Chapter 3:

William finally entered his compartment which was practically at the very end of the train. He sighed heavily when he closed the door behind him. The train had already picked up speed and the Brackenreids were also going to settle in their compartments. He put his bag on the luxurious seat of his car. He looked around, amazed. His room at Madam Kitchen's boarding house was literally not as big as this luxurious compartment. He had never seen such a thing.

A large double bed instead of small berths in bunk beds, as in night trains. A sofa, an armchair and a table large enough to order room service. William walked to a door and opened it in wonder. Inside was a magnificent bathroom with a sink and a bathtub in front of the window from which one could observe the landscape.

The young man returned to the "living room" of his compartment and sat down on the armchair facing the window, sighing. He looked at the landscape, amazed. The landscape that had quickly become beautiful countryside, full of trees and fields. William regretted having lost his temper with the young woman previously. He was not like that, but lately he has been feeling gloomy and lonely. His fiancée had died a little over two years old now from tuberculosis and he could not get over it. They had had so little time together that it had been almost inhuman. He had lost faith quickly. What good was all this if, every time he prayed, every time he went to confession or went to mass, God did not hear him. What good was it all if, when he was finally happy, his happiness was taken from him unfairly.

He had been at rock bottom for so long after her death. He had overreactions to trivial situations. As before with the young woman. He should have understood that she was annoyed, along with all the other passengers. It was normal after all. It was well written on the ticket that the train always left on time, no matter the delays. But in this situation where the train was not going to leave without them, they had, coincidentally, found themselves in traffic when Bobby suddenly remembered having forgotten his toy bag on the floor in the bathroom of the Brackenreid house. Margaret had insisted on making a U-turn when Thomas did not want to, already completely annoyed by the delay they were all already accumulating.

"No, no, I know him, he's going to make a big scene for us on the train and he won't have anything to worry about." Margaret had said, herself beginning to panic at the crying of her little boy.

Finally, they had made a U-turn when they were already very late. When they finally arrived at the station, they ran as fast as they could with their suitcases and finally got into the main car.

William got up again and decided to start putting his things away. He furtively thought back to the young woman from earlier. Even though he regretted having lost his temper, she really made him angry easily, and he did not really know why. He had also found her really beautiful in her purple skirt and her white shirt, haloed with a black belt. Her hair was as beautiful as her face and build. But she had still made him angry with such ease that it had been exceptional.

William took a shirt out of his bag and noticed with annoyance that it was wrinkled. He looked around but saw nothing to iron it. He should manage to discreetly go and ask an employee for help. In the meantime, he went to a cupboard and opened it, his shirt in his hand. He suppressed a gasp of wonder when he saw the layout of the wardrobe. A whole shaving kit was there, as well as a kit for shoes and towels folded neatly in four.

He closed the cupboard carefully and then opened another door which he thought was what he was looking for, but no. He opened his mouth again in shock. It was an entire compartment filled with liquor bottles. He raised his eyebrows and smirked. He hoped for Inspector Brackenreid that his wife had not seen this compartment in their bedroom. He closed that drawer, opened another, then another, then another, until he found what he was looking for: a dressing room. He smiled and took out a hanger to put away his crumpled shirt.

Walid Champagne, the director of the Night Train Station company, had invited Chief Inspector Brackenreid of Station 4 for a ride on his The Winter Mist train. The train was going back and forth between Toronto and Sitka, Alaska. Six days in total and three days in the town of Sitka before leaving by train.

Mister Champagne had come to Station 4 in person to invite the inspector. He was very grateful for a criminal investigation that had been solved in Toronto's Night Train Station, without damaging its reputation. He had then decided to offer him a place for him and his whole family. But Inspector Brackenreid, always very generous and above all concerned about the physiological health of William after the death of his companion, had insisted that the investigation had been solved by himself. Mister Champagne, who was then very grateful to William, had also offered him a place on his train. An offer he had kindly refused, until Brackenreid sent him a murderous look behind Walid's back. He had then accepted thinking that finally, it was really a magnificent opportunity. He could not be so stubborn. And now that he was opening what seemed to be his fifth closet, he was glad he agreed.

When William had finally put away his last garment, he decided to slip away from his magnificent room. He would not want to get tired of it too soon, would he? He decided to go to his superior Thomas Brackenreid's cabin, which was in the hallway next to his. The young man closed the door of his cabin behind him and walked down the long luxurious hallway made of varnished wood and bluish marble. Blue was the predominant color in The Winter Mist. The armchairs were blue. The canapes were blue. Beams, beds, and tables were too. Navy blue, dark blue, turquoise, or night, all possible shades were highlighted by snow white and raven black.

William slowed down and finally stopped in front of one of the hallway windows. He put his hands on the railing and once again admired the increasingly green landscape.

Suddenly, William heard the cabin just behind him open. He turned around and met the gaze of a man in his forties. He had dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes, although he seemed rather vague. The detective in him seemed to awaken in any situation, William thought. The man nodded at him, but William noticed that he looked suspicious.

"Nathan?"

William suddenly heard a female voice emerge from behind the so-called Nathan.

"What are you doing?" asked the young woman impatiently. "Advance!"

The dark-haired man with the short beard shifted to the right to let a woman with braided blond hair pass. Her eyes were rather larger than average in size, accentuated by the shape of her thin face. William thought for a moment that she looked strange. As if, she was going to attack the first person she saw with her bulging eyes.

"Oh! Who are you?" asked the woman who suddenly noticed the presence of William who, however, was less than two meters from them.

"Milly!" exclaimed Nathan, who spoke for the first time in his deep voice but raised an octave.

"What? We are going to spend three days together. And if sir is here, it's because his compartment must be not far from ours." Milly replied dismissively before turning back to William who did not react.

"So?" she insisted.

Murdoch hesitated for a moment. He wanted to leave. The two people did not inspire him at all with confidence. There was a strange tension in the room, and he easily felt uneasy.

"I am William. William Murdoch."

"Oh, very good." she replied indifferently. "I'm Mildred Savard. And this is my husband, Nathaniel Savard."

She slapped her husband's chest, who looked at her with a look of annoyance. The young detective stayed there for a few moments watching them, while they themselves observed him without blinking.

"Fine… I'll go." William said after a while, eager to get out of this hell. "Glad to…meet you."

He then quickly turned away from them and opened the door to the next hallway which he then closed behind him. He sighed, his back against it. They were so strange it was almost scary. Not to mention that his compartment was right next to theirs. Hoping they would not find out. He had a bad feeling about them. But he shook his head. He thought again that it was just his detective instinct. Doing this job for years gives you habits of easy mistrust.

Note: William begins to meet passengers - including Julia apparently. Thanks for reading my story!