The Wurst Is Yet to Come Read Online Free

envelope.”
    â€œYou want to end up in the ER?” Judith shot back. “She’s twice your size.”
    Renie shrugged. “True, but I’m sneakier. She’ll never know what hit her.”
    â€œDon’t. Please. You’ll only make things worse.”
    â€œHow could I?” Renie said. And jumped—and swore.
    Judith looked down at the toddler, who was wide-eyed and slack-jawed. Renie snatched his hand out from under the cuff of her slacks.
    â€œGet your stupid car off my leg, you little twit! What do I look like? The Brick Yard?”
    It was his turn to burst into tears. The boy’s mother turned around just as her husband got to the desk. “What’s wrong with Ormond?” she asked in a vague voice. “Did he hurt himself?”
    â€œNot yet,” Renie said, “but if you don’t move this pest and the one hanging on to my backside, I’ll stuff them both in the baggage car.”
    â€œI beg your pardon?” the young woman huffed. “Ormond and Thurmond are amusing themselves. Don’t you like children?”
    â€œOnly as an appetizer,” Renie snapped.
    â€œExcuse me?” The woman took a step toward Renie. Ormond’s crying had dwindled to a whimper. Thurmond, who looked about five, scrambled to his mother’s side. Their father had finished at the desk.
    â€œCome on,” he said. “Let’s get on that iron horsey, guys!”
    Both boys scampered off with him, but their mother lingered. “Stay away from our sweeties, you . . . monster .” Getting a frozen stare in return, she turned to Judith. “Are you responsible for her?”
    Judith blinked. “Ah . . .”
    â€œSkip it,” the young woman said. “If you two bother us on the train, I’ll call the conductor.” She rushed off, flipping a long woolen scarf over one shoulder as if it were a penalty flag.
    Judith approached the conductor, who, she realized, looked distressingly familiar. “Good morning, Mr. Peterson,” she said in her friendliest tone. “We’re only going as far as Little Bavaria this time.”
    Mr. Peterson didn’t conceal his relief. “That’s . . . good. I mean,” he went on with a quick glance at Renie, “it’s a delightful town, especially this time of year. Have a pleasant trip.” He handed the tickets back to Judith. “You, too, Mrs. Bones.”
    â€œIt’s Jones, ” Renie growled.
    Judith practically shoved Renie toward the door. “A natural mistake,” she murmured. “Mr. Peterson probably was thinking about the bodies that littered our route on the Boston trip.”
    â€œBig deal,” Renie grumbled. “Which car are we in?”
    â€œSecond one down,” Judith replied, checking the seat numbers.
    Renie went first. They reasoned that if Judith fell forward, she’d land on something soft. Unless, of course, she fell backward.
    Judith noticed Franz Wessler toward the rear of the car. Renie saw the family of four behind their own seats.
    â€œDamn!” she said under her breath. “Do we have to put up with those little hoodlums the whole trip?”
    â€œWe could go to the café for coffee,” Judith suggested, placing her suitcase on a shelf at the coach’s near end. “I wonder if most of these people are going to Little Bavaria, too.”
    â€œSome of them are,” Renie said. “They’re dressed German-style.”
    Most of the costumes were worn by a dozen or more older people, but there were two younger couples and four teenagers in lederhosen and dirndl outfits. Letting Renie take the window seat, Judith avoided eye contact with the couple behind them. The little boys were whining. The older child demanded ice cream. Their parents were asking if the train had a play area.
    â€œThey’re going to Little Bavaria,” Judith whispered. “Try not to turn any of