Retirement in Sarasota, Florida for ex Los Angeles police detective Robert Ryan was wonderful for the past five years. The decision to return to his home state of California was a hard one to make, but after returning a year earlier to help solve the homicide of his ex partner and friend Leo Metzger, he realized it was where he belonged. The flight plan for a leisurely trip home with stops along the way visiting old friends gave Ryan much pleasure until he boarded a passenger train in Las Cruces, New Mexico for the final leg of his journey. A beautiful woman, fellow travelers, and a couple deaths along the way added unwanted surprises to the remainder of his trip. What Ryan didn't know was that someone not only had been following the old detective but also manipulating some of the surprised happenings around him.