A Christmas Railway Mystery Read online

  ‘He went too far one day,’ said Ardingley. ‘He broke into the stores and got uncontrollably drunk. When a lieutenant tried to arrest him, Stagg fought back and got the upper hand. If he hadn’t been overpowered by two guards, there might have been a terrible outcome.’

  ‘Was he charged with attempted murder?’

  ‘Yes, Inspector, and he was sentenced to three hundred lashes.’

  ‘That would have killed him!’ exclaimed Leeming.

  ‘Luckily for him,’ said Ardingley, ‘the major interceded on his behalf. He went to the colonel and pointed out instances where Stagg’s behaviour reflected well on him. The man had shown heroism in the field and made light of the injuries he’d received there.’

  ‘How did Colonel Tarleton respond to that?’

  ‘He heeded the plea because the major was very persuasive. As a result, the sentence was reduced from three to two hundred lashes. Stagg was quite unaware of what had happened. Because he’d been hauled up initially in front of Major Tallis, he actually blamed him for the punishment he received.’

  ‘Two hundred lashes,’ said Leeming, ruefully. ‘That’s cruel.’

  ‘Flogging is essential in the army, Sergeant. It’s quick, effective and, because it’s in front of the whole regiment, it sends a signal to everyone else that discipline must be maintained. Importantly, it means that we retain an able soldier who will recover to take his place alongside the others. As for the number of lashes,’ said Ardingley, ‘Stagg would probably have passed out halfway through the flogging. The provost marshal had a very strong arm. When he wielded the cat-o’-nine-tails, every stroke told.’

  ‘Why did nobody tell Stagg that Major Tallis had actually helped him?’

  ‘That was a private matter between the major and the colonel.’

  Colbeck saw the paradox at once. The person who’d intervened to reduce the man’s sentence had, unjustly, been identified as being responsible for it. Because he was unaware of it, Tallis’s act of kindness counted for nothing in Joseph Stagg’s mind. Two hundred lashes would leave injuries that would take a very long time to heal and the mental wounds would never entirely disappear. Whenever he thought about the major, Colbeck decided, Stagg would feel something cutting into his naked back with vicious force.

  ‘What happened to the man?’ he asked. ‘Did he stay in the army?’

  ‘Yes, he did. Stagg was discharged earlier this year.’

  ‘Have you any idea what happened to him?’

  ‘I should imagine that he went back to the family farm.’

  ‘And where might that be?’

  ‘It’s down here in Kent. When he joined the army, Stagg chose the regiment whose barracks were closest to his home. He’s a local lad.’

  Maidstone Prison was an unlikely place in which to have an early breakfast but that was what Grosvenor did. Anxious to confirm that he had the right man this time, he asked to speak to someone who knew Nathan Ringer better than the deputy governor. One of the older warders, a man with a face of granite and a gravelly voice, was called in to talk about the former prisoner. It transpired that Ringer had been surly at first but had quickly adapted to the demands of prison life and caused no serious problems. Thanks to the interest the prison chaplain had taken in him, he’d appeared to have some sort of religious conversion. The warder was cynical.

  ‘The chaplain was taken in by him,’ said the warder, ‘but I’ve seen people like Ringer before. They’ll do and say anything to get some small advantage. I never trusted him. Just because he had his head in a Bible, it didn’t mean that he was reading it.’

  ‘What sort of mood would he have been in when he left here?’

  ‘Every prisoner is glad to walk free at last, Superintendent.’

  ‘Had incarceration changed him in any way?’

  ‘I don’t think so. Deep down, he probably hated the lot of us.’

  ‘Would he feel embittered at the people who actually put him in prison?’

  ‘Oh, yes, he’d never forgive them.’

  Grosvenor gave his sly smile. He’d been told exactly what he’d hoped to hear.

  While he was tempted to return to Canterbury to collect Hinton and Legge, he saw an opportunity to keep all the glory to himself. If he arrested Ringer on his own, he’d get unstinting praise from the commissioner and, in the event of Tallis’s death, he would almost certainly take his place. In effect, the decision was made for him. He had no qualms about meeting resistance even if he had to take on two men. As a precaution, he’d brought a loaded weapon with him as well as two sets of handcuffs. Hinton and Legge wouldn’t even know about the arrest until the superintendent delivered Ringer, with or without his accomplice, to the police station.

