April 3, 1935: 4:25 p.m.: A Few Miles Outside of Fullerton, California:

Detective Kinney watched as the large family across the aisle gathered up their belongings in preparation for deboarding the train at the last stop before reaching Los Angeles. His car, along with the rest of the train, was far emptier than it had been when Brian first boarded a few days ago. Many of the passengers left the train in Chicago but just as many took their place for the final leg of the trip which ended in LA. In many ways Brian was grateful that so many of the passengers, most of them families with children, had already left the train. It would make for less of an audience when he took young Taylor off the train in handcuffs. 

Brian had waited for his chance to get the young man alone so that he could make the arrest without any scenes, but the chance never came. At least the kid hadn't tried to leave the train at any of the short stops they made along the way after Brian first recognized the blond through his disguise. That would have forced Brian's hand and he would have had no choice about embarrassing the kid. It was a little unsettling for Brian when he realized that it mattered to him how he took custody of Taylor. He had never felt anything like it before. If the suspect had been anyone else, the guy would have already been in cuffs and if necessary, Brian would have marched him right down the center of the aisle in full view of all passengers. This time around he knew he would still arrest the suspect, but he had no desire to make it public. 

His chance to make a move finally came when he noticed Taylor separating himself from the girls of the orchestra. The train was only minutes away from the next stop. From snatches of conversation that Brian had overheard in the lounge car, the other girls planned on getting off in Fullerton during the short thirty-minute layover. Taylor must have decided he would need more time to prepare himself for arrival in LA, because he moved off in the direction of the band's sleeping car on his own. Of course there was also the possibility that the kid would grab his things and sneak off the train now, rather than waiting to reach the end of the line. Brian knew that it was time to grab Taylor. 

Brian had been sitting at the other end of the lounge car when he saw Justin moving towards the exit in the opposite direction. He jumped up to follow the blond at the precise moment the entire gang of more than a dozen women left their seats in preparation for stepping off the train. They stood between Brian and the other end of the car, completing blocking his view of the sliding door leading out of the car. He could see the door sliding open and knew that Taylor had left the car. What Brian didn't see was the older gentleman who had been sitting in the last seat at the exit Justin had just gone through. Before the door slid closed again, that man had also stepped through in order to enter the next car right behind Justin. 

Justin was in a hurry to get to the sleeping car several cars down. He wanted to make sure that he had everything packed up and that his disguise was safely in place. Things would be different once he left the train. There would be a whole world of people out there to try and fool until he could safely shed his disguise. After some serious thinking since waking up that morning, he had decided to remain in disguise and stay with the band for a short while until he could find his footing in the strange new town. He could also get more information on how the case was progressing in New York City. The newspapers he had bought along the way didn't really have anything to say about the case. It was of more interest locally than nationally. If it was possible, Justin could change his name but go back to being a young man once he knew whether they were looking for him as far away as California. Daphne might be able to help him with that. 

Justin's thoughts were so focused on his future plans that he didn't notice the man who was following him. He wouldn't have recognized the face anyway, even if he had turned around and noticed him. Johan stayed close to his target as they moved into the next car. It was a sleeper car and there were few people around. Johan felt the gun in his coat pocket. He was ready. He pulled his wide brimmed hat down low over his eyes and kept his head down. He concentrated on the high heeled shoes only a short distance in front of him. He only glanced up for a brief second to see if the car they were in was empty. This one wasn't, so he continued to follow Justin. As they entered the next car, the one Justin had been heading for, Johan looked up again. There was not a soul in sight.

Brian had done his best to get past the gaggle of talkative ladies, only to be slowed down again by several elderly couples who blocked his exit as they took their time leaving the car. Brian tried to move forward more quickly in the next two cars but it was as if fate was laughing at him. In every car there were people blocking his path as they gathered their things and prepared to exit the train. By the time the train pulled into the station Brian was several minutes behind Justin and Johan. 

