“Not trailing us anyhow, I guess,” said Gatineau.
“How can you say that?”
“He hasn’t the air—an’ then, he’s got a grip in his hand. He is going to catch the westbound to join brother Neuburg at Banff.”
“Perhaps,” said Clement, remembering how they had been tricked before. “But why is he in Winnipeg?”
“That’s easy,” said the detective. “He probably got in here over the other railway north of Cobalt, and has changed onto our line for Banff. But we’d better watch him.”
They followed the half-breed cautiously, and saw him follow the crowd up the steps of Platform 6. There was no doubt that he was watching the westbound. Like a flash Gatineau did not go up the steps of Platform 6. He nipped up the steps of Platform 4. They arrived on the railway level just in time to see Siwash gain the platform. They took cover, and across the station watched him. They seemed astonishingly close, but it was obvious that he was not suspicious; he did not throw a glance their way.
Almost at once Clement said, “There is something more in this than merely catching the westbound, Gatineau. He’s waiting near the exit—for some reason.”
“He’s waiting for somebody, I guess,” said Gatineau. “Somebody who is stopping off the Montreal train.”
Clement’s heart jumped. Somebody who was stopping off from the transcontinental train—who could that somebody be? Heloise? Certainly his heart fluttered. Perhaps after all this was the end of the chase. It was more than likely Siwash had received some message from Neuburg at Winnipeg—he’d know how and where to pick one up, and that message had warned him to meet this train and Méduse and Heloise who came by it. He thought that quite likely, and then Gatineau said, “But why that grip?”