The lighting in the cafe car was subdued. Smoke hung thickly around the heads of a dozen or so passengers.
The woman on the small stage at the far end of the car played dark and sultry strains of music on her accordion. From the corner of her eye, she could see a strange little man entering the car with an angry but furtive look on his face. He tried to adopt a casual demeanor as he made his way slowly toward her.
"Ah... mon petite cabbage", she thought (*my little friend). And she smiled as he tucked a compartment key into the top of her fishnet stocking.