Talking to the Mob, what could go wrong?

In his room, he reviewed everything he knew. He wished he had a chalkboard to hang up his information and notes, but a small notebook would have to suffice.

The Fortune Teller seemed strange after her reading, which she did only because she drew The Hanged Man instead of The High Priestess. He checked the card book to see what it could mean, and the word that made the most sense in relation to The Hanged Man was 'sacrifice.' But that card was representing the Fortune Teller in general. After pulling The Wheel of Fortune, she went back to his room, theoretically to sleep.

The Cowboy and the Criminal had not been seen by anyone else at that time, and the Illusionist himself returned to his room. According to the timing of events, the Criminal met the Old Mobster before the Lady heard the footsteps since the photo they took was much later in the night. At that time, the corridor should have been empty, as the two henchmen who were supposed to be on guard were playing cards with the Old Mobster, and the rest were already sleeping.

One thing he could be certain of was that at some point during the night, the Fortune Teller went to the restaurant car. Perhaps one of the footsteps Lady heard belonged to her. Then someone returned, and more steps went forward again. Theoretically, it could have been all the Fortune Teller – she went, came back, and went again. It could have been three people, with two going and one returning. The possibilities were still numerous for the Illusionist to draw a conclusion.

He turned his attention back to the cards he had. The Star on the Fortune Teller's body and The Tower in the Tarot book. The Star represented hope, and The Tower, tragedy. However, the Star also represented the Heiress, while The Tower had multiple meanings from the previous night but also emerged when he drew The Devil for the Old Mobster, and the card fell.

He considered a different option. The Fortune Teller might have noticed something odd when she drew The Wheel of Fortune but not necessarily that she would die. Perhaps that's where the sacrifice of The Hanged Man comes into play. He thought The Star might not signify that the Heiress was the culprit but that she was the target.

If the vampire was still after her, she was in danger, and the Illusionist had to do something about it. After all, that's why the Fortune Teller might have died. And if he managed to get close to the Heiress, he could retrieve the card from her pocket.

Now, in the midst of the afternoon, he hurried to the first class car and encountered two henchmen in the hallway.

"Excuse me, I need to speak with the Old Mobster," the Illusionist requested, but the henchmen didn't seem willing to cooperate.

"Forget it, he's resting now," said Henchman number-whatever, as the Illusionist hadn't memorized their designations.

"Exactly, you can go take a walk," said the other, laughing at the Illusionist's expense.

Lacking patience for this, he pushed past the two and opened the door to the room. The Old Mobster glared furiously at the door.

"You had one job! I think you guys want to be demoted, huh?" the Old Mobster snapped at the henchmen. "And you, what do you want?"

Without giving him a chance to be thrown out of the room, the Illusionist began.

"I have reason to believe that the Heiress is in danger. I think she was the vampire's original target yesterday."

The Old Mobster stared at him intensely, as if trying to read him as much as the Illusionist was analyzing the Old Mobster. Then a dangerous idea emerged in his mind. If this was planned, the one who stood to gain the most was the Old Mobster. If the Heiress died, he would become the head of the mob. The Illusionist immediately regretted trying to help.

"What do you mean by that?" the Old Mobster asked.

"Well, if you really care about her safety, you need to increase security." The Old Mobster stepped closer, fury in his eyes.

"Are you accusing me? None of us is a vampire, and besides, we all have alibis!"

The Illusionist thought of the least destructive way to escape this situation.

"Then there should be no problem increasing the Heiress's protection. It would be good for one of your best henchmen to stay with her all the time, maybe even ask the rest of the train to help."

Now he was testing the Old Mobster, wanting to see how far he would go to prove his innocence.

"You better watch yourself; I may not be a vampire, but I protect my family. By the way, accusing me of trying to kill a member of my family is an outrage. Do you know how important loyalty is to the mob?"

"I didn't accuse you, sir. I'm just concerned about the Heiress. I'd like to talk to her, warn her about the danger," the Illusionist replied.

"Right!" the Old Mobster shot back, still fuming. "I don't trust you, or the information you brought. Of course, I'll increase the Heiress's protection, especially against you. Now leave me alone! Consider this your last warning."

The Illusionist made a bow and left the room, really wanting to speak with the Heiress but knowing it wouldn't be the right time. Maybe he could sneak into her room during the night. It would look very suspicious if he were caught, but he didn't see any other option. Besides, maybe the killer would strike again tonight, and the girl needed protection.

The day was ending, with the sun setting on the left side of the train. Dinner would be served soon, and the Illusionist still had one more person he wanted to talk to and confirm a final hunch.