Peril on the Royal Train Read online

  ‘I hope, for your sake, that that’s true.’

  Rae continued to bait the general manager but the ordeal didn’t continue for long. There was a knock on the door and John Mudie entered with a telegraph.

  ‘This has just arrived, sir,’ he said, handing it to Craig.

  ‘Thank you.’

  ‘I think you’ll find it cheering news.’

  When Craig read the telegraph, his face was suddenly split by a grin.

  ‘Inspector Colbeck hasn’t quit the field at all,’ he said. ‘He’ll soon be back in Glasgow to continue the search.’

  ‘It will be as futile as his first attempt,’ snapped Rae.

  ‘I’d still back him over you, Inspector.’

  ‘Does that mean you’d pay his expenses out of your own pocket?’

  ‘Yes, I would,’ said Craig, goaded into making the commitment. ‘He and the sergeant can stay at any hotel in the city and I’ll gladly pay the bill.’

  ‘Then you’re about to make an extremely expensive mistake.’

  On that spiteful note, Rae rose to his feet and swept out of the room.

  ‘Thank you for coming to my rescue, John,’ said Craig, flopping back into his chair. ‘And thank you for bringing me the news about Colbeck. It enabled me to shake Inspector Rae off my back. He was insufferable.’

  ‘There’s other news to pass on,’ said Mudie.

  ‘What is it?’

  ‘You have another visitor. He came in search of Inspector Colbeck. When I told him the inspector wasn’t here, he insisted on speaking to you instead.’

  ‘Who is he?’

  ‘He’s a young shepherd by the name of Jamie Farr. He’s been here before.’

  ‘Indeed, he has,’ said Craig, roused by the information. ‘He was very helpful. Send him in, John. I want to hear what the lad has to say.’

  On the following morning, they caught the early train to Glasgow. Though he braced himself for a punishing journey, Leeming knew very little about it at the outset. Almost as soon as the train left Euston, he fell asleep and didn’t wake up until they were steaming into Birmingham. Coming awake with a start, he saw that Colbeck had been writing something in his notebook.

  ‘Ah,’ said the inspector, ‘you’re back in the land of the living.’

  Leeming wiped the sleep from his eyes. ‘I was tired, sir.’

  ‘Then you did the right thing. You had a refreshing nap and you were spared the discomfort you always feel on a train.’

  ‘I’m not the only one. Hounsell despises them as much as I do.’

  ‘Was he the locksmith from Wolverhampton?’

  ‘Yes,’ replied Leeming, ‘and he was very annoyed that he had to suffer two train journeys in order to open an empty safe.’

  ‘There was always the possibility that it would be empty,’ said Colbeck. ‘Whoever killed him must have rifled the safe before he left.’

  ‘How could he open it without the key and the combination?’

  ‘I daresay that he got Scanlan to open it for him.’

  ‘Do you mean that he forced him to do it?’

  ‘That wasn’t necessary, Victor. There’s a very easy way to make someone open a safe.’

  ‘Is there?’

  ‘Of course,’ said Colbeck. ‘You give him a large amount of money. His first instinct is to lock it away. That’s what must have happened at Scanlan’s house. We know that he was expecting the rest of the money owed to him. Once it was handed over, he opened the safe to put it inside and was attacked. With Scanlan dead on the floor, all that the killer had to do was to steal everything that was in the safe and lock it behind him.’

  ‘They left us nothing in the way of a clue,’ said Leeming, bitterly. ‘Ned Layne told us that there was a lot of money in that safe. It’s all gone.’

  ‘Yes, Victor, it’s helping to fund the attack on the royal train. Not that the villains are short of money,’ he added. ‘They appear to have unlimited amounts.’

  ‘Where does it come from?’

  ‘I wish I knew.’

  Four passengers joined them at Birmingham so they no longer had the freedom to discuss the case in an empty compartment. Colbeck studied his ordnance survey map and Leeming picked up the newspaper they’d bought from the station bookstall. When he read the report of the murder, he was pleased to see that the victim was referred to as Alfred Penn. His real name would emerge later. For the time being, Mary Burnell and her parents were kept ignorant of it. Any delay would be valuable. It would help them to adjust to the horror of Scanlan’s death before they learnt the brutal truth about the man they all revered.