  Having taken advice on how best to reach Stelling Minnis, he left the prison and made his way to the railway station. Since there was no direct line to Canterbury, he had to change trains on the way to get there, thereby creating a delay and making him irritable. As soon as he reached his destination, he hired a cab to take him to a village which was only six or seven miles away. After the speed of the railway, he was forced into a slower mode of travel. It gave him time to review his decision that Nathan Ringer simply had to be the culprit. At first glance, Sam Byard had seemed the more likely kidnapper but that had been an illusion. Ringer had the intelligence to set up an ambush for Edward Tallis when he read in the local newspaper about the superintendent’s arrival in the area. Circumstantial evidence was strong. There was an added incentive for Grosvenor. In arresting Nathan Ringer, he would be obliterating the embarrassment of his earlier mistake in going after Byard.

  To get to Stelling Minnis, the cab driver took the more direct route along Stone Street, a Roman road which, for the most part, was ramrod straight. It involved a long climb up a steep hill but it saved Grosvenor from a serpentine route through Lower Hardres, home of Captain Wardlow, Upper Hardres and Bossingham. When they reached Stelling Minnis, he had a stroke of good fortune. Though it was only a little after six o’clock, a delivery of beer was being unloaded from a wagon outside the Rose and Crown. There was enough light from the lanterns on the wagon and on the pub itself for him to see the two people heaving the crates into the building. One of them looked very much like the man described to him as Nathan Ringer. Unlike Byard, enfeebled by his time in prison, Ringer appeared to be fit and active. He’d certainly have had the strength to take part in a kidnap.

  Grosvenor got out of the cab and watched from the shadows with rising excitement. This was his moment.

  Having watched Captain Wardlow until he’d fallen asleep again, Hinton had himself dozed off and was snoring gently. Both men were rudely awakened when the door opened and Colbeck entered with a bleary-eyed Leeming at his heels.

  ‘What are you doing here, sir?’ asked Hinton in amazement. ‘I thought you were in Swindon.’

  ‘That assignment is happily at an end,’ said Colbeck, ‘so we can lend our assistance here. We were hoping to report to Superintendent Grosvenor.’

  ‘He’s gone to Maidstone Prison.’

  ‘That’s the best place for him,’ murmured Leeming, mutinously. His voice rose. ‘How long is his sentence?’

  Hinton explained why the superintendent had gone there and Wardlow, still half-asleep, confirmed that the man behind the kidnap had finally been identified. It only remained to find his whereabouts. Colbeck was unconvinced. Having been there at the time of Nathan Ringer’s arrest and trial, he felt he knew the man far better than Grosvenor.

  ‘I can’t believe that Ringer was implicated,’ he said.

  ‘But the superintendent is certain that it’s him,’ said Hinton.

  ‘What do you think, Constable?’

  ‘I’m not … quite so sure, sir.’

  ‘I was dubious at first,’ admitted Wardlow, ‘but he persuaded me in the end. Please don’t tell me that it’s another hideous mistake.’

  ‘We think we’ve found the real villain,’ said Leeming, ‘and we did it by visiting the
barracks in Hythe.’

  ‘Yes,’ added Colbeck. ‘We spoke to Captain Ardingley.’ He turned to Wardlow. ‘He sent his warmest regards, sir.’

  The captain’s head drooped. ‘Major Tallis and I should have spent last evening in Ardingley’s company,’ he said, dejectedly, ‘drinking our fill and toasting the regiment. Such an opportunity may never arise again.’

  ‘We went to Hythe because I felt that the solution to this puzzle lay in the superintendent’s military past rather than among criminals he might have arrested.’

  ‘I thought that as well, sir,’ Hinton interjected.

  ‘And I dismissed the idea as nonsense,’ said Wardlow, huffily.

  ‘Then you were wrong,’ Colbeck told him. ‘With the invaluable help of Captain Ardingley, we settled on a former soldier named Joseph Stagg.’

  ‘That name sounds vaguely familiar.’

  ‘He was flogged for attempted murder, sir. Apparently, Major Tallis got his sentence reduced by a hundred lashes but he never even thanked him because he didn’t know there’d been a plea for mercy on his behalf. Mistakenly, he believed that the major was the man who’d imposed the sentence in the first place.’

