Chapter 54:
William was pacing in his office at Station 4. It had been a really hectic late morning and early evening. When he left the Lauzon brothers' room, evidence in hand, he still went through the last compartments he had not yet searched. But he had not seen anything.
He then returned to the main dining car where everyone was waiting for him, eyes worried and anxious. Some were seated at tables, others standing in the middle of the room or near windows. He had spotted Zachary Lauzon – or Nathanael Lauzon – quite easily and walked over to him. He had shown him the papers he had found, and, against all odds, the young man had made no move. He just looked down and said, "At least my sister will have gotten what she should have gotten."
He had heard murmurs of shock and indignation around him. Inspector Brackenreid approached immediately to grab Mr. Lauzon's arm and William turned his head to see the shocked face of Walid Champagne who had always liked the young man. He was able to quickly spot Julia, who was standing near a window, her arms crossed.
He then asked him where his brother was, and the passengers gasped in surprise. "In the engine room... Tell him it's over..."
When he had then descended, he had found the brother with a striking resemblance. It was impossible not to confuse them. He understood immediately and followed him without making a fuss. After which, they had locked the two brothers in their compartments until they arrived in Toronto. They had warned Pierre Barton that there would be no relief until the end of the trip, and he put on a face of complete shock when told the reason for this.
Then he had to stay outside the compartment door with Brackenreid until they arrived. And, against all odds, once the train at the station, a horde of journalists and citizens were waiting for them in front. Apparently, the warrant that had been requested by telegram from The Winter Mist train had caused a lot of talk, until all of Toronto found out. The flashes had crackled when they all got off the train and even more so when William and Brackenreid had disembarked with Zachary and Nathanael Lauzon held by their arms.
What was funny was that the twenty-four – twenty-five – passengers had literally spent more than nine days together, but each had rushed out of this hellhole. No one wanted to linger, and everyone went home as quickly as possible to forget about this "catastrophic" trip.
He had not been able to see Julia, being obliged to leave directly in the direction of the police station. So, it was like that? They parted without saying goodbye and that was it? No, that could not be all. He would go to the hospital of Toronto every day if necessary to find her.
He sighed and looked at Nathanael Lauzon, his head lowered, and his hands cuffed to the interrogation table.
"So, if I understand correctly, it was you who killed Lazare Lamoureux."
"Yes. My brother Zachary was creating a diversion with the Champagnes." he replied hesitantly.
"How did the murder go? Not quite as expected, is it? He struggled." he inquired.
"Indeed. I planned to kill him with a knife and leave the gun there… But he struggled, I dropped the gun and grabbed the first thing on me…"
"Your pocket handkerchief?"
"Unfortunately, yes. I strangled him but blood squirted on him. I panicked and shoved it into his stomach, thinking that before we got back to Toronto it would dissolve. Besides, I had not imagined that there would be a female doctor on board… We had looked at the professions of all the men and…"
"In the end, it was one of your only mistakes. With the thought that we'll never get a warrant to search your compartments."
"It is true that we were caught off guard. Especially since we didn't think you had already asked for it…" confessed the young man.
"What happened after the murder?" asked William.
"Well, after that I sabotaged the train thinking another day or two would dissolve the tissue and clear my name. But it was without counting on this intelligent woman." he sighed.
"And what happened before all of this? What was the plan?"
Nathanael sighed in despair.
"In 1888, my sister was attacked by this man… After which, she died inside. She had no more light in her, no more nothing. She was such a happy little girl… Constantly smiling and cheeks flushed with amusement… She was a little prankster…" Nathanael sighed a second time, the smile on the lips of nostalgia, the shining eyes.
Then his smile suddenly faded.
"She was destroyed…"
"You…you didn't go to the police?"
"In your opinion? Of course, yes. But they did nothing. They didn't want to do anything. Mr. Lamoureux was far too influential… They didn't even open any investigations. Then she committed suicide… my little sister… If the police had done their job, we wouldn't have needed to take the law into our own hands!" cried the man, suddenly banging on the table.
William nodded, his heart tightening, but keeping his face neutral.
"After our sister's funeral, we swore revenge on that asshole! We tried to gather as much information as possible about him and learned that he had family in Sitka and took The Winter Mist once a month. So, with my brother, we applied, but only under one name and as one person: Zachary Lauzon. We trained, and we took turns, and then Zachary took the exam, and we got hired at The Night Train Station, and we asked to drive the Winter Mist, and that's how we arrived at that…" explained Mr. Lauzon.
The young man nodded thoughtfully again. Unfortunately, the sentence would be without appeal for the two boys... Killing a human being was punishable by death, regardless of the reason...
"Well… Thank you for your honesty. Thanks to you and your brother who came just before. You're going to join him in the cell then… I… I don't think I'll do much to make the sentence different." William stammered.
"I know." he smiled kindly at him. "I thank you all the same because, despite your closed face, I can see the understanding in your eyes. And that means everything to me. My sister will have been avenged and that's all that matters. Now we will join her in a better world."
William looked down, then nodded to Nathanael. He finally left the interrogation room and ordered the officers posted in front to take him back to the cell pending his trial, which would be held in three days, at the same time as that of his brother.
Note: The Lauzon's story is quite sad I think... I'll let you make your own opinion on it.