Excerpt fromWhen the Music Stops

Chapter 1
Marta straightened her shoulders, gathered belongings and descended the metal stairs onto the train station platform. She hobbled through the crush of tired-looking travelers and entered the waiting room. Only two people waited inside the depot door. Neither was her mother.
A uniformed man stood on a platform high above the large room beside a large illuminated clock which read 12:21. He adjusted the removable lettering to read the new day's date: May 28, 1958. She'd left Billings, Montana less than twenty-four hours ago but the absence of her friends already stung.
The porter took his time pushing the overloaded cart into the waiting room. Once he'd unloaded each bag inside a roped off area, passengers crowded forward to redeem their bags and hurry out the exit. No mom, no rush. Marta waited until the area cleared then collected her two bags and checked the clock again. 12:35. She bit her lip as she scanned the waiting area. Where was her mom?