It was all the time that Johan needed. He stealthily pulled out his pistol and aimed it at the back of the wig-covered head in front of him. His trigger finger began to flex. It was just at that moment that fate stepped in twice, saving the intended victim's life. First the train lurched suddenly as the brakes were applied in sight of the train's depot. Justin, who had become far more adept at walking on his heels in the last few days, found himself just off balance enough to make him stumble in the narrow passageway between sleeping berths on both sides of the car. He began to fall forward, reaching out to the side to try and steady himself. 

At that precise moment, the sound of the sliding door at the end of the car could be heard a split second before the sound of the gun going off. Brian would not have been certain it was gunfire if he had not seen the brief flash from the muzzle of the gun in the dim light of the windowless car. His cop instincts kicked in and he reached for his own gun resting in its shoulder holster.

"Stop! Police officer," he shouted at the back of the man who was standing with his arm raised high and pointed at the blond's head.

Everything happened so quickly then that it would be hard to recall all the sequence of events later on. The stranger with the gun was a fast thinker. He lowered his arm at the same time that he grabbed the person he was aiming at and whirled him around as a shield between himself and the cop. Justin had felt something fly by his cheek but was completely unaware of how close he had come to a bullet in his brain. He was more shocked at being grabbed from behind and twirled around. The surprise was evident to Brian, even from the distance between them. The stranger and Justin were only a matter of feet from the next exit, and the stranger was clearly edging towards that door, still holding Justin in front of him. Justin would have pulled away but the stranger gave him a glimpse of the gun he was holding to his head. 

Justin could see that the man at the other end of the car was also holding a gun and his confusion was complete. He recognized the other man as the one he could not help flirting with during the trip, and even had a dream about. He couldn't fathom why the guy behind him was holding a gun on him and why the dreamboat was holding a gun on both of them. It hadn't registered with him yet that the good-looking one had announced himself as a police officer. During the few minutes it took for the two armed men to complete their standoff with one another, Justin finally found his senses enough to wonder if the guy behind him was the real killer of Vanderbeke. He also wondered if the cop was actually after one or both of them. Justin's blood turned cold. 

Before he could react to this new thought, the man behind him reached the exit and pushed the button to open the door. By this time the cop had inched closer to the gunman and his captive. Brian was baffled as to what was going on between the Taylor kid and the stranger, but he didn't have time to think about it. All he knew was this man, whose face was shadowed by his hat, had just tried to kill Justin Taylor. It didn't make any sense but Brian had immediate problems to deal with first. He had no intention of letting the stranger kill the kid. Suddenly the stranger gave Justin a mighty shove which caused him to stumble forwards towards Brian. Brian was caught off guard. He grabbed at Justin just as he was within reach and pulled the young man to the ground. It was a good thing he had done that, because the sound of gunfire could be heard again as another flash appeared from the muzzle. The bullet flew over the heads of both men lying on the ground. 

When Brian and Justin cautiously raised their heads they saw only empty space where the gunman had been. The door was closing behind the mysterious figure. Brian quickly disentangled himself from Justin and ran for the door. As it opened for him and Brian carefully looked out, he could see nothing. The gunman had simply vanished. By this time the train had come to a stop at the station and Brian saw a bunch of people leaving and boarding the train through the gap between rail-cars. The gunman could have easily stepped off the train and blended into the crowd. He didn't even get a good look at the man's face so he probably wouldn't know him if he saw him anyway. The long coat he wore was all the fashion for men in today's society so there were plenty of others in sight wearing the same thing. The thought crossed his mind that young Taylor might have some answers so Brian abandoned the search and returned to the car and a waiting Justin Taylor.

By the time Brian returned, Justin had gotten back on his feet. It crossed his mind briefly that he should run and hide. After all, he now knew that the guy he had been admiring was a cop. Maybe he was looking for him and just happened to stumble on the attempt on his life by the mysterious man who had killed Vanderbeke, or he could simply be a cop who was in the right place at the right time to save an innocent 'girl'. Justin didn't have to wait long to find out which was the correct theory. Brian approached Justin and stopped inches in front of him. Justin used his high-pitched voice and began to thank the officer for helping him.