  ‘I remember the incident now,’ said Wardlow. ‘It occurred in India.’

  ‘That’s right.’ Colbeck glanced down at the map of Kent still open on the table. ‘We’ll borrow this, if we may. It will help us to find Stagg.’

  ‘Where is he?’

  ‘Hopefully, he’ll be on the family farm. It’s somewhere off the Dover Road.’

  Wardlow struggled to get up. ‘I’ll go with you.’

  ‘No, sir,’ said Leeming, easing him gently back down on to his chair. ‘There could be violence. You stay here and leave it to us.’

  ‘Am I to come with you?’ asked Hinton, hopefully.

  ‘Yes,’ said Colbeck. ‘An extra pair of hands is always useful.’ He opened the door then turned back. ‘Goodbye, Captain. Please give the superintendent our regards.’

  ‘What do I tell him?’ asked Wardlow.

  ‘Advise him to work on his excuse for a second wrongful arrest.’

  Grosvenor waited until they’d finished unloading the wagon before he moved in. He confronted Ringer in the bar, where he was transferring bottles from the crates to the shelves. While the man was pale, thin and hollow-eyed, he’d somehow kept many of the handsome features that had allowed him to prey on vulnerable women. Ringer was surprised to see him walk in unexpectedly.

  ‘We’re not open for hours yet, sir.’

  ‘I’m not here for a drink,’ said Grosvenor.

  ‘If you want to speak to the landlord, you’ll have to wait. He’s still in bed.’

  ‘I came to see you, Ringer.’

  The other man blinked. ‘How do you know my name?’

  ‘I’m Superintendent Grosvenor from Scotland Yard and I’m here to arrest you.’ Ringer was astounded. ‘Is your accomplice here as well?’

  ‘What accomplice?’

  ‘Don’t lie to me, man. You were party to the kidnap of Superintendent Tallis and will be held to account for the crime along with whoever assisted you.’

  Ringer gaped. ‘I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about.’

  ‘If you resist arrest, your sentence will be lengthened accordingly.’

  ‘But I’ve just served my sentence, sir.’

  ‘I know. I was in Maidstone Prison earlier this morning. That was how I knew where to find you. The deputy governor told me you’d be in Stelling Minnis.’

  ‘You should have spoken to the chaplain instead.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘It was his brother who agreed to help me. He’s the vicar here and as kind and understanding as the chaplain himself. When you’ve been to prison, it’s difficult to find a job of any kind, let alone somewhere to live. Mr Hollings, the vicar, arranged for me to live and work here at the Rose and Crown. If you care to meet him,’ he went on, ‘I’m sure that he’ll vouch for me.’

  Doubts began to form but Grosvenor pressed on regardless.

  ‘I’ll need to rouse the landlord to tell him I’m taking you to Canterbury.’

  ‘Please don’t do that, sir. I’ve done nothing wrong.’

  ‘You were involved in the abduction of Edward Tallis. We know that you’ve harboured a grudge against him all these years.’

  ‘I did at first,’ confessed the other, ‘and I thought of nothing else. But the chaplain taught me there was such a thing as forgiveness. What the superintendent and Inspector Colbeck did was no more than what was expected of them. They arrested a man who was doing wicked things and causing a lot of grief. Well, I’m not that man any more and I bear no malice against either of them.’ He extended both hands. ‘Arrest me, if you must and handcuff me. All that you’ll be doing is to ruin my one chance of a better life.’ Grosvenor hesitated. ‘I like it here, Superintendent. It’s a lovely village. Apart from the vicar and the landlord, nobody knows about my past. People around here are starting to accept me. I might have been used to a more comfortable way of life at one time, but it was based entirely on deception. Those days are over. I’ve learnt my lesson the hard way.’

  Grosvenor gulped.

  It was just after dawn when Edward Tallis heard the sound of a horse and cart outside. He was shivering in the cold and aching with hunger. Even the slightest movement was accompanied by a shooting pain. When the cart came to a halt outside, he knew that the two men were back again and that there wasn’t even the faintest chance of release. Having put him through torment, they’d come to kill him off. They’d brought something to lever away the planks they’d nailed across the door. It was suddenly flung open and the two of them entered with lanterns. Sweeping off his hat, one of them stood close to Tallis and held the light near his face so that it could be seen clearly.