  A lengthy stop at Preston station allowed them to get out of the train to stretch their legs. After buying some refreshments, they strolled up and down the platform.

  ‘I saw you looking at that map again, Inspector,’ said Leeming.

  ‘Yes – I think I know every inch of that part of Scotland now.’

  ‘There’s such a big area for us to cover.’

  ‘Oh, I think we can discount huge parts of it, Victor. My feeling is that the second strike will not be such a great distance from the first.’

  ‘That still gives us miles of railway line to police.’

  ‘I’m afraid that it does,’ confessed Colbeck. ‘At the moment, we’re shooting arrows in the dark. There’s something we’ve missed. It’s right there in front of us if we only had the sense to see it. We’ll have to start the search again.’

  ‘Where will we begin, sir?’

  ‘You’ll begin in Perth.’

  Leeming blenched. ‘But that’s even further north than Glasgow.’

  ‘I’m glad to see that you’ve already mastered the geography of Scotland.’

  ‘Why do I have to go there?’

  ‘It’s something we should have done earlier,’ explained Colbeck. ‘I want you to look more closely at the theft of that gunpowder.’

  ‘I thought it was stolen from a barracks.’

  ‘It was, Victor. The barracks in question belong to the 42nd Regiment of Foot. You probably know them by another name.’

  ‘I don’t know much about army regiments.’

  ‘Then this is your opportunity to learn something. The 42nd is better known as the Black Watch, one of the finest and proudest regiments in the British army. In view of that,’ said Colbeck, ‘I want you to ask them how they allowed gunpowder to be stolen from under their noses and used to cause a train crash. Be warned.’

  ‘Why is that?’

  ‘They won’t like the question. You may get a dusty answer.’

  The man was very patient. Seated astride his horse, he had an uninterrupted view of the railway line for over a mile as it arrowed its way south. He was sheltering behind some bushes that gave him protection from the wind and cover from prying eyes. In his hand, he held a stopwatch. As each new passenger train came into view, he timed its approach then made a note of it on his pad, estimating the speed as he did so. Goods traffic was of no interest to him. Watching only passenger trains, he counted the number of their carriages as they sped past. Light was fading and the wind was freshening. His work was done. He was about to ride away when another passenger train appeared on the horizon. Clicking his stopwatch, he could see the seconds tick by as the train approached.

  After it had gone, he recorded all the details, glad that he’d waited for one more train. Unlike the others, this one had the requisite number of carriages and was travelling at approximately the right speed. It was a useful guide. The last train had made his long vigil worthwhile and he congratulated himself. What he didn’t realise as he rode away was that it was carrying two detectives from Scotland Yard who’d come to arrest him.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Nairn Craig was waiting at the Strathallan Hotel to greet them. He shook their hands with a mixture of relief and desperation. There was a clear smell of whisky on his breath. After giving them time to move into their respective rooms, he took them to the bar and ordered a round of drinks. When t
hey’d settled down at a table, he spread his arms as if imploring help.

  ‘What do you have to tell me?’ he asked.

  ‘We’ve been busy while we’ve been in London,’ replied Colbeck. ‘The sergeant had to fight for his life against a strong opponent and I had the privilege of a meeting with Prince Albert.’

  ‘I wish it had been the other way round,’ said Leeming, moodily. ‘It should have been your turn to get into a brawl, Inspector, and my children would be thrilled if they knew that their father had gone to Buckingham Palace.’

  ‘You’ll get there one day, I’m sure.’

  ‘Your telegraph said very little, Inspector,’ observed Craig.

  ‘That was deliberate. I wasn’t certain who’d see it.’

  ‘So what happened while you were away?’

  ‘There have been developments, sir. Isn’t that right, Sergeant?’

  ‘Oh, yes,’ said Leeming, gulping down his beer. ‘I’ll vouch for that. I still have some of the bruises from one of those developments.’