"I can't tell you how glad I am that you arrived in time to save me, Officer. Heaven only knows what that crazy man wanted from me. A girl just isn't safe anywhere nowadays."

Brian didn't waste any time. "You can cut out the girlie voice Mr. Taylor. I am fully aware of who you are. As a matter of fact I've been looking for you for several days now. I finally figured out who you really are this morning. I would have arrested you on suspicion of murder sooner, but I thought I'd give you a break and wait until I could get you alone. I was about to do just that when I came across this strange scenario between you and some kook with a gun. So tell me Mr. Taylor, do you have any clue as to who the guy was or why he seemed to want you dead?"

Justin's body went cold! It was over... just like that! This whole time he had been flirting with and desiring the very man who was about to destroy his life and send him packing off to prison, maybe even the gas chamber... and all for a crime he didn't commit. He swallowed hard, trying to clear the hard lump that had formed in the back of his throat, choking off any response he could make. The cop remained patient, waiting for an answer. Finally Justin could see that the cop wasn't one of those tough guys who liked to push their prisoners around. His first impression of the man as a decent guy seemed to be accurate. It gave Justin the courage to speak up at last.

"I have an idea why that man wanted me dead, but I don't know if you'll believe me", Justin declared.

"Why don't you give me a try," Brian answered. "I have a fairly open mind."

Justin proceeded to tell Brian his tale of woe and how he was the poor sap who had been in the wrong place at the wrong time, which was why he was now running for his life rather than facing his accusers. By the time he reached the point where he was passing on his theory that the killer was the very man who had just tried to silence him, Justin couldn't tell at all whether the handsome cop had believed a word of what he was saying or not. His face was totally impassive. Justin's nerves felt shaky all over again. His life was literally in this man's hands.

When Justin finished his story, Brian stood staring at the young man and peered closely into his eyes. Brian had always believed that the eyes were the windows to the soul, that you could tell more about a person's character through their eyes than all the words they spoke or deeds they performed. What he saw when he looked into Justin's clear, blue eyes was innocence and an honesty he didn't encounter very often. The story of a mysterious man shooting in the dark and running away, leaving a witness, would have been far less plausible if Brian hadn't witnessed the attempt on the young man's life for himself. Someone certainly had a reason for wanting the kid dead. It made Taylor's story plausible. 

On top of the assassination attempt on Taylor, Brian had a gut feeling about the young man. He refused to believe that it had anything to do with the fact that he found himself attracted to the blond. He was too practical for that. No... there was simply something innocent about the kid. His Captain back home was keeping Brian abreast of the progress in the case with each phone call at different stops along the way and no one had been able to find a good motive for the young artist to take Vanderbeke's life. If anything, the kid had reason to be grateful to the old man for taking an interest in his work. Brian was not one to make snap decisions but he did this time. He grabbed hold of Justin's arm and moved the young man forward towards the next car. 

Once they got there he told the blond to stay quiet and waited to see if anyone was leaving one of the private bedrooms in this car. After a few minutes a couple stepped out of a room a few doors down with suitcases in hand. Brian and Justin remained still until the couple exited the train. Brian then led Justin the short distance to the room that had just been vacated. Once they were inside, he closed the door behind them and lowered the shades to the outside and inside windows. Justin took a seat, completely unsure of what was going to happen next. He was shaking inside from the fear that had gripped him from the moment he knew his cover was blown. The cop's attitude had freed him of some of that fear, but not all.

"You do know that if I was doing my duty I'd have you in handcuffs right now and being marched straight off this train?" Brian began.

"I know. I don't understand. Are you saying you believe my story?"

"I'm saying that it makes sense, which is the first thing that has made sense since I got the case. So Taylor....."

"Justin," he interrupted.

"So Justin," Brian continued, "do you have any idea who the real killer is? You say you didn't get a good look at him, but what about this time? Now I want you to think really hard on this. It is vital that we find out who wanted you dead."