  ‘Do you remember me now, Major?’ he growled.

  ‘It’s Stagg,’ said Tallis in surprise. ‘Private Stagg.’

  ‘Yes, it’s the man you had flogged half to death in India.’

  ‘But it wasn’t my decision, man—’

  ‘Shut up!’ yelled Stagg, silencing him with a blow to the face. ‘Before my sentence was carried out, I spent two days locked up in a stinking hole with no light and in baking heat. In your case, it’s been icy cold but at least you’ve found out what it’s like to be treated like a wild animal.’

  ‘Now for the best part,’ said the other man.

  ‘This is my brother, Leo.’

  ‘I’m good with my hands, you see, so I made this cat-o’-nine-tails for Joe.’ He thrust the whip in front of Tallis’s face then handed it to his brother. ‘He told me exactly what it looked like.’

  ‘And exactly what it felt like,’ said Stagg. ‘String him up, Leo.’

  Realising what they intended to do, Tallis quivered inwardly but he showed no fear and he was certainly not going to beg. It was pointless trying to tell Stagg that he’d actually spoken up on his behalf. The man was so committed to his perverted idea of vengeance that he wouldn’t listen to a word Tallis said. Leo had brought a rope with him and he stood on a rickety old wooden box so that he could loop it through the iron hook in the ceiling. The two brothers then lifted their victim to his feet, causing him tremors of agony. While Leo held him tight, his brother unlocked the handcuffs, brought Tallis’s hands around to the front of his body and locked his wrists together again. Then they tied one end of the rope around the handcuffs and pulled on the other, hoisting him up until his feet were barely touching the floor. The pain was now indescribable and Tallis came close to passing out. When one end of the rope was tied off against a post, he hung suspended and defenceless.

  ‘I’ll show you what two hundred lashes feels like,’ said Stagg, gleefully. ‘Get the prisoner ready, Leo.’

  Taking out a sharp knife, his brother sliced through Tallis’s waistcoat and shirt until they were no more than rags. He then grabbed hold of the strips of material one by one and tore them completely away, exposi
ng the naked torso. When Tallis twitched involuntarily in the cold, the brothers laughed. Stagg held the cat-o’-nine-tails in front of his eyes then lashed the side of the stall with it by way of demonstration.

  ‘I’m going to flay you alive, Major Tallis,’ he warned.

  But the words died in his throat when he heard the sound of an approaching vehicle. Running to the door, Leo saw a cab haring towards them through the gloom. When it skidded to a halt, three men jumped out and ran towards the stable.

  ‘Run for it, Joe!’ he shouted. ‘It could be the police.’

  ‘It can’t be,’ said Stagg, crossing to the door to look out. ‘How on earth did they know where we were?’

  His brother didn’t bother to reply. He simply charged off to the cart, leapt up into the seat and snapped the reins. As it began to move away, Hinton flung himself on to the back of the cart. Joseph Stagg didn’t even reach it because Leeming moved quickly to intercept him, tripping him up then jumping on him to pummel him hard with both fists. Colbeck ran to the stable, lantern in hand. When he saw the way that Tallis had been strung up, he was appalled.

  ‘Don’t worry, sir. I’ll get you down.’

  ‘Colbeck?’ whispered the other. ‘Is that you?’

  ‘I’ll be as gentle as I can, sir.’

  Untying one end of the rope, he let it fall slowly through the hook so that Tallis’s arms were no longer stretched upwards. Colbeck then helped him to sit down before taking off his own coat and putting it around his shoulders. When he untied the rope around Tallis’s ankles, he brought a little more relief to the prisoner. It was clear that the man was too dazed and exhausted to explain what had happened to him but he rallied when Leeming dragged in Joseph Stagg, whose face was streaming with blood.

  ‘I got him just in time,’ he said.

  ‘Well done, Sergeant,’ said Tallis, teeth chattering. ‘He’ll have the key to these handcuffs somewhere about him.’

  Leeming goggled. ‘Look at the state of you, sir!’ he gasped.

  ‘Don’t just stand there,’ said Colbeck.