforming the interior of the car into a dim conglomeration of vague shapes. Eleanor reached into her bag, pushed aside her quilted wallet, a handful of old receipts, and a package of tissues and felt the smooth cylinder of her small but effective LED flashlight. The beam swept from one side of the car to the other. Lydia added the light from her cellphone, and they followed Vanessa to the last place Larisa had been seen.

"Seems like a bit of a wasted effort," Vanessa said. "Ain't nothing to see. This car's probably been cleaned half a dozen times or more since she was on it."

Eleanor moved the light in a slow left-to-right motion starting near the ceiling and working her way down the wall, inch-by-inch. "You said she was in the window seat?"

"That's right."

Perching on the outer seat, Eleanor ran her hand over the sturdy gray and maroon cloth.

"By your left knee, Nana," Lydia said.

There, on the very edge of the seat, were three small, dark stains. Eleanor brushed over them with her fingertip but felt nothing unusual—no stiffness or greasiness that she could detect. "It could be anything at all, chocolate sauce or ink or..." the last word couldn't quite make it all the way past her lips.

"Or blood," Lydia said.

Vanessa stood on tiptoe and peered over Lydia's shoulder. "That's just nasty. Should we tell the police?"

A soft male voice answered. "That would be a terrible idea."

All three women attempted to spring into action, but there were three pops in quick succession, and then everything went black.

~*~

Eleanor's first concern was that she was catching the flu. Her joints ached far more than normal. Mild nausea rolled through her in waves and she had a throbbing headache at the base of her skull. This would be a terrible time to be sick. There's something I'm supposed to be doing. Lydia stopped by unexpectedly. Such a nice surprise. Cold sweat broke out across her brow as memory came back to her. The last few hours played out like a movie reel inside her mind--a movie that ended with a strange voice coming from the shadows and a sudden stinging pain.

Her eyes fluttered open and she found herself sprawled on the floor in a large empty room with a concrete floor and walls. A wooden staircase lead to a closed door.

Lydia lay on the floor next to her, still and silent, and Eleanor's heart gave a painful lurch. She patted the girl's cheek and panic resided a tiny bit when her skin proved warm and her breathing steady.

"Lydia, Lydia, wake up, dear."

A little scowl lined formed between Lydia's brows.

The amount of grunting and straining Eleanor required to get into an upright position would have been downright humiliating had anyone been around to see it, and sitting on the hard floor hurt enough to make her consider laying down again. Once she could see her surroundings from a slightly higher perspective, she noticed the girl from the train station was there as well. Vanessa.

Lydia stirred and opened her eyes. She focused immediately on Eleanor. "What happened?" she whispered.

"I think we were shot with tranquilizers," Eleanor whispered back. Speaking any louder aggravated the headache. "Are you hurt?"

"I feel hungover, but I think I'm okay."

"What's going on?" Vanessa pushed herself up to her elbows, groaned and laid back down.