Justin scrunched up his eyebrows as he did his best to recall anything he could about the figure of the man who had held him. He hadn't gotten a look at the man at all from the front but as his brow furrowed deeply from the strain of his thoughts, a memory flashed in Justin's brain. All of a sudden he could see the hand holding the gun at his head when the killer was trying to make his point that it would be foolish to fight back. That hand brought back another memory of a hand with something quirky about it. That something was the odd angle of the pinkie finger holding the gun. In a blinding vision, Justin could see that same hand in the shadows of Vanderbeke's study. Now he had no doubt that the man who had just tried to kill him was the same man who had been responsible for Vanderbeke's murder. 

Justin quickly passed on this revelation to the cop, who listened intently. When he had finished, Brian shook his head in understanding. They finally had a clue as to the murderer's identity. All they needed to do was find one man on the train or out there somewhere who had a crooked pinkie finger. No big deal, Brian mused. He saw the doubt in Justin's eyes and knew the kid wasn't sure yet that his story was believed. Brian sat down on the seat next to Justin and took the young man's hand. He patted it.

"Look kid, I believe you. I do. I could be mistaken, but I have good instincts about people and I'm seldom wrong. This could get me fired, but I'm not going to arrest you. If we're right and that guy was the real killer, then he has no more desire for you to be found out than you do. So I think your best bet is to continue with your disguise for a little longer. The killer obviously knows who you really are and what you were planning so we need to set a trap for him. I don't like to ask you this, but are you up to playing decoy in order to clear your name. It could be dangerous."

The fact that this cop believed him was a huge relief to Justin. It was a break he had no reason to expect, but was extremely grateful for. Obviously his first impression of this man had been right. He was a good man.

"I'm willing to do whatever it takes, Officer.....?"

"Detective Kinney, but you can call me Brian. If we're going to be in cahoots with each other we might as well be on a first name basis.... Justin."

Justin smiled. "I agree.... Brian, but I don't want you to risk your career.

"You let me worry about my career. I don't like seeing innocent people railroaded. I'll be damned if I'll let some scumbag send you to prison for something you didn't do," Brian declared. "Now listen, Justin. I want you to stay with the girls from the band at all times. The killer isn't about to do anything with witnesses around. No more going off alone. And when you aren't with them, I'll be nearby. Hopefully it won't take long for him to make a move or if we're real lucky I'll find him before he does. There has to be a reason he killed the old man. Once we know who he is, that reason should be enough to clear you."

Justin couldn't help himself. His relief was overwhelming after all the days of being constantly on edge. He finally had someone in his corner who could really make a difference and get him out of this mess. Without thinking, Justin threw his arms around Brian's neck and whispered 'thank you' several times. Brian was surprised, but only for a second. He didn't feel any urge to disentangle himself so he let the hug continue for a bit longer. Finally he reached up and took Justin's arms, pulling them away from his neck. He saw the blond blush. It only served to make the young man even more attractive. 

Brian didn't see a young lady looking back at him with tears of gratitude in her eyes. He saw a beautiful young man and it caused that familiar tight feeling in his pants again. This wasn't a good idea, he told himself. It would make things too complicated. He needed to keep things on a strictly business level, but that was going to be hard. Inside his head he heard himself say, 'you have no idea how hard'. 

Out loud he simply said, "That's alright kid. You don't have to thank me. Now remember what I said, stay with the girls. In the meantime, I'll check every car on this train and try to find the guy. At least I have a clue what to look for now. I have a strong feeling he got off in all the confusion, but we're not that far from LA so I'm afraid we haven't seen the last of him even if he is off the train. Now you let me go first and we'll get back to the lounge car until we find some of your group. I won't leave you alone until then. I promise."

Justin was embarrassed at the familiar way he had hugged Brian on the one hand, but at the same time it had felt really good. He was just so grateful to the man for being on his side. Anything Brian asked him to do, he would. At least now he had a chance of getting back to a normal life, thanks to the handsome brunet he had been admiring since the day he first saw him. 

To be continued......................