  Craig rubbed his hands. ‘Tell me all.’

  Colbeck was unusually prolix, adding details in order to colour the narrative and providing a lot of background information about certain individuals. He explained how the burglary at Renwick’s house had sent them off in pursuit of Patrick Scanlan and how Leeming’s tenacity had unearthed the burglar’s address. Delighted to hear that they’d identified someone involved in the projected crime on his railway, Craig was dismayed to learn that the man was dead. He took little consolation from the fact that Scanlan’s servant had provided descriptions of the two men who’d come to the house. They were so general that they could fit thousands of people. In spite of the optimism that Colbeck injected into his voice, the general manager’s spirits had been lowered.

  ‘In essence,’ he concluded, ‘the visit to London was in vain.’

  ‘I wouldn’t say that, sir.’

  ‘Nor me,’ Leeming chimed in. ‘I got to see my family.’

  ‘That hardly advances the investigation,’ complained Craig.

  ‘I disagree,’ said Colbeck. ‘We all need periods of rest to revitalise us. The sergeant is a different man since he spent time at home and I feel inspired after seeing my wife again. We’ve returned to the fray with new energy.’

  ‘Well, I hope that it’s deployed in the right direction.’

  ‘It will be, sir – but I haven’t told you about my visit to the palace.’

  Craig sat up. ‘What’s the Queen’s position?’

  ‘She and her husband are waiting on events,’ said Colbeck. ‘I think I persuaded Prince Albert that the royal train must depart on the date set in order to flush out the villains. If we’ve made no arrests before that day, I suggested that the royal family could leave the train at Carlisle and wait until the coast was clear.’

  ‘Do you intend the train to continue without them?’

  ‘Yes, I do. It’s very distinctive and will be seen coming by the villains.’

  ‘What about those still on board it?’

  ‘They’ll be made aware of the danger,’ said Colbeck, ‘but they’ll also be told that we’re likely to have caught those ready to attack it before they can do so.’

  ‘That word “likely” troubles me, Inspector. I’d want a more definite guarantee. You’re asking me to put Caledonian employees into grave danger. They won’t have forgotten what happened to that goods train.’

  ‘You’re assuming that we’ll make no progress in the next few days.’

  ‘We’ve made little enough so far,’ said Craig, ‘as Inspector Rae was only too ready to remind me. He’s been taunting me ever since you left.’

  ‘What has his investigation turned up?’

  ‘Very little, as it happens.’

  ‘Is he still hunting for suspects from the NBR?’

  ‘Yes, he is but he keeps finding time to pester me.’

  ‘Does he suspect that you’re hiding something from him?’

  ‘I’m afraid that he does.’

  ‘Too many cooks spoil the broth,’ said Leeming. ‘We don’t want Inspector Rae poking his nose into our business. We had too much of that with Superintendent McTurk.’

  ‘Forget him – he’s been sacked. Well,’ said Craig, finishing his whisky before getting up, ‘I have to admit to disappointment. I hoped you’d bring good news from London with you but it hasn’t materialised. That will only encourage Inspector Rae to crow over me once more.’

  ‘He may soon have to replace his scorn with an apology,’ said Colbeck.

  ‘I wish I could believe that, Inspector. Good night to you both.’ About to depart on that curt note, he remembered something. ‘Oh, I had a visit yesterday from the young shepherd who helped us before.’

  ‘What did Jamie say?’

  ‘He insisted on speaking to you, Inspector. For some reason, he doesn’t trust the rest of us. He wanted to know when you’d be back in Glasgow.’

  ‘I told him to keep his eyes peeled. Has he seen something of interest?’

  ‘I think so. His story was rather garbled. He refused to give me any details. He said he wanted to show you something.’

  ‘I’ll go and see him in the morning.’

  ‘Don’t believe everything he tells you.’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘To be honest, I thought him rather sly.’

  Colbeck frowned. ‘That wasn’t my impression of the lad.’

  ‘He kept on and on about the reward money,’ said Craig, irritably. ‘I had the feeling that he’d lie his young head off in order to get hold of it.’

  The telescope was a wise investment. As well as enabling Farr to scan the horizon, it allowed him to keep a closer watch on his flock. The sheep wandered far and wide and Angus couldn’t easily round them all up. Thanks to the telescope, Farr could make sure that none of them strayed near the railway line. If they did, he dispatched his dog to drive them to safety. There was an additional bonus and it was the one that he liked most. With the aid of the instrument, he could see Bella Drew’s cottage from over half a mile away. When she came into view, she was tiny and indistinct but he nevertheless took pleasure from simply watching her. If she saw the sun glinting off the telescope, Bella gave him a cheery wave.

  His second visit to Glasgow had been disappointing. Overcoming his disgust at the railway, he took the train there and endured another fraught ride. When he got to the offices of the Caledonian Railway the previous day, however, he learnt that Inspector Colbeck had been in London and was unavailable until the morrow. The man to whom he’d spoken was the general manager and he’d been far less pleasant than Colbeck. It was clear that he didn’t trust Farr and refused to make any promises about the reward money. Having gone there with high hopes, the shepherd had left dejected because he had no good news to take back to Bella Drew. The undeniable truth was that Craig hadn’t taken him seriously. That hurt his pride.

  On the train journey back, he came to see that his expectations might be ill-founded. He went to Glasgow in the certainty that he’d made an important discovery yet there was no actual proof of that. Looked at with cold objectivity, his find was not as exciting as he’d thought at first. All that he’d seen were the marks of some cartwheels in a stand of trees. There were lots of reasons to explain how they got there, most of them unconnected with a recent train crash. As for the people he’d seen in the trap, there were several innocent explanations to account for their appearance beside the railway line. He’d been too quick to leap to conclusions and too ready to believe them. More worrying was the fact that he’d made Bella Drew believe them as well. He’d given her false hope.

  Sitting down on the ridge, he took out a hunk of bread and a piece of cheese. When he began to munch the food, Angus came to curl up beside him. Farr gave him an absentminded pat. The railway was out of sight now but he could hear another train hurtling through the dale and leaving its smoky signature in the blue sky. The noise seemed to hang in the air for minutes. It was the
dog who saw the trap first. Angus needed no telescope to descry the approach of the vehicle. Farr swung his head round to look. Even from that distance, he could see who the driver was and the telescope confirmed it.

  Inspector Colbeck was coming to see him. After swallowing a piece of cheese, Farr wrapped the rest of it up in a piece of cloth with the remains of the bread. He got to his feet with mixed feelings, hopeful that he might, after all, be able to earn the reward, yet resigned to the notion that he’d brought the inspector on a wasted journey. His future was in the balance. Would he be able to celebrate or suffer embarrassment? It was an open question.

  Edward Tallis was writhing in annoyance. From the moment he’d taken direct charge of the case, he’d been kept on its periphery. It was Leeming who had the credit for the arrest of Ned Layne and Colbeck who’d been invited to Buckingham Palace in place of his superior. When the superintendent tried to accompany them to Glasgow, he was told by the commissioner to remain at his desk in London because he had no first-hand knowledge of the situation in Scotland and was more likely to be a liability there. That rankled.

  Pulling on a cigar from the new box at last provided by the tobacconist, he brooded in silence. He was still dwelling on the slights he’d received of late when there was a loud knock on his door. It was opened by the commissioner who strode into the middle of the room. Tallis hastily stubbed out the cigar in an ashtray. Mayne flicked a hand to disperse the smoke.

  ‘There’s a terrible fug in here,’ he said.

  ‘I’ll open a window,’ offered Tallis, getting up to do so. ‘There you are, Sir Richard,’ he said, facing him again.

  ‘Thank you. This investigation could do with some fresh air in it.’

  ‘I’ve been thinking about the situation with the royal family.’

  ‘So have I,’ said Mayne. ‘In fact, that’s what I came to talk to you about. As a general rule, I accept Colbeck’s advice without questioning it but I’m beginning to have doubts on this occasion.’