Baccano! – 09 “Claire Stanfield Accomplishes His Duty Faithfully”

Synopsis: The Rail Tracer’s identity is revealed.


In 1932, Nicholas and his assistant are talking whether the Flying Pussyfoot arrived safely. According to the assistant, the passenger cars were replaced besides the locomotive. Nicholas asks him if he knows about the circumstances. The assistant says only a little since the Nebula Company is restricting information. Still, it was a large accident and a few passengers have died. Nicholas asks if the woman was on board the train. The assistant confirms it. Nicholas then tells him that they’ll wait for her report. The woman arrives. She is the one in work clothes. She is using a crutch. Her name is Rachel.

Rachel goes to meet the director of Daily Days who asks her for the information she obtained at the train. He asks who were those in black suits and those in white suits. He also asks who or what the Rail Tracer is. Rachel remembers the time when Jacuzzi and the others were talking about the Rail Tracer. She was at the dining car then. Rachel says there was a monster in the Flying Pussyfoot.

In 1931, aboard the train, Ladd, Lua and two of his men, find a room filled with dead bodies horribly killed. Ladd wonders what method was used to kill in such a filthy manner. He sees a corpse without a face. He thinks it is probably Dune, one of his followers. He wonders who could have killed him. It would be difficult to exact revenge without knowing the identity of the killer.

The older conductor, after talking about the Rail Tracer, says there is no rescue method. He points a gun at the younger one but the younger one kicks the gun from the older conductor’s hands. He takes the gun and says the rescue method is to kill before one gets killed. He says he has a continuation to the story. One must believe in that story so the Rail Tracer wouldn’t come. In case it has come already, one must flee before the sun rises. He says, however, that it is too late. He who is the Rail Tracer will come after he fires the gun and kill the other. He shoots the gun.

Another conductor arrives. He asks what went on. The conductor who killed the older one points the gun at him. He says that there should have been only two conductors aboard the train. The other one says he isn’t anyone suspicious. The one with the gun wonders how the other could remain calm. He ask for the other’s identity and objective. The other says his secret is out already. The real conductor drops his gun. He says it seems the other won’t yield to a gun pointed at him so he will torture him instead. He opens a door and goes outside.

The one who posed as a conductor takes a gun but realizes the conductor has gone. He goes outside to check. Suddenly, someone pulls his feet. It is the conductor. He holds the other guy towards the train tracks and asks for his identity. The guy says he’s Dune. The conductor then pushes Dune’s face to the tracks. He learns that Dune is a friend of the Russo family. He asks why Dune is wearing a conductor’s uniform. He also asks how he obtained it. Dune admits he got it from an old conductor. He killed the old man afterwards. The young conductor tells Dune that the old man’s name is Tony. He pushes Dune’s face to the tracks.

Ladd is somehow excited at the though of Dune’s killer. He tells Lua and his men to watch out as there’s someone dangerous in the train. He then tells Lua to hide as he the black-suited men and the one who killed Dune. Lua nodds. Ladd reminds her that he will be the one to kill her.

The killer conductor also learns of the Lemures. He says he will become a monster, the Rail Tracer. He smears his face with blood.

Back to 1932, Rachel reports to the Daily Days director that the Rail Tracer was the conductor. She saw him wearing a conductor’s uniform. The Rail Tracer even talked to her. He asked for her ticket. Nicholas laughs. Rachel looks at him and then he stops. The director then says there’s no mistaking the conductor is Vino. Nicholas asks him why he thinks so. The director replies that Vino was feared as an elusive monster who appeared in cities throughout America. He appeared in one place, disappeared then appeared in another. He could be a conductor of a transcontinental train. The places where he appeared matched the train’s route.

Rachel says she has heard of Vino. He is also known as Claire Stanfield. He was raised by the father of the Gandor brothers who lived next door. He could be called the fourth brother of the Gandors. He was taken in by a circus afterwards. There, he developed a beyond human strength and technique. Vino’s killing methods are said to be filthy. The bodies he leave are mutilated beyond recognition.

The director asks Nicholas if he was able to confirm that Vino was in contact of the Gandor brothers. Nicholas says he did.

When the Flying Pussyfoot arrived at New York, a man handed something to Luck. It was a letter. Luck tells Keith about it. Some time after, the Gandor brothers met with Claire who tells them that he is no longer Claire and that he is no longer a conductor either. The Gandor brothers are a little shocked. Their adopted brother tells them they can call him Vino or Rail Tracer.

Going back to Rachel. she wonders why Vino committed indiscriminate murders. The director, however, thinks that it might look indiscriminate but it’s probably based on some sense of ethics that Vino upholds. Rachel comments that Vino even killed a child around ten years old. The director tells Rachel that perhaps she can ask Vino about it some time. Rachel is puzzled at this. The director says there are still many things he wants to ask, for instance, how she got her injury.

In 1930, Dallas and his cohorts woke up to see Ennis. They realize they were injected with something. Quates speaks and introduces himself to them. He tells Dallas and his gang that he intends to kill them after they tell him about what they know. He demonstrates on one of Dallas’ men. He then asks Dallas if he wants to make a deal with him. Dallas, however, is too shocked to answer. Quates leaves.

Quates asks Ennis about the other two at the site. Ennis replies they left soon after and that there were no traces of her being followed. Quates then tells her that it seems the complete product is at the headquarters of a mafia family, the Gandors. Quates suggests that he’ll let Dallas and what’s left of his gang retrieve it. They hate the Gandors, afterall. Since they have obtained immortal bodies, perhaps they will obey happily.

The old men go to Quates. They ask why Quates gave the medicine to the thugs. Quates tells them to shut up. He then explains that they might get into trouble with the mafia. The thugs will be their tools for that.

In the Flying Pussyfoot, the Lemures has found Mary, the senator’s wife. The leader explains that they are currently negotiating with her husband. If they can’t let him understand the deal, they’ll show him it’s nothing empty. They might kill her and her daughter. Until then, she is safe.

Ennis goes to the Gandor’s hideout. She observes as Dallas and his men go inside. They tell Berga that they will retrieve the box they left. Berga tells them that he can’t give it to them since they can’t tell if it’s Dallas’ property. They’ll have to wait until Luck returns the following day. Dallas and his men show their guns. They shoot. Dallas is amazed at the sight. He gets shot in the forehead, however. It’s Berga.

Berga stands up to call Luck. Dallas stabs a knife at Berga’s forehead. He and his men are happy that they are immortals.

Back to the train, Ladd finds Czeslaw. It seems Czeslaw has something to tell him. Ladd asks him what he wants. The boy says he has a request. Ladd tells him that depending on his request, whether he will laugh or get angry, that will decide Czeslaw’s lifespan. Czeslaw nods. He then asks Ladd to kill all the people in the dining car. Ladd is surprised. He asks if Czeslaw understood what he said. Czeslaw nods.

Anyway, I really thought the woman in work clothes is Claire Stanfield. I mean, who would have thought that the young conductor’s name is Claire. I haven’t heard of any guy named Claire. Still, the revelations regarding the conductors were a surprise. I thought they didn’t matter to the story already. Well, a few more episodes to blog and I’m done with Baccano!